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Pumpkin Jack
When his beloved jack-o'-lantern starts to decompose, Tim puts it outside and watches it transform from pumpkin―to seed―to pumpkin again. The first pumpkin Tim ever carved was fierce and funny, and he named it Jack. When Halloween was over and the pumpkin was beginning to rot, Tim set it out in the garden and throughout the weeks he watched it change. By spring, a plant began to grow! Will Hubbell's gentle story and beautifully detailed illustrations give an intimate look at the cycle of life.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
October 8, 2019
A boy carves a pumpkin that becomes a friend. Well, it starts to smell bad and the boy has to set it out in the garden where he watches it decompose. Seasons change and when the snow melts, not much is left of the pumpkin. He does notice a new green shoot and he knows it’s a new pumpkin vine. He nourishes this vine and watches it grow until he can carve his new pumpkin.
This is a great story for the changing seasons and the circle of life. The artwork is nice, but not special. The molded pumpkin picture was quite gross.
My little nephew is not a patient person. He expects things in the moment he is in. He’s hungry, he must eat now. He is thirsty and there is a national emergency and he is screaming for water, now. Waiting for something is not in his nature right now. He watches Netflix and when he does see a commercial on Youtube, it drives him crazy. All this to say, that for a boy who lives in the moment, looking at something that takes a year to complete is boring for him and he told me so. “I know a pumpkin vine grows pumpkins’, he said, ‘why do we have to watch it in the story?” “This story stinks,” he said and slammed it with 1 star. It frustrated him and he enjoys pumpkins. We differ in our opinion of this.
This is a great story for the changing seasons and the circle of life. The artwork is nice, but not special. The molded pumpkin picture was quite gross.
My little nephew is not a patient person. He expects things in the moment he is in. He’s hungry, he must eat now. He is thirsty and there is a national emergency and he is screaming for water, now. Waiting for something is not in his nature right now. He watches Netflix and when he does see a commercial on Youtube, it drives him crazy. All this to say, that for a boy who lives in the moment, looking at something that takes a year to complete is boring for him and he told me so. “I know a pumpkin vine grows pumpkins’, he said, ‘why do we have to watch it in the story?” “This story stinks,” he said and slammed it with 1 star. It frustrated him and he enjoys pumpkins. We differ in our opinion of this.
October 22, 2009
More than a Halloween story, this is really the "circle of life" pumpkin-style. When the little boy's beloved jack-o-lantern starts to get moldy, he has to put it out in the dead garden. He watches as, over time, it decomposes. (Yeah, it's a little gross!) But, come spring, a tiny shoot of green appears--and it grows into a pumpkin plant, eventually giving him many years of pumpkins. It's not an especially memorable story but it's a good one for children starting to ask about the life cycle or having trouble parting with their own pumpkins!
October 31, 2018
This started out cute and based on the first 10 pages or so I expected it to be a good read, but then it branched off in a different direction that I didn't expect and it kind of went downhill for me from there.
Obviously from the cover I knew it was going to be about a decomposing pumpkin and going through the stages of making a pumpkin into a jack o'lantern and then watching it rot. I remember as a kid being sad that the pumpkins didn't last long and seeing the jack o'lantern deteriorate and have to be thrown out in the woods and no longer lit. It really is depressing to say bye to a creation like that and I always have been an extremely sentimental person who felt sorry for inanimate objects and things.
This kid thought so much of his pumpkin that he named it, which is something I've never done. I knew what the author was talking about to have Tim describe it as being almost like magic. Tim felt that when Jack had to be taken out into the garden that it was better than a trash can, and that's a very sentimental and thoughtful idea that I probably would have had myself! He felt bad to leave Jack outside alone and that's exactly how I think.
The author described the pumpkin wrinkling and the smile looking silly, and the illustrator showed it caved in and we've all been there, seeing the stages of the pumpkin rotting. It was spot-on that when the smile caved in it really does look funny. I thought it looked like someone who had taken their dentures out, no teeth to hold up the lips so they cave in a little.
And then he started to mold, which was a true documentation of the process of food rotting. Winter passed with Jack buried under snow, until it was March and Tim found remaining bits. I can't attest to a pumpkin lasting that long and the stem and skin and seeds still lying around, and I wondered if that really happens.
As summer came, the sprout from Jack's remains grew and I liked how the author described the yellow flowers of the pumpkin vines closing during the afternoon. That was something my grandma told me as a kid; she had flowers that were only open briefly during the morning and then closed during the day.
By August the pumpkins were green, and then the story got a little odd and confusing for me. School started and the weather cooled, and I found it a bit of a whirlwind to have all these weather changes and all these months passing so quickly. The plants seemed "tired" and I didn't really know what that meant. The leaves didn't hide the green pumpkins and I wasn't sure what that meant either. Do they shrivel in the heat, or did the pumpkins grow too big to be covered? Idk.
Then it was October and they were frosted over, the leaves turned blue. Tim found the plants dying and I didn't know if this is something that happens every year to pumpkins, or if this was an early frost that wasn't supposed to happen. Tim looked for the unripe pumpkins and I also didn't understand that. Were they all unripe because they hadn't had time to ripen before the frost hurt them, or were there some that were ripe that Tim just passed out in preference of unripened ones?
Tim put them on his porch and looked for one more change, which I assumed was for them to change to orange but it wasn't said and should have been. By Halloween they were ripe and orange, and Idk if pumpkins always go through frosts and have to be taken off and they're able to ripen up off the vines or what.
Tim carved one and named it Jack, and it's nice that he used the same name, like Jack had come back to him this next year. It went from a pumpkin to a seed and then back to a pumpkin which showed the cycle.
Someone was quoted as saying this follows the cycle of a plant, and that sums it up well. It was too much about the plant itself and not enough about the pumpkin. There were so many questions raised for me that took away from the story that I still don't know about. But it was nice to show kids that things do die; that's the natural cycle of life and nothing lasts forever. We have to say goodbye to things, but we can make them again and have that same experience in a year's time.
I like the font of the title, how it's big, chunky letters with highlights in a different color. I really liked how on the inside page the title is in black and the highlights are orange. That looked really good.
Obviously from the cover I knew it was going to be about a decomposing pumpkin and going through the stages of making a pumpkin