Mrs. McMurphy's Pumpkin
PreSchool-Grade 3&ndash;This tale's classic storytelling structure makes it a natural for storytime. Four days before Halloween, a pumpkin with a "wicked grin" and no other facial features appears in Mrs. McMurphy's hallway. It threatens her, "When my teeth are here, I'll eat you," but she refuses to be cowed and carries it outside. The pumpkin mysteriously reappears inside her house on each of the following days, first with a "crooked nose" to add to the grin, then "two pointy ears," then "two mean eyes." Each time, it repeats its warning and the woman responds by sending it farther and farther away. Finally, on Halloween, the pumpkin returns once more, complete with "large, sharp teeth," and declares that it's ready to eat her. Mrs. McMurphy calmly replies, "We'll have to see about that," and ends up making a pie and serving delicious slices to her trick-or-treaters. Walton uses lots of repetition that invites young listeners to chant along. Done in gouache and acrylics, the folkloric illustrations are dominated by orange tones and filled with wonderful details. This is sure to be a Halloween favorite.&ndash;Jane Marino, Bronxville Public Library, NYCopyright &copy; Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.