The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano

Book Genre: Fiction, Rhyming

Publishing Info: Scholastic Inc. (24 pages)

Awards or Honors:

Summary: This is an entertaining story of how one different pumpkin, Spookley, saves the day. Spookley is a very different type of pumpkin. He is not round like the others in the pumpkin patch, he is in the shape of a square. He doesn't like being different and wishes he could be round to roll around like the rest of the pumpkins. Then one day a horrible storm passes over the pumpkin patch. The wind rolls the round pumpkins all over the patch. The storm even breaks the fence and some poor pumpkins roll down the hill to the sea. Suddenly Spookley slides over to the broken fence and blocks the hole. The other pumpkins begin piling up on him as the wind continues to blow. Poor Spookley is sure that he has gotten a crack in his shell, but he holds the others in and doesn't give up. Later after the storm has finished the pumpkin farmer comes out to check his crop. He moves the other pumpkins and finds Spookley, still in the hole, brave as could be. When the next planting season arrives, the farmer decides to plant a patch full of different shaped pumpkins. Some of them are square, rectangular, oval, and even triangular. But to top it off, they are also different colors as well! The children in the town love the new types of pumpkins and Spookley doesn't feel so different anymore.

Personal Rating & Reason: ****Great! I think the story has a catchy rhyming rhythm and beautiful illustrations. Children will enjoy the tale of a "Super Pumpkin" who saves the day. It also has a valuable lesson about diversity and accepting others as they are.

Reading Level: K-2 (2.4 AR)

Reading Interest: ages 4-8 years

Possible Uses: This book could be used in a multitude of ways.
Math: The book could be used to reinforce shapes with the children. You could have them name the different shapes and colors of the pumpkins. This could be especially handy when it came to lessons on 3-D shapes (cones, spheres, rectangular prisms, triangular prisms, cubes, cylinders, etc).
Art: You could have the children illustrate what they think would be the coolest looking pumpkin (any shape or color - their imagination). You could also create odd shaped pumpkins from play dough and let them dry for the children to keep.
Science: Possibly bring in a real pumpkin and list the how it is alike or different from Spookley. Maybe even have a class carving when you are done. Roast the pumpkin seeds for a tasty treat for the children. Make pumpkin pies or pumpkin rolls from the flesh you take from inside.
Another activity would be to take the seeds and conduct an experiment with them. Place one in a plastic bag with a moist towel for each child. Put or tape them to the window. Have the children chart the progress of the seeds......roots? sprouting? leaves? longest? etc. Create a Flow Map of the growth of the seeds and then write in their journals.
Writing: Write stories about the possible outcomes from the sprouting seeds. You could even have the children write an alternate ending to the story. Have them draw and write what would have happened if the storm didn't come, or if Spookley was a different color and not oddly shaped, etc.

Potential Problems: None at this time.