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Pumpkin Dad
Halloween hijinks are the spotlight of this delightfully silly autumn tale, perfect for fans of Stumpkin and the How to Catch series!
Ellis loudly wakes his dad up from a nap to wave his Halloween costume wand, so Dad decides to play a joke of his he leaves a pumpkin in his chair and hides. From there, this practical joke takes on a life of its own. Convinced he’s turned his dad into a gourd, Ellis tries to rush his pumpkin dad to the hospital…only for it to roll off his bike and straight into a pumpkin festival! Which one of these bright orange squashes is his dad? With danger seemingly waiting around every corner—pumpkin cider! pumpkin pie! pumpkin carving!—Ellis races to save his pumpkin dad until a slapstick reveal finally reunites them.
Ellis loudly wakes his dad up from a nap to wave his Halloween costume wand, so Dad decides to play a joke of his he leaves a pumpkin in his chair and hides. From there, this practical joke takes on a life of its own. Convinced he’s turned his dad into a gourd, Ellis tries to rush his pumpkin dad to the hospital…only for it to roll off his bike and straight into a pumpkin festival! Which one of these bright orange squashes is his dad? With danger seemingly waiting around every corner—pumpkin cider! pumpkin pie! pumpkin carving!—Ellis races to save his pumpkin dad until a slapstick reveal finally reunites them.
32 pages, Hardcover
Published July 15, 2025
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 16, 2025
My 5 & 2 year old thought this was funny. Asked to read it multiple times. This has become an absolute favorite book of my 2 year old.
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September 14, 2025See my full review here: https://yabookscentral.com/pumpkin-dad/
PUMPKIN DAD is an overall cute picture book. Ellis wakes her dad up from a nap to remind him it is Halloween, waving around her magical wand. Her dad decides to play a prank on her, pretending she has changed him into a pumpkin. Ellis grabs the pumpkin to take it to the hospital, while her father chases her out of the house to tell her it was a joke. However, the pumpkin falls off her bike, and rolls into the pumpkin festival, where Ellis is concerned that people may be eating, drinking, or carving up her father. At the end, she casts another spell and finds him again.
What I loved: This is an overall simple story with short sentences and large, clear font that will work well for early independent readers to read on their own. Simple illustrations compliment the short story well, keeping a white background that will not distract young readers.
What left me wanting more: Some caution for sensitive readers - the idea of the things being done to the pumpkin being done to her father can be a bit intense. This prank ended up being a little bit mean, and that can be tough to explain to little kids. This may be better suited to older readers who will understand the intent and empathize with things going wrong.
Final verdict: Overall, PUMPKIN DAD is a unique Halloween picture book about a prank gone wrong and determination to setting things right. Recommend for older readers who can get the humor.
PUMPKIN DAD is an overall cute picture book. Ellis wakes her dad up from a nap to remind him it is Halloween, waving around her magical wand. Her dad decides to play a prank on her, pretending she has changed him into a pumpkin. Ellis grabs the pumpkin to take it to the hospital, while her father chases her out of the house to tell her it was a joke. However, the pumpkin falls off her bike, and rolls into the pumpkin festival, where Ellis is concerned that people may be eating, drinking, or carving up her father. At the end, she casts another spell and finds him again.
What I loved: This is an overall simple story with short sentences and large, clear font that will work well for early independent readers to read on their own. Simple illustrations compliment the short story well, keeping a white background that will not distract young readers.
What left me wanting more: Some caution for sensitive readers - the idea of the things being done to the pumpkin being done to her father can be a bit intense. This prank ended up being a little bit mean, and that can be tough to explain to little kids. This may be better suited to older readers who will understand the intent and empathize with things going wrong.
Final verdict: Overall, PUMPKIN DAD is a unique Halloween picture book about a prank gone wrong and determination to setting things right. Recommend for older readers who can get the humor.
November 21, 2025
Cute, funny, simple story with a great hook. On Halloween, little girl Ellis waves her magic wand and turns her Dad into a pumpkin - but really dad replaced himself with pumpkin as a joke. Ellis races to the hospital with Pumpkin Dad in her wagon. But Pumpkin falls out and rolls into a Pumpkin Festival. Ellis races around trying to find Dad and begging folks not to carve or eat her Pumpkin Dad. Silly fun with a happy ending twist.
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August 19, 2025It's nice that the reader is in on the joke, but poor Ellis goes through some potentially very traumatic experiences.
September 28, 2025
This little book was a hilarious Halloween romp and made me laugh out loud in a couple of places. Sweet story and cute illustrations.
November 4, 2025
Dressed as a witch for Halloween, Ellis thinks that she turned her father into a pumpkin.
This story features a comic misunderstanding.
This story features a comic misunderstanding.
November 13, 2025
Girl dressed as a witch thinks she turned her dad into a pumpkin using a spell. Not one I would buy but made my kids laugh. I’d read it at Halloween every year
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews