Wednesday, November 27, 2019

The Ugly Pumpkin by Dave Horowitz (Picture Book Review)


The Ugly Pumpkin
by Dave Horowitz
Published by Putnam Juvenile
on August 18, 2005
Genre: Children's, Picture Books
Length: 40 pages
Ages: 2 - 6 years

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Synopsis:
No one wants to take home the Ugly Pumpkin. Sure, he doesn't look like any of the other pumpkins, but why does everyone have to tease him so much? The poor, lonely pumpkin goes in search of a place where he'll fit in - and finally discovers the truth about who he is and where he belongs.

Our Thoughts:
This is a touching story about an ugly pumpkin that never gets picked to be a jack-o-lantern. He's tired of being teased and tricked so off he goes to find his place in the world, leaving October behind and heading into November where he finds where he truly belongs and celebrates Thanksgiving with a group of great new friends.

The Ugly Pumpkin 
reminds me so much of Hans Christian Andersons' 'The Ugly Duckling' has important themes about kindness, self-esteem, and finding where you fit in. I think it's a great story to teach kids about bullying and acceptance.

This story is set between October and November (and the two popular holidays within each,) with illustrations that reflect the season and holidays, making this a great Autumn read! I think it would be a great story to read before going to a pumpkin-picking farm that has both pumpkins and squash!
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2 comments:

  1. This sounds adorable! We don't have Thanksgiving here but I'm still making a note of it as a potential autumn read next year. :)

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