Read for the kids at the school I work at because it is October. ( )

When Tim's mom tells him his amazing jack-o'-lantern, Jack, is beginning to rot, Tim sets it out in the garden. It's a sad day, but the garden is better than the garbage. As fall changes into winter and then spring, Jack changes too. Soon all that's left are a few seeds, which Tim plants. As the days grow warmer, Tim uncovers a surprise in his garden. With careful nurturing, by fall Tim has a wonderful gift to share with his friends.

The Bottom Line: What a wonderful story! With it's emphasis on gardening, the life cycle of the pumpkin plant, and the changing seasons, this book is both entertaining and educational. Hubbell's illustrations in colored pencil with solvent wash effects demonstrate the amazing change of seasons. Heartily recommended for story time reading. This title is my new fall favorite!

This review also appears at the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog. ( )

3.5 stars ( )

This book follows the story of Tim and his pumpkin that he named Jack. It goes through the process of decomposition as his favorite pumpkin Jack becomes rotted. It is a narrative but also walks the reader through the different stages of decomposition while illustrating it on the page. I like this story because it starts off with something that children like to do, carving pumpkins. They get sad when they start to rot, much like Tim. I like how the book walks us through the different stages of what Jack begins to look like as he rots. It would be cool to incorporate into a lesson about decomposers or even make this an experiment where students track the process of a decomposing pumpkin at home/school where they take notes and make observation logs. ( )

Tim carves his first pumpkin in this warmhearted and engaging seasonal picture-book, and creates a jack-o-lantern that is "fierce, funny, and just right." Naming this glowing figure Jack, Tim keeps the pumpkin with him for as long as he can, well past Halloween night itself. Finally, when the pumpkin begins to rot, he is forced to take it outside, leaving it in the backyard where it slowly disintegrates. Is this the end, or does Pumpkin Jack have a few more surprises in store...?

Although Halloween is certainly the focal point of author/illustrator Will Hubbell's Pumpkin Jack - the story begins and ends with this autumn holiday, covering the events of one year - there is plenty of winter, spring and summer appeal as well. This makes sense, as the narrative developments emphasize the cyclical nature, not just of a pumpkin's life, but of the human calendar. Everything comes full circle here, as the seeds from the original Jack give rise to a new pumpkin plant, and eventually, to new pumpkins, just as Tim himself returns to the Halloween custom of carving a jack-o-lantern. Recommended to anyone looking for stories about pumpkins, Halloween, and the cycle of life. ( )