The narrator of this poetic picture book selects the perfect pumpkin guardian for his yard on Halloween night, carving it into a jack-o-lantern and setting it out. Unbeknownst to him however, this particular pumpkin is magic—the leader of the foolies against which he is meant to be guarding. It falls to the narrator to then plunge the jack-o-lantern into darkness by snuffing out his candle, thereby putting an end to the spell...

Although quite familiar with co-authors Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault—the pair also co-authored the classic Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and Martin collaborated with Eric Carle on Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and sequels—The Magic Pumpkin is the first of their books that I have actually picked up and read. I thought I would thoroughly enjoy it, given the authors' reputation, the cover image, and the Halloween theme, but instead I found myself mostly indifferent. The poetic text felt a little awkward in its structure, the story didn't speak to me, and I found the accompanying artwork from illustrator Robert J. Lee uninspiring. I did like the brief appearance of the two foxes, who "came out of the wood like hooded witches," but other than that, this is one I can take or leave. I'm glad to have finally picked it up, as I've been curious about it for a few years, but I don't strongly recommend it. ( )

The perfect pumpkin is chosen to be a guard on Halloween night. It is given eyes, a nose, and a grinning mouth, and it came to life with candlelight. It seems the jack-o'-lantern was up to no good though. So just like that, the magic disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The Bottom Line: Lee’s whimsical illustrations bring this seasonal story to life. Read this tale of mischief and magic with little ones ages 4 – 6.

This review also appears at the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog. ( )

This book is about a magic pumpkin. A little boy goes to the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin for Halloween. Once he carves it into a Jack-O-Lantern, it comes to life and starts talking to him. The little boy lets the magic pumpkin go because he is afraid.

billmartinjr.com This website is good because it gives information on the author and his publications.

This is a story of a pumpkin that wanted to be picked from the patch. He promised to keep to be a guard if picked. The pumpkin was carved and set out on the porch. He held up his end of the deal after being picked until foolies came along. Come to find out he was the leader of the foolie gang. This is a good book for 1nd - 3rd graders. Good to read in groups or individually around Halloween.

www.billmartinjr.com/bill_martin

I thought this book was a cute one. It tells a story of a pumpkin waiting to be carved. The pumpkin seems to speak to the person telling the story and tells them that he will guard them from the foolies that come out on Hallowen. The person carves the pumpkin and the pumpkin winks at the moon. Things such as witches and giants are disguised as foxes and skunks and other things came out of the woods. The person telling the story is scared and waits for the pumpkin to guard him but the pumpkin is in fact the leader of them all. The person snuffs the pumpkins candle out because he tricked him. This would be a fun book to read around Halloween to get the children in the spirit of it.

Author Website:
www.billmartinjr.com