Customer Reviews

The Mystery of the Flying Orange Pumpkin (Picture Puffins)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first read this book in elementary school.I'm an adult now and have never forgotten how this book filled me with anticipation for Halloween! This book doesn't focus on the 'trick-or-treat, get all the candy you can!' part of Halloween, but instead builds up Halloween, for kids, as a season.

...Steve Kellogg's charming little Halloween tale starts in the spring when Brian, Ellis and Joan buy pumpkin seeds to grow a Halloween jack-o'-lantern. Their friend and neighbor Mr. Bramble lets them plant the seeds in his garden and another neighbor, Mrs. Wilkins, helps the kids take care of the pumpkin vine that starts growing. When a small pumpkin appears Mrs. Wilkins paints a smile on its face and they decide to name the pumpkin Patterson. This is how the Patterns Pumpkin Club came to be formed (they have neat t-shirts with their names on them). However, dreams of Halloween are dashed when at the end of the summer Mr. Bramble had to move away and Mr. Klug, the new owner, decides he would rather make Patterson into a pumpkin pie than a jack-o'-lantern. More importantly, Mr. Klug does not want kids running around his yard (even though Joan asked for permission to water Patterson Pumpkin). A meeting of the club is called and Mrs. Wilkins suggests that maybe some Halloween tricks and treats will solve the problem.

The solution is certainly creative and what I like is that Mr. Klug pretty much stays true to character right until the bitter end. Young children will like the way the kids not only take care of Patterson Pumpkin but also manage to create a happy ending (with lots of help from Mrs. Wilkins). Their parents will like the tricks and treats as well, not to mention the sense of a real neighborhood Kellogg's tale provides. "The Mystery of the Flying Orange Pumpkin" is illustrated by Kellogg with detailed black & white drawings in which orange coloring is strategically provided. This is simply a short and sweet Halloween tale.

I read this book in Utah while visiting relatives and came right home and looked for it online. If you love Halloween you'll love this book.