The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin with CD (edition 2003)

Summary: Spookley is a pumpkin that is square-the only square pumpkin in the entire patch. He didn't like being different than the others and getting teased, and wished he were round and could roll. One night there was a big storm and the pumpkins began to roll all over the place-some even out a hole in the fence and into the bay. Spookley, however, was the only one who could help because he wasn't rolling about. He exerted all his effort and was able to flip himself over and over until he sat in the way of the hole and blocked the other pumpkins from falling out. In the morning a whole pile of pumpkins were on Spookley, and the farmer came to pick them up. When he found that it was Spookley who'd saved them all, he knew he was the most special pumpkin of all. The next year he sowed all sorts of seeds like Spookley's so that the crop of pumpkins were all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors.
Genre Critique: This story is an example of fantasy because the characters are pumpkins who talk and are personified, and they are also different colors and shapes, which could never happen. However, the story is so adorable and fun that readers don't focus on the impossibility of it but rather the really enjoyable story and characters.
Theme: The theme was that you can't judge a book a book (or pumpkin) by its cover, which I know because it explicitly says this at the end of the book. I didn't really like that-how the theme was so blatantly stated that the readers don't have to think about it. It also doesn't give the opportunity for readers to come up with different themes that they found, like the idea of celebrating differences.
Media: Ink and Acrylic Paint ( )

Sppokley the pumpkin isn't shaped like other pumpkins - he's square. ( )

This is a very cute book to read during the Halloween season. Children will see that just because Spookley is different (square) he still is able to help all of the other pumpkins in the patch. I would read this book aloud to my students so that they could see that just because someone is different it doesn't mean they cant do everything everyone else can.

Spookley was a aquare pumpkin. All the other pumpkins in the patch were round. One night there was a bad storm and all the pumpkins were rolled away except for Spookley, because he was square and had ends on him. The farmer liked that he was square so the next season he decided to plant seeds like spookley's.

Spookley is sad because he is the only pumpkin who is square. All of the other pumpkins in the patch had curves and he had ends. One day day a storm came and the fence broke loose an dall of the pumpkins began to roll away. All of them except Spookley. They rolled because they ahd curves and he didn't because he had ends. The farmer realized that Spookley was very special so the next year when it was time to sow, the farmer sowed seeds like spookley.