Mrs. McMurphy's Pumpkin [Hardcover]

Rick Walton (Author), Delana Bettoli (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

One morning, a few days before Halloween, Mrs. McMurphy wakes up to find a large pumpkin by her front door. "My mouth is here. I speak to you. When my teeth are here, I'll eat you!" it says with a mischievous grin. Unafraid, Mrs. McMurphy politely places the threatening squash outside. But day after day the pumpkin returns to make good on its promise!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3–This tale's classic storytelling structure makes it a natural for storytime. Four days before Halloween, a pumpkin with a "wicked grin" and no other facial features appears in Mrs. McMurphy's hallway. It threatens her, "When my teeth are here, I'll eat you," but she refuses to be cowed and carries it outside. The pumpkin mysteriously reappears inside her house on each of the following days, first with a "crooked nose" to add to the grin, then "two pointy ears," then "two mean eyes." Each time, it repeats its warning and the woman responds by sending it farther and farther away. Finally, on Halloween, the pumpkin returns once more, complete with "large, sharp teeth," and declares that it's ready to eat her. Mrs. McMurphy calmly replies, "We'll have to see about that," and ends up making a pie and serving delicious slices to her trick-or-treaters. Walton uses lots of repetition that invites young listeners to chant along. Done in gouache and acrylics, the folkloric illustrations are dominated by orange tones and filled with wonderful details. This is sure to be a Halloween favorite.–Jane Marino, Bronxville Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Rick Walton is the author of more than thirty books for children, including So Many Bunnies: A Bedtime ABC and Counting Book and What to Do When a Bug Climbs in Your Mouth and Other Poems to Drive You Buggy. When he is not writing, he likes to read, travel, and play the guitar. Rick lives in Provo, Utah, with his wife, Ann, and their four children.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperFestival (September 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060534095
• ISBN-13: 978-0060534097
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,368,592 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Country Beauty, September 11, 2004

By 

Cindy Vickery "Teacher" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mrs. McMurphy's Pumpkin (Hardcover)

As a primary teacher, I search for seasonal books that lend themselves to the essense of specific times of year and science- oriented issues. I use good literature to touch on science, geography, SS and art. (There just isn't enought time in the day!)

Mrs. McMurphy's Pumpkin is rich with the colors of the season. Pumpkin blossoms and vines are everywhere. As you count down the days to Halloween, you are treated to illustrations of Mrs. McMurphy's farm in the fall - delightful.

Adding a new feature to the pumpkin's scary appearance while repeating the previous features promotes memory and pattern
understanding in young listeners. (And of course they can recall the senses - ex. "My nose is here, I smell you.")
But most importantly in these changing times, (many no longer "celebrate" Halloween because they feel focusing on Halloween can promote evil connotations) this selection is anything BUT evil.

Mrs. McMurphy's pumpkin delivers a fun, beautifully -illustrated tale that presents a scary feeling during the Halloween season without witches or goblins. It is really about a beautiful country farm and its charming, easy-going resident, Mrs. McMurphy. Farm animals, fall trees, the autumn sky.....
pumpkin vines and blossoms...fun trick-or-treaters...
A charming story, elegantly illustrated.

Cindy Vickery "teacher"

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good Halloween story for young children, October 8, 2004

By 

youbink (LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mrs. McMurphy's Pumpkin (Hardcover)

I like the little bit of suspense this book provides for the child without being overly scary. A pumpkin appears one day in Mrs. McMurphy's house , at that time the pumpkin only has a grin and no other facial features. The pumpkin tells her that when he gets his teeth , he is going to eat her. Mrs. McMurphy handles the situation beautifully, and calmly removes the pumpkin from her house .(I love when she boxes the pumpkin and sends it to the North Pole.)But the pumpkin keeps returning, and every time it does , it possesses a new facial feature. As the pumpkin continues to return the suspense builds. Finally the pumpkin returns with his teeth, and Mrs. McMurphy ends up making a pie out of the pumpkin and giving slices of it out to trick or treaters. Nicely illustrated, I love the emerging details on the pumpkin, a nice Halloween story for young children . Just enough suspense to make it a Halloween story without frightening the child too much. I like the way Mrs. McMurphy handles the pumpkin , I think it's good for children to see that you can handle things calmly.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book for little ones, December 22, 2004

By 

Mette Ivie Harrison (Layton, UT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mrs. McMurphy's Pumpkin (Hardcover)

My son is 2 and he asks for this book over and over. It's just scary enough for his attention to be riveted, but not so scary he's really afraid. And I love the message of the book about what to do when we are threatened.