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(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Dan Misdea.
When a mischievous black cat runs off with a little jack-o'-lantern child's purple mouse stuffie, the child must face their fears to find their beloved friend. In the end, stuffie and child are reunited, and our hero discovers a reserve of courage they didn't know they had. A lot happens in this wordless Halloween adventure that plays out in cleanly rendered panel illustrations. The jack-o'-lantern travels across a river and into a forest where they encounter a skeleton, ghosts, a witch (sad about her missing black cat), a giant octopus, and, scariest of all, the dark. The details sound frightening, but the art's soft palette and comforting round shapes signal to young readers and listeners that they needn't be.
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2023
40 pp.
| Little/Ottaviano
| August, 2023
|
TradeISBN 9780316331975$18.99
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Wendell Minor.
In propulsive rhyming verse and spooky watercolor and gouache illustrations ("mixed with digital"), readers are introduced to the participants in a parade of zombies with jack-o'-lanterns for heads--Slime-Faced Sumpkin, Ghoul-Eyed Gumpkin, Crush-Headed Cumpkin, etc.--who march through the countryside on Halloween night. They return to the pumpkin graveyard at dawn, but "watch out, my friend, / beware, be wise! / This isn't the end-- / the zombies will rise." Burleigh and Minor's latest collaboration (Breaking Waves and Wilbur Wright Meets Lady Liberty, both rev. 5/21) is perfect for young readers who enjoy a bit of "shiver and quiver" in their picture books.
32 pp.
| Charlesbridge
| August, 2021
|
TradeISBN 978-1-58089-935-2$11.99
|
EbookISBN 978-1-63289-788-6$6.99 New ed. (09/00)
(2)
PS
Here is one if you're looking for something seasonal but not spooky. In this revised edition of a book first published in 2000, "On Halloween, every pumpkin becomes a pumpkin head." It's a shaky premise, but it makes clear what we will see in the following pages: carved pumpkin heads in doorways, on a park bench, in a cowboy hat, as a snowman or a scarecrow, etc. (The only misstep is a pumpkin-head hot-air balloon, which one devoutly hopes is not carved.) There's enough variety in the pumpkin heads to keep things interesting, and Minor's gravely romantic gouache watercolors place the heads in a variety of sunset or moonlit settings.
Reviewer: Roger Sutton
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2021
40 pp.
| Candlewick
| July, 2019
|
TradeISBN 978-1-5362-0764-4$16.99
(2)
PS
Illustrated by
Jarvis.
In this upbeat picture book, a rhyming text and soft, evocative mixed-media illustrations follow a (seemingly interracial) family as they bring home pumpkins from a farm, clean and prepare them, design and carve them, and finally light the finished jack-o'-lanterns. The book has a pleasantly old-fashioned vibe, though with carefully incorporated modern-day safety precautions: adults cut the pumpkins' tops off; kids use plastic saws.
(3)
K-3
As, one by one, his fellows (even the gourd!) at a big-city neighborhood market are sold, a stemless pumpkin worries that nobody will appreciate his many other jack-o'-lantern-worthy qualities. Warm, gently funny text and friendly mixed-media illustrations leave no question that everything will work out for the insecure but lovable pumpkin. Orange and green accents pop amid the muted setting on creamy paper.
(3)
4-6
Misfit middle-school crime-solvers, the Creeps, team up with a witch to stop monster gourds from eating their whole town when a two-hundred-year-old curse comes to fruition during Pumpkins County's annual carving contest. Character-revealing dialogue with well-timed comic beats work in tandem with evocative panel art to move the plot of this third zany graphic novel forward.
32 pp.
| Random
| July, 2015
|
LibraryISBN 978-0-375-97466-3$12.99
|
PaperISBN 978-0-553-51341-7$3.99
|
EbookISBN 978-0-553-51342-4
(3)
K-3
Step into Reading series.
Illustrated by
Erika Meza.
This sweet story follows an African American family as they go to the pumpkin patch to find pumpkins for carving jack-o'-lanterns: "Take a spoon. / Scoop out goo. / Make a face--yikes! / Looks like you!" A short and simple rhyming text pairs with warm illustrations in an autumnal palette to make this a fine seasonal pick for very new readers.
(3)
PS
Illustrated by
Tim Zeltner.
A friendly-looking little pumpkin seed tries very hard to be scary. "You'll be scary soon enough," the wind assures it, but the seed finds that waiting is hard. Whimsical acrylic-on-plywood illustrations capture the seed's growth into a pumpkin--then a jack-o'-lantern--when it finally realizes its dream on Halloween. An enjoyable holiday read-aloud with a gentle message about patience.
