P is for pumpkin

PreS-Gr 2-Whimsical acrylic cartoons show busy children and animals in an alphabet-based text that emphasizes God's presence in the season: "The bright Jack-o'-lantern with its friendly, big grin/reminds us God's love is a light from within"; ".over the Scarecrow, all stuffed with hay./A reminder that God watches us each day." A barn dance, a quilting bee, and a hayride provide nostalgic scenes for children to consider, along with imaginative background details of animals reading, making beds, selling cookies, raking, and catching nuts in nets. Innocent faces, clear colorful shapes, and a smooth rhyming text that conveys the awe and joy of the season make this a sweet, gentle book for family and church settings.-Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The traditional alphabet-book format combines with rhyming couplets that relate Christian concepts to aspects of the fall season. A simple sentence with the individual letter and related word appears in a large font across the bottom of each page, with the related rhyming text at the top, enabling the volume to be used with just the abecedarian text for toddlers or the complete text for older preschoolers or beginning readers. For example, on the "S is for scarecrow" page, the corresponding rhyme offers the concept that God watches over readers just as a scarecrow watches over the crops. Pang's illustrations are done in an appealing primitive style in a warm palette of fall shades, with a thoughtful overall design that sets off the art in oval shapes against solid backgrounds of autumnal colors. The little girl shown on the jacket is sound asleep with her dog in a pumpkin patch, but the inside spreads are much more lively than the cover illustration indicates. (Picture book/religion. 2-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.