Pumpkin Eye by award-winning author and illustrator Denise Fleming is a Halloween book perfect for readers from preschool through kindergarten. My daughter and I first read the story together last Halloween.
In terms of language, Pumpkin Eye is written in rhyme. The Halloween story begins, “Yellow moon rising soon … piece of pie, pumpkin eye … candlesticks, burning wicks.” This book is full of a lot of great Halloween vocabulary words perfect for little readers. The story is never scary while still introducing toddlers and preschoolers to many symbols and traditions of the Halloween holiday.
My favorite part of the book is the illustrations. Denise Fleming uses a unique illustration style in which she pours colored cotton fiber through hand-cut stencils. All of the colors are very Halloween. The pictures are never scary despite talking about holiday favorites such as witches, spirits, and bones. My daughter particularly liked pointing out all the pumpkins and cats throughout the pages.
Final Verdict: Pumpkin Eye by Denise Fleming is an adorable little Halloween book for young readers from toddlers through kindergarteners. The story told in rhyme uses many Halloween vocabulary words but is never too scary for little kiddos. I particularly love the unique and festive illustrations. I highly recommend Pumpkin Eye as a book to read during the Halloween season.
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Image Credits
‘Pumpkin Eye’ Book Review © 2013 Heather Johnson
Cover of Pumpkin Eye © 2013 Heather Johnson
Inside Pages of Pumpkin Eye © 2013 Heather Johnson