October Book of the Month: Spookley The Square Pumpkin

Spookley The Square Pumpkin By Joe Troiano

One day in the pumpkin patch the strangest little pumpkin hatched.... Spookley the Pumpkin was different. All the other pumpkins teased him, until Spookley proved that being different can save the day!

This is an excellent book to help teach children to not judge a book by its cover. The little pumpkin is square and he is upset because he's not like the others and can't roll. One day when a storm comes in, the little pumpkins are rolling through a hole in the fence and out into the water. Since it's harder for the square pumpkin to be blown by the wind, he tumbles himself to the spot in the fence where the hole was so that no other pumpkins will roll out.  The farmer is so impressed by Spookley’s unique shape that he uses his seeds the following year to harvest more oddly shaped pumpkins.  This book has a great rhyme and rhythm, touches on shapes, colors, and how great it is to be different. 

FAMILY ACTIVITY: Take a trip to a pumpkin patch.  Talk to your little one about all the pumpkin shapes they see. Colors, shapes, which are big or small, small, round, fat etc…   Have them point out the differences between the pumpkins and how it makes each pumpkin special.

LEARNING THROUGH PLAY: Kids can choose their own colors, shapes and patterns to create their own "Spookley" pumpkin patch.  Have your child create a pumpkin patch with different shaped and colored play-dough pumpkins.  

This activity works on a child’s fine motor skills, creativity and shape and color awareness.   

Make your own Square Pumpkin!  Click to learn how. 
Make it a puppet!  Click  to learn how.
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Watch the story.