Pumpkins and the Magic of Fall in 2 Adorable Picture Books for Young Readers

Pascal Lemaitre's delightful picture book Pumpkin Dad is perfect for the magic of the fall season and Halloween. Tricks and treats are always part of Halloween and parents also enjoy playing tricks on their children. Sometimes the tricks turn out to be not so funny to a young child, but it always turns out fine.

Ellis has a magic wand and likes to wave it with all of her "abracadabras". Dad is taking a nap so this is the perfect time for the magic. Dad has a sense of humor and decides to play his own trick. He places a pumpkin in his chair and hides. Ellis immediately thinks that she has turned her dad into a pumpkin! She rushes the pumpkin to the hospital, but her pumpkin falls from the wagon and rolls away on the way to the hospital. Ellis has a huge problem when she encounters all of those pumpkins at the pumpkin festival. Where is Dad? She sees a famer carving a pumpkin and she thinks that he is doodling her dad. Ellis sees a chef preparing a pumpkin for a recipe and begs him not to cook her dad. Will another "abracadabra"! bring Dad back? Young readers will find this to be a page-turner to discover the return of Dad.

Pascal Lemaitre is also a talented illustrator and contributed colorful illustrations for Pumpkin Dad. The text is written in easy-to-read short sentences for beginning readers.

Pumpkin Dad is recommended for ages 3-5. It was published by Viking Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin/Random House. It has an ISBN of 978-0-593-69520-3.

Jill McDonald's colorful and educational board book From Seed to Pumpkin is the perfect choice to introduce your young reader to growing a pumpkin. She takes the reader from seed to the full-grown beautiful pumpkin in perfect sequence for young readers to learn where their pumpkin comes from.

Fall is here and the pumpkins will soon arrive in the stores and everywhere. Pumpkins come from a tiny seed and the seeds are planted in the spring. Long vines appear with surprising yellow flowers and small green pumpkins that grow from these flowers. The pumpkins turn orange and are finally ready to pick. Pumpkin patches appear everywhere and parents take their children to choose a pumpkin. Pumpkins can also be used in delicious recipes. McDonald also includes the idea of composting your pumpkin after Halloween.

Each illustration is colorful and engaging. From Seed to Pumpkin is recommended for ages 3-8. It has an ISBN of 978-0-593-70824-8. It was published by Doubleday, a division of Penguin/Random House.

Teachers who teach in early education classrooms will want to add both of these delightful picture books to their classroom library for the fall and Halloween season. Pumpkins are always a favorite for the season and teachers can prepare a wealth of curriculum activities for young students.

*Read each book in a story time session.

*Engage students in the trick that Dad plays on Ellis in Pumpkin Dad. Engage children in a discussion of the concept that magic is a pretending activity.

*Bring a package of pumpkin seeds to class for children to experience.

*Cut a pumpkin and investigate the inside of a pumpkin with the illustration found in From Seed to Pumpkin.

*Carve a jack-o-lantern.

*Bring in a few samples of recipes that can be made from pumpkins. Pumpkin butter, cupcakes, and pumpkin bread are just a few items that can be made from pumpkins.

*Call attention to the list of spices that are listed in From Seed to Pumpkin. Bring samples of these spices for children to experience. Have a Tasting Party to taste the spices.