Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin

by Mary Serfozo, Valeria Petrone (Illustrator)

Peter's looking for the one perfect pumpkin. Come join the search and see what he does when he finds it!

Genres: Picture Books, Halloween, Storytime, Holiday, Childrens, Animals, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

American author Maria Serfozo and Italian illustrator Valeria Petrone join forces in this rhyming romp of an autumn tale, as Peter the tiger sets out to find the perfect pumpkin. A plumply, dumply pumpkin that's not bumpy or grumpy, but fat and fine. Once that perfect pumpkin has been found, Peter and his father set out to create the perfect jack-o-lantern...

Although I have encountered the artwork of Petrone before, in such titles as The Witch Who Loved To Make Children Cry , this was my first encounter with Serfozo. I found it charming, and think that with the rollicking rhyme, entertaining story, and cute, cartoon-style illustrations, Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin would make for an excellent read-aloud selection at an autumn and/or Halloween story time.

[Lexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm just saying there should be a reward for saying "Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin" in front of 60 people and not getting tongue-tied.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for a Halloween Story Time Book

[Rayjan Koehler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice little book for kids. Silly rhyming is a nice touch.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enchanting celebration of autumn and Halloween. The rhythm and the cadence of the words make this picture book a delightful Story Time choice: rumbly, rhyming, read-aloud with wondrous new words to discover like: sumptuous, twining, squat, and applause. Stunning color palette with bold lines. And two of my favorites: tigers and trees.
“Why does Peter want a pumpkin? Want a showy, glowy pumpkin?
Pumpkin pickles?
Pumpkin pie?
Pumpkin pudding?
Pumpkin fry?”
Yes, but not just for those reasons, because perfect pumpkins also make perfect . . .

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plumply, Dumply, Pumpkin by Mary Serfozo, tells the story of Peter and his search for the perfect plumply, dumply pumpkin. “Not a lumpy, bumpy pumpkin,” said Peter. He goes through a patch of pumpkins before he finds the perfect one. Once he does he takes it home to carve a dimply, dumply face with his father and later gets praise from friends. At the end he realizes that perfect pumpkins can make perfect jack-o-lanterns as well.

The cover of the book displays Peter holding his perfect pumpkin with a grin on his face. It draws emphasis on his pumpkin and his hard search for it. The illustrations throughout the book are colorful and consistent.

I would recommend this book to children in first or second grade to read. It is a fun seasonal book, which excites younger children. It also shows a relationship between father and son doing an activity together. This could inspire children to go to the pumpkin patch with their families and their own perfect pumpkin.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the descriptive words used in this book. "The lumpy, bumpy, pumpkin. Not a stumpy, grumpy pumpkin, but a sunny sumptuous pumpkin." What a great way to show students how to use a variety of descriptive words. This book would be wonderful to read during Halloween because it's all about picking out the "right" pumpkin, all the things you can do with that pumpkin, and making a jack-o-latern out of your pumpkin.

[Emily Carlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was intentional when I was reading this with the pre-k aged children. I thought about phonological awareness and made sure to talk about the words in the story. For example, how silly the words "plumply" and "dumply" are, but that they rhyme. When the story was finished, I flipped through to find a few more rhyming pairs of words, but also threw in a couple words that did not rhyme.

[Kri O'Kellas · Rating 4 out of 5]

With rhyming sentences and cute illustrations, this book is fun to read aloud with young kids of all ages. First Peter searches for the perfect pumpkin and then the reader guesses what the pumpkin is for, but then we find out it’s being carved for a contest! Fun times! Very sweet short story book for kiddos.

[Emily Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Careful not to get tongue-tied with this one! Used for an "apples & pumpkins" themed storytime and the children enjoyed it. I don't love the illustrations, but the story works well to have a conversation with children during and after.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Lots of great vocabulary.

[Casandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute play on words

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book to share with my Music & Movement Storytime. Simple, quick read.

[Samantha Supernaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulous children's book! Loved reading it with our daughter. Don't know what made me think of it all these years later, but so glad I did!

[Heather Back · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good for storytime!

[Phylis Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cute little story was on our list this morning for our story time. My granddaughter just loved it. She is 7 months old and sits and listens while I read her the story, She sometimes tries to help turn the pages but she's not able to yet without tearing them so I don't really let her do it. She just thinks she is.

I think your little one will enjoy this story

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore the illustrations in this book. It's not too long so I think it could work as a starting book for toddler time or a middle-sized book for preK. I do feel sad for the lumpy dumply pumpkins though.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bouncy rhyming picture book about Peter, a little tiger, who is looking for "a perfect plumply, dumply pumpkin." The infectious rhythm and the large colorful illustrations will make this a fun book to read out loud. Add this to units about pumpkins.

[Bethanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Used this as a read-aloud at a pumpkin-themed storytime. The illustrations are adorable, and the story is cute with lots of word/language play and a great rhyme scheme. It's a fine story, but the little ones didn't seem to be super interested in it compared to other stories I've shared.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect book for a Halloween story time!

[Valencia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very simplistic story, but the kids loved it!

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cuuuuute! A little tricky to read aloud in some places but the kids got a kick out of the silly words. Used in Halloween storytime on 10/25/17.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's just really fun to say "Pumply, Dumply Pumpkin"

[Elena Maddox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for babies, toddlers & pre-K

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, rhyming book. Suitable for birth - kindergarten.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely done with the rhyming, nonsensical words. Perfect for Halloween/Pumpkin themed STs.

[Maria Salgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to read to children because the pictures are pleasing and the story is good. It can be used to talk about rhyming, fall, Halloween, or alliteration.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The language in this book is fabulous! It is really fun to read out loud (I just made my friend listen to me read it!). :) I can't wait to use this in a fun fall/pumpkin themed storytime.

[MeganRuth - Alohamora Open a Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent book for rhyming/phonological awareness for toddlers through kindergarten.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

super fun read