When my son’s school announced a storybook pumpkin contest, we knew exactly which character to choose! Inspired by I Am Jack Skellington , a Little Golden Book based on Disney’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, we turned a small pumpkin into our own Pumpkin King. 🎃🖤 📚 Book
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This was such a lovely way to connect reading with a hands-on Halloween activity!
What We Used
- A small pumpkin
- White and black craft paint
- Paintbrushes
- A black paint marker
Our school asked for pumpkins no larger than a basketball, so we chose a little one that was easy to carry.
How We Made Our Storybook Pumpkin
Day one: Paint it white.
We started with a clean, dry pumpkin and applied two coats of white paint, allowing drying time between coats. My little one helped with this part! We then left it to dry overnight.
Day two: Add Jack’s face.
I outlined his big eyes, tiny nostrils, and iconic stitched smile with a paint marker, then filled in the features using black paint. We let everything dry completely before getting it ready for school.
Bringing the Book to Life
To finish our display, I created a little card on Canva with Jack Skellington’s name and my son’s name. We paired the pumpkin with I Am Jack Skellington, the book that inspired our project.
I love how a storybook pumpkin activity encourages children to think about their favorite characters and bring them to life creatively. You could try the same idea with a character your child loves!
Watch our full pumpkin-painting tutorial on Parenting with Sara below.
Which book character would your child choose? 🎃💜