Food – Page 5 – Keep in the Sunlight

Miss Fiona’s Stupendous Pumpkin Pies (2001)
written by Mark Kimball Moulton, illustrated by Karen Hillard Crouch

Miss Fiona, the witch, uses secret ingredients to cook up pumpkin pies every Halloween. She may look like a “kooky” witch, but Miss Fiona has “goodness deep within.” In her warm and cozy house, she serves pumpkin pie to eager trick-or-treaters at the stroke of midnight every Halloween night.

This is a longer picture book, but the story and the rhyming verses keep it interesting. I especially like that instead of the children being scared off by Miss Fiona, they see her home as the highlight of their night. She’s good to them, serving pies and cider and passing out spider rings. The illustrations are great. I love that this is a Halloween book with all the trappings of Halloween, without being scary.

You might also enjoy:
Halloween book list

Mrs. McMurphy’s Pumpkin (2004)
words by Rick Walton, illustrated by Delana Bettoli

As Halloween approaches, Mrs. McMurphy gets daily visits from a mysterious and spooky pumpkin showing up in her house. As the facial features of the pumpkin gradually appear, it promises to eat her once its teeth arrive. Mrs. McMurphy responds to each encounter gently, but firmly by putting the pumpkin in its place, so to speak.

I wasn’t sure how our 3-year old would react to this story, as it has the potential to be a bit scary. But I think that Mrs. McMurphy’s strong character and care-free reactions to the pumpkin keep this story approachable for little ones. I love that it IS a slightly spooky, “campfire” tale that (kid-depending) could be appropriate for a younger crowd.

Mrs. McMurphy’s Pumpkin (2004)

You might also enjoy:
Halloween Book list