Kids Books To Read Before Visit To Pumpkin Patch In East Haven

EAST HAVEN — An October visit to a pumpkin patch near East Haven can only be enhanced with a good beforehand read. The kids will be more enthused about picking out the perfect one for carving with a better understanding of pumpkin basics.

Here is a list of some of our favorite pumpkin patches near East Haven.

• Shore Line Trolley Museum Pumpkin Patch in East Haven. "We're happy to welcome you back!" This year, The Shore Line Trolley Museum will be following Covid-19 protocols. We'll be offering rides every hour to the Pumpkin Patch. Kids can still pick their own sugar pumpkin at our outdoor patch. Take a self-guided tour of our decorated trolley barns. Each child receives a take-away puzzle book. The Patch is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays from Oct. 3 through Nov. 1. Limit 25 per hour, tickets are available online. Your admission includes a trolley ride, grounds visit, one pumpkin and puzzle book for each child. Please read our Covid-19 protocols below. Groups of 10 or more can request their own special weekday visit! Please contact the museum at reservations@shorelinetrolley.org or call 203-467-6927 for special times and rates. 17 River St, East Haven, CT 06512. Phone: 203-467-6927. Email: office@shorelinetrolley.com.
• Rose Orchards in North Branford. The pumpkin patch is open everyday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. though the end of October. The farm has pick-your-own apples, the pumpkin patch, straw or hay bale maze, tractor-pulled hay rides, wagon rides, prepicked produce, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, and farm animals. 33 Route 139, 33 Branford Rd North Branford, CT 06471. Phone: 203-488-7996.
• Bishop's Orchard - The Little Red Barn and Pumpkin Patch in Guilford is open now through Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. Admission is free. Fall Family Fun is here at the Bishop's Orchards Little Red Barn, so come to our Pumpkin Patch. Inside the Little Red Barn you will find fall seasonal decorations as well as perishable items. Due to COVID-19, our Fall into Fun Kid's Activities are limited to just the Apple Train. Cost is $2/person (tax included) and the train runs on weekends and holidays only. 1355 Boston Post Road, Guilford. 203-453-3328.

KC Edventures, an organization that encourages children's learning through providing information on fun activities, has sorted out recommended kids fall reads by genre and age group in their 2019 list of "12 perfect pumpkin books for kids."

The recommended reads include "From Seed to Pumpkin," which teaches the science behind how seeds grow; "The Pumpkin Book," detailing the growth of pumpkins and "The Very Best Pumpkin," about a boy named Peter who finds and cares for a pumpkin all summer long.

Here are five of the other books on the list, all available for order on Amazon.

• Pumpkin Pumpkin
• It's Pumpkin Time!
• The Runaway Pumpkin
• Pumpkin Soup
• The Pumpkin Fair