The Ugly Pumpkin

The little girl I read this to didn’t enjoy it and thought it was “sad”. Not having read it before I had no idea what she’d think of it. I never read it to her again. She’s 3 years old so I thought she’d like it. The book came very quick though.

I love this book. Lots of fun to read with a nice ending.

My students LOVED this book! After I read a story to my class I put the book out on my chalk tray for students to reread and look at. Once this was set out it was always snatched up as soon as it was returned to the chalk tray. Some students were able to guess the ending and all were happy for the pumpkin at the end.

There is a season for everything. The picture book titled "The Ugly Pumpkin" by Dave Horowitz perfectly illustrates that concept in a festive, touching, and relatable way. It would be safe to say that at some point in life, most people will feel like they don't belong or like they are different than the rest of society in a way that they shouldn't be, just like the Ugly Pumpkin feels. The journey of self-discovery eventually leads the Ugly Pumpkin to a place of self-acceptance. Still, before getting to that point, the Ugly Pumpkin must endure the struggle, pain, heartache, and loneliness of being lost in the wilderness of uncertainty. When it seems like there is no hope for the Ugly Pumpkin's future, he finally discovers a place where he fits in. It is a beautiful moment that occurs at just the right time.

I read this to a group of 1-5 year olds at our weekly playgroup a few weeks ago, There were 16 of them, mostly in the younger range. And they all sat with rapt attention the whole time. It was uncanny, I've never had so many young kids pay such intense attention to a story being read before. Every one of them seemed to grasp the concepts being described in the story, with one exception; I had to explain how the trees were being mean to the "pumpkin". The text doesn't explain what's happening in that scene (the trees are throwing apples at the "pumpkin") and the illustration isn't terribly clear at first glance, especially for a bunch of young children looking from a few feet away.For the most part, the text is clear and easy to read. The illustrations have enough going on in them that I can point out different things, without being overwhelming with needless details.My own 2 year old daughter loves this story, she had it completely memorized within a couple readings. It's one of the books that sees a lot of use, she loves "reading" it to her stuffed animals.Overall a very good purchase, well worth the money we spent on it.

I found this book a few years back at the library, and loved it. I ordered a copy from Amazon to have at home. This is such a touching story for children about acceptance and finding where you belong, told through the eyes of a squash! The illustrations are very colorful and delightful. Highly recommend this book for children for reading around Halloween and even into Thanksgiving!

I read this story to my Kindergarten, First, and Second graders this school year. They loved it and so did I.

This my favorite book to read to my students. The ending is magical. Read it to my granddaughter and she makes me read it often it’s her favorite.

Love the story but the book is very small. I was expecting it bigger.

It's a good story and the kids liked it except I need to adapt for Canadian Thankgiving. On the Amazon. CA account I expected a story description to highlight which Thankgiving. It's a great little story though.

Great story!

This was a great book/poem for children. My student's loved it. It's easy for them to read themselves and you can practise rhyming words as well!