Ready to turn a handful of mini pumpkins into the most adorable little bookworm on the bookshelf? This very hungry caterpillar pumpkin project is the perfect no-carve way to bring Eric Carle’s famous caterpillar to life. It works for kids, classrooms, library displays, and book character pumpkin contests. With a little paint, some glue, and a few googly eyes, you can make a wiggly, munching, story book pumpkin that has everyone smiling. Kids will love it, and so will the grown-ups who grew up with this book!
Why Make a Very Hungry Caterpillar Book Character Pumpkin
This is one of the easiest book character pumpkins you can make, and one of the most recognizable. Eric Carle’s bold colors and simple shapes translate beautifully to pumpkins.
It’s beginner-friendly. There’s no carving and no complicated details. Round mini pumpkins already look like caterpillar body segments.
It’s perfect for younger kids. Preschool and kindergarten children usually know the story by heart, so they can “read” their own creation.
It stands out in a contest. When I ran book character pumpkin contests in our school libraries, one of the most memorable entries was a very hungry caterpillar built from mini pumpkins. Among all the single painted pumpkins, a whole caterpillar in a row got attention.
It lasts. With no carving, it stays fresh through the display period. Use craft pumpkins if you want to keep it for years.
It connects reading and crafting. You can pair it with the story, counting practice, days of the week, or a lesson on caterpillars and butterflies.
Looking for more ideas? Browse my full list of easy book character pumpkins.
Materials Needed
6 mini pumpkins (real or artificial): 5 for the body and 1 for the head. Choose ones that are similar in size.
Tempera paint in green, red, and yellow (optional: black for details)
School glue to mix 1:1 with the paint so it sticks and doesn’t flake
Paintbrushes in a few sizes
A base: an aluminum foil tray, cookie sheet, or a piece of cardboard to hold the pumpkins together
Tacky glue or a hot glue gun (adult supervision needed) to attach the pumpkins to each other
Pipe cleaners in red or orange for antennae and legs
Construction paper or felt in green for a leaf, if you want the caterpillar to have something to munch on
Optional: a marker for a smile and small paper cutouts of the foods he eats (apple, pears, plums, strawberries, oranges)
How to Make a Very Hungry Caterpillar Pumpkin
Prep your pumpkins. Wipe them clean and let them dry. Arrange them in a curved line on your tray to plan the caterpillar’s shape.
Mix your paint. Combine equal parts tempera paint and school glue. This helps the paint stick to the pumpkin skin.
Paint the body green. Paint five mini pumpkins green. Add a second coat once the first is dry so the color is bold and even.
Paint the head red. Paint the sixth pumpkin red, just like in the book.
Add details. Once everything is dry, add a yellow or red-orange accent if you like, and paint a smile on the head.
Attach the eyes. Glue googly eyes onto the head pumpkin.
Add antennae and legs. Twist pipe cleaners into two antennae and glue or tuck them at the top of the head. Add small pipe cleaner legs to the body segments if you’d like.
Glue everything to the base. Have an adult use hot glue or tacky glue to attach each pumpkin to the tray, then to each other, so the caterpillar keeps its shape. Curve the line for a “crawling” look.
Set the scene. Add a paper leaf under the head or arrange paper fruit around the caterpillar to show what he’s been eating.
Pro tip: If you’re entering the pumpkin in a contest, write the child’s name on the bottom of the tray in permanent marker.
Books to Display with Your Very Hungry Caterpillar Pumpkin
A book character pumpkin looks best with the book beside it. Here are some titles to build a display around:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle: the star of the show
The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle
The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. (illustrated by Eric Carle)
A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle
From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Deborah Heiligman
Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert
From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer
Put the book (or books) next to your caterpillar, add a small sign with the title, and you have a library-ready display. You can also set out a few other book character pumpkins from my main list, like Pete the Cat or the Pigeon, for a full storytime shelf.
Running Your Own Book Character Pumpkin Contest
How do you win the pumpkin decorating contest? In the school libraries where I work, I had the students vote for their favorite. It helps if a lot of students are familiar with the book the character is from. If you decide to run your own book character pumpkin decorating contest, I’ve made things easy for you. Get a free book character pumpkin certificate and promotional flyer right here. These templates are customizable, downloadable, printable, and FREE!
Get my free book character pumpkin contest kit!
More Book Character Pumpkin Ideas
Over the years, I have had many students create a variety of creative book character pumpkins. Others that are fun to create include Captain Underpants, Charlotte’s Web pumpkins, Dog Man pumpkins, Harry Potter pumpkins, and many others. It’s great to find a book and think of a pumpkin book character to go along with it. Have a wonderful week, and may all of your pigeon book character pumpkin endeavors meet with great success!
Lisa Mitchell is a wife, mom, teacher, and former school librarian who likes to grow fruit, vegetables, flowers on her family’s small Pacific Northwest farm and encourage kids to design creative pumpkin book characters. To learn more about what this website has to offer, click on over to the Welcome page.
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I love this very hungry caterpillar book character pumpkin idea! It’s great to have a no-carve option for a book character pumpkin contest. Thank you for the inspiration!
You are most welcome! The size of the very hungry caterpillar can vary based on the size of the mini pumpkins, so it’s a versatile option for book character pumpkin events.