48 pp.
| Dial
| August, 2013
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8037-3983-3$16.99
(3)
PS
Rhyming text counts down through a mildly "spooky night" as, one by one, nine pumpkins disappear; the tenth--now a glowing jack-o'-lantern--wishes us a "Happy Halloween!" Clear silhouettes in the foreground contrast pleasingly with the vivid pumpkins and bright backgrounds. Careful observers will discover the missing pumpkins' fates (baked into a ghost's pie, added to a witch's brew, etc.) and spot a curious black cat on each page.
(2)
1-3
Illustrated by
Harry Bliss.
Hank (Invisible Inkling) is reeling from his (human) best friend's move, he doesn't have anyone to trick-or-treat with, and his invisible creature Inkling gets him in trouble. Come Halloween, Inkling proves himself to be a true friend. Jenkins's fantasy has strong sense of place and realistic family dynamic; Bliss's droll illustrations allow readers to see Inkling in all his furry glory.
Reviewer: Robin L. Smith
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2012
32 pp.
| Capstone
| August, 2011
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-4296-6023-5$25.99
(3)
K-3
A+ Step by Step Stories series.
Using plenty of staged photographs of an African American dad and his son, this book demonstrates how to carve a pumpkin, including tips on choosing a good one and using the right tools. Meant to encourage early literacy skills, the text features short captions closely paired with the photos, chapter headings, and a sequencing "quiz" at book’s end. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Brandon Dorman.
Drawing from several Irish folktales, Tegen tells the story of how the jack-o'-lantern came to be. A stingy and thieving man named Jack gets his comeuppance when he makes a dodgy deal with the devil. Rich-hued, detailed illustrations complement the spooky tale. Additional details about the history of the jack-o'-lantern conclude the book.
32 pp.
| McElderry
| September, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-689-83834-4$$12.95
(3)
PS
Illustrated by
Valeria Petrone.
In rhyming, rhythmic text, tiger cub Peter searches for just the right "sunny, sumptuous pumpkin" in which to carve a "simply dimply, dumply face." The warm, bold illustrations perfectly suit this simple jack-o'-lantern tale. There are no other specific references to Halloween, making this a good choice for those celebrating the season rather than the holiday.
32 pp.
| Whitman
| September, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-8075-6665-9$$15.95
(3)
K-3
After Halloween is over, Tim reluctantly deposits Jack, his jack-o'-lantern, in the garden to rot. The following spring he discovers Jack's remains, then a sprout, then a plant that blooms and produces fruit through the summer. Come fall he harvests the new pumpkins and creates a new Jack. Rich colored-pencil illustrations, which capture the pumpkin's crumbling decay, animate this satisfying tale.
(4)
PS
This is a slight rumination on the different guises a pumpkin may take. The accompanying paintings include pumpkins carved to resemble witches and cowboys, as well as jack-o'-lanterns painted onto the sides of hot-air balloons. The text is negligible, but Halloween fans will be drawn by the evocative illustrations of pumpkin heads glowing and glowering against autumn backgrounds.
40 pp.
| Simon
| September, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-689-82846-2$$12.95 1938, Oxford
(3)
K-3
Evoking a time gone by, these two simply told, delicately illustrated volumes celebrate holiday pleasures. In Easter, a little girl notices all the signs that Easter is near--dress hemming, hot cross buns, and a dream about rabbits and ducklings. In Pumpkin, Sylvie Ann finds a perfect jack-o'-lantern pumpkin in the field, but getting it home for carving proves to be an adventure.
40 pp.
| Tricycle
| September, 1999
|
TradeISBN 1-58246-004-3$$14.95
(2)
K-3
Photographs by
Shmuel Thaler.
Glorious color photos steal the show in this book on pumpkins in all their sumptuous rotundity. Each skillfully composed picture lures readers into looking more imaginatively, as well as more knowledgeably, at these vegetables. Levenson's text, adequate as an outline of the life cycle and care of pumpkins, is marred by awkward rhyming; still, the book is worth having for the splendid pictures.
Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 1999
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Megan Halsey.
A boy and his mother visit the farmer's market and choose pumpkins--small ones for a pumpkin pie and a large one for a jack-o'-lantern. The simple, cozy story is accompanied by equally simple colored pencil and paint on cut-paper collage illustrations. The final spreads use gorgeous color combinations as night (deep blue-black paper) falls behind the illuminated jack-o'-lantern and house.