Stumpkin by Lucy Ruth Cummins - OPTIONAL

Stumpkin by Lucy Ruth Cummins. PICTURE BOOK. Atheneum Books for Young Readers (Simon & Schuster), 2018. $18. 9781534413627

BUYING ADVISORY; Pre-K, EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

At the local grocery store there is a stand of pumpkins and they are each excited that it is Halloween and time be chosen and made into a jack o’lantern. Each pumpkin gets picked except for one who realizes that instead of a stem he has stump. He never is chosen but the owner himself turns him into a jack o’lantern and he remains at the store happily. 

There is not much to recommend this book. The story is overly simple as are the illustrations and characters.  Nothing gets developed, from the characters to the message. The best part of the book is the thick textured cover that feels deluxe.

Reviewer: Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher