Apples and Pumpkins

by Anne Rockwell, Lizzy Rockwell (Illustrator)

It is Fall! And for one little girl, that means the special joys of visiting the Comstock choosing the reddest apples from the trees and finding the best pumpkin in the patch. Back home, she helps her mother carve a funny jack-o'-lantern face and puts a glowing candle inside her prize new pumpkin...just in time for Halloween and an evening of lots of "trick or treats"!

Genres: Picture Books, Halloween, Childrens, Storytime, Food, Family, Realistic Fiction

24 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 1989

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 2 out of 5]

For readers 2-3 years old. Very simple. I did like the smears of color in the artwork. It was an ok story. It does evoke the fall.

The kids weren't too crazy about the story either. The niece gave it one star for being for babies and the nephew who I read it too separately gave it 2 stars.

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, while Anne Rockwell does (I guess) present a sweet enough little piece of basic and simple storytelling fluff about a family going on an autumn excursion to pick (to harvest) apples and pumpkins, there is really (in my opinion) nothing contained in either the featured text or the accompanying illustrations of Apples and Pumpkins that has in any manner managed to lastingly and truly wow or impress me (and no, even as a young child, I most definitely would have found Anne Rockwell's presented narrative of Apples and Pumpkins much too frustratingly lacking in verbal description and Lizzy Rockwell's artwork as too cartoon-like and one dimensionally stagnant, with especially the depicted facial features of both the family and the farmer feeling aesthetically devoid of even rudimentary and basic necessary expressiveness).

Informative enough with regard to how at many so-called do-it-yourself farms, people pick and gather their own produce (like the apples and pumpkins of the book title), there is nevertheless just not in any manner enough information, there is simply not sufficient depicted and described details that are of interest being textually shown in Apples and Pumpkins except truly just the very bare minimum. And yes, even in a very simple picture book about a family going out to harvest apples and pumpkins and then to carve a pumpkin for Halloween, the bare minimum is just not really enough for me to rank Apples and Pumpkins with more than two stars at best. For while there is of course nothing problematic found within the pages of Apples and Pumpkins (unless of course you are amongst those who consider the entire concept of Halloween as something evil and satanic), personally, I just have not found myself in any way really enjoying either Anne Rockwell's printed words or her daughter Lizzy's artwork (and thus, my ranking for Apples and Pumpkins will naturally also reflect that this book really has been at best rather a disappointment).

[Moonkiszt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Featured in a grandma reads session.

Autumn is celebrated in this simple book about the blessings of harvest, specifically apples and pumpkins. The words are simple and basic, a boon to the new reader as they are something recognizable, boosters of confidence! The artwork well supports the text as it is basic and simple as well, bright and easy to understand and interpret.

Perfect for October, and the smell of applesauce making in the house.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young girl and her parents go to a local 'pick it yourself' farm in this simple picture-book for toddlers, and come home with a barrel of apples and the perfect pumpkin. The latter is transformed into a Jack-o-Lantern for Halloween, and the former are given out to trick-or-treaters on the big night...

Originally published in 1989, Apples and Pumpkins is a simple picture-book, with minimal text - a sentence or two per page - and bright, colorful artwork. It felt a little dated to me - my parents would not have allowed me to keep apples, or any other unwrapped item, after trick-or-treating, for fear they might have been tampered with - and was a little simplistic for my taste. That said, I do think it would make an appealing autumn/Halloween selection for younger, toddler-aged picture-book audiences.

[midnightfaerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

We got a themed box of books from the library about Farms and this was one of the books. I really enjoyed this book. Whether it was because it was a good book, or whether it was because it reminded me of fall, my favorite season I'm so desperately longing for this year, I'm not sure. But all my children enjoyed it, because we ended up talking about our favorite fall activities which include hayrides on our way to apple picking and of course, trick or treating. One of my 3 yr olds actually found the cheerful jack-o-lantern scary but we talked him out of it, after talking about how much fun it is to carve and paint them. Overall, an enjoyable farm book.

[Athena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mom likes the farm part and Dad likes the costume part. I like all of it except the jackolantern page. Mom says I can give it five stars even if there's a page I don't like, because sometimes I have her read it three times in a row.

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect, simplest book for fall. Just right for my two-year-old.

[Lorellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A straightforward and charmingly illustrated book about visiting a farm at fall time. We happened to just pull it from a free library, so we had to read it once before we put it away for a proper season. Tot's into it, she loves talking about plants and animals.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apples and Pumpkins by Anne F. Rockwell, pictures by Lizzy Rockwell is a classic Fall book for toddlers or preschoolers about a little girl, who visits the Comstock Farm to choose the reddest apples from the trees and find the best pumpkin in the patch. At home, she helps her mother carve a Jack O Lantern just in time for Halloween.

The text is simple, designed to communicate the simple joys of Fall and a visit to an apple and pumpkin farm. The story is a good choice to introduce younger children to what they might do when taking a trip to an farm to get apples or pumpkins. It also talks about carving a jack-o-lanern, passing out apples as treats and the little girl going Trick or Treating as a witch.

The illustrations are rendered in pencil and watercolor. They gently illustrate the action. I always smile at the joy of the little girl at the farm.

I have used this in lap-sit and preschool storytimes as a read-aloud. It can be used for Fall, or Halloween as a low key story. It is also a choice for beginning readers.

For ages 3 to 6, read-aloud, Autumn, apples, pumpkins, Halloween themes, and fans of Anne F. Rockwell and Lizzy Rockwell.

[Tim Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book for a story time program for 4-7 year olds. I think it may be a bit too easy even for them. Aside from that the story and the art are okay, not spectacular, but okay. It kind of makes me sad too because you can't really give out apples on Halloween anymore. People will look at you like you're the wicked witch (or wizard) from Snow White. You know at that point your apple is going in the trash and all you wanted to do was give out something healthy. As if there was no way to infiltrate a package of M&Ms. Ahhh, innocence lost.

Might be a good selection for a younger group and around Halloween.

[Mario Flores · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was definitely a very easy book to get through, and I enjoyed reading about the little girl and her parents' endeavors during the Fall time, as the book shows her picking apples and choosing a pumpkin from a field for her to take home and carve it into a Jack-o-lantern for Halloween. It reminded me of how I used to do that here in Washington about 3 years ago when I lived near Tacoma. The illustrations within this book were delightful to see, and the story was easy to follow. I think that this would be the perfect book to read aloud to either Pre-K or Kindergarten students during the Fall heading into Halloween.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was by far the least liked book I read this morning. It's small (physically) with minimal pictures and really meandering story for something with so few words. Then it just sort of ends. Not reading this one again.

10/20/14 - ETA I've talked this one over with co-workers and they explained some better ways to present this book, but honestly for a story time aimed at 18-36 month-old kids it's just not worth the effort.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

17 months - This book was a huge hit for O. We read this one probably a hundred times over the month we had it. Her verbal language was starting to take off and Apple, Pumpkin and Acorn were three of her favorite words to say and sign at the time. 31 months - found at the thrift store and thought I'd see if O still liked this book, she does! Such a simple. Ok but it still appeals to her.

[Anne Hong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is shared every year.
Friendly illustrations and texts...
with a perfect sequence for Halloween

It is so much fun to add children's own costumes at the end of the page.

How can we resist this classical and universal story?

[Kristie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic, good read for younger children.

[Sarah]

Classic title, one that preschool teachers look for every fall. Talks about fall activities, and a very little about Halloween. Very low spooky rating.

[Jennifer Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for fall reading!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, short book. I took off one star for promoting the giving of apples on Halloween.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ages: 2 - 5

Cleanliness: they carve out a pumpkin and go trick or treating.

#fall #autumn #halloween

[Celia Buell · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 5-7 year olds have been all over Apples and Pumpkins this week at work. It's another one I brought in for them to read during a certain period of idle time. We're in Iowa, and I imagine quite a few of them are at least somewhat familiar with farms and the experiences presented in Apples and Pumpkins, which makes it a good one for them to read on their own through the pictures. However, it's one of the first ones I and the other adults in the room have gotten requests to read to the kids themselves as well as reading the pictures.

Apples and Pumpkins depicts a family (white mother, father, daughter - not my favorite depiction for my culturally and familially diverse group of kids - I'm not actually seeing a lot of Halloween books with much diversity, unfortunately) going to pick apples on the Comstock farm. Rockwell does a good job of introducing and placing the book in the context of fall as the first pages talk about leaves turning. The family goes to pick apples and a pumpkin at the farm. The illustrations are cute, especially as the family is followed by some farm birds, which is definitely something kids notice, and adults can help point out (such as asking kids to choose a favorite or helping them to infer why the birds might be following the family).

At the end of the book, they carve the pumpkin and they give out the apples to trick or treaters. This part is definitely a relic of a bygone era, and at first it didn't sit well with me to have them give out the apples, because of all the regulations around trick-or-treating treats and the razorblade rumors that have surfaced in the last few years. However, after seeing the way students are interacting with this one, I think this would be a good "then and now" teaching opportunity. And the book was first published in 1994, and I know trick or treating looked different then.

This book has definitely grown on me, and I'm really glad my kids are enjoying it.

[Lynette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good for 5 and under and a great read before heading to the apple orchard.

[Hendrix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mommy says this is one of her favorite Fall books, and we’re going to go pick apples and pumpkins with my aunties in a few weeks!

[Heather Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

lily summer reading 2018, board book, fall, apple and pumpkin picking,

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 18-month old really enjoyed this one. Lots of opportunities for her to point out apples, pumpkins, and leaves.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the heat of summer is getting to you, you can always look ahead to the crispness of fall. This new edition of the Rockwell classic keeps the same feel as the original. It is the story of a little girl who heads off into the country to a farm to pick apples and pumpkins. There they meet the geese, chickens and turkey who live on the farm. They pick apples and the little girl carefully selects her pumpkin which she later carves into a jack-o-lantern. The book ends with apples being given away on Halloween.

There is a timelessness to this story that adds to its broad appeal. Rockwell’s words are simple and friendly, just as they were in the 1988 edition. Her daughter’s art, done in watercolor, has the same timeless simplicity. She celebrates the colors of autumn, but keeps the story at the center of the images.

A winning pick for an autumnal story time, you can’t miss with either edition. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

[Amy Holliday · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comments on the Story:
The story is very simple. It is a nice story about going out to get pumpkins and apples in the Fall but overall the story is not that appealing or exciting. Also, it does not flow that well, I was not expecting it to end with her trick-or-treating.

Recommended Uses for the Book:
I think that this book could be used before a family might go to pick apples or pumpkins from a farm. Generally, I think I understand why this book was still left on the shelf and I would not recommend it for a storyhour because there is not much a story to it and I don’t think it would even be the best book to be read at home.

[Carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The rosy cheeks on the people helps illustrate that the weather is chilly. The undefined forests in the background are beautifully rendered with watercolors. The simple drawings are charming. My favorite page is the basket full of red and shiny apples-- they aren't fully red, but a blend of green and yellow and red, true to real apples. I liked that the girl had orange hair and boots with traction. The father has a blue newsboy cap with a turtleneck sweater and the mother has a yellow kerchief. Little, subtle touches.
The story is simple, easy to follow and shows how the family uses the apples and pumpkin (closure).

[Rosa Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very nice beginning reader book for smaller children, or beginning readers. The illustrations are very pleasing to the eye and helps a non reader stay with the story as it's being read to them. It starts out as a PERFECT Fall storybook to help young children about changing of the leaves lead to the time of year apples and pumpkins are ready to harvest. Then the family go to a farm to pick them themselves. Helping teach a child that may not experience that type of thing to realize where these things come from. Then it turns into a Halloween story where the family give apples that they picked to the trick or treater's while the little girl goes trick or treating herself.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This title is an update of the classic by the same name. The author's illustrator daughter, Lizzie has spiffed up the illustrations quite a bit to give the book a more modern feel. I will always love this title and consider it a must read for fall storytimes. My review of the origianl: Nothing says "fall" quite like a Anne Rockwell title showing a family visiting a farm to pick apples and pumpkins. A classic fall storytime staple that ends with trick or treating.

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for reissuing this book! Part of a cycle of 4 books that celebrate each of the seasons, the simple words and bright clear pictures are pitch perfect for 2 and 3 year olds.

It was a favorite of my little girls when they WERE little girls and is something I read nearly every year at fall story times. I just wish they'd reissue the "Big Book" version which would be perfect for using with groups....