Pumpkin Jack

The first pumpkin Tim ever carved was fierce and funny, and he named it Jack. When Halloween was over and the pumpkin was beginning to rot, Tim set it out in the garden and throughout the weeks he watched it change. By spring, a plant began to grow! Will Hubbell’s gentle story and beautifully detailed illustrations give an intimate look at the cycle of life.

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  • 32 Pages
  • 10.75" x 8.5"
  • 9780807566664
  • January 2000

Buy from Albert Whitman

  • 9780807593158
  • May 2015

Reviews

  • Satisfying and surprisingly varied in approach and perspective, Hubbell’s colored pencil drawings illustrate the simple story in a series of well-imagined scenes that focus both on Tim and on the many stages of his pumpkin plant. The narrative flows along naturally with the progression of the pumpkin through the seasons. One of the best fictional picture books to follow the cycle of a plant, this would be a good choice for reading aloud.

    - Booklist

  • A simple, appealing selection for storytimes…Readers can hear the crinkle of old leaves, smell the earthy odors of the garden, and breathe in the crisp air of the first frosty day of autumn. Any child who has had to throw away a beloved jack-o’-lantern will appreciate this fine offering.

    - School Library Journal

  • Hubbell’s wholesome story offers hope to kids who can’t bear to throw away their jack-o’-lanterns. When “Jack” starts to rot, Tim places him in the garden, among dead tomato vines and brown autumn leaves…Tim “scrapes a thin blanket of earth over the last bits of his pumpkin,” sees a plant sprout in the spring and tends it all summer. Autumn brings pumpkins for everyone…the gentle premise and earthy pictures could spark a gardening project.

    - Publishers Weekly

Common Core

RL.K.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9,10 RL.1.1,2,3,4,5,7 RL.2.1,2,3,5,7,10

 

  • Accelerated Reader Points: 0.50
  • ATOS Level: 3.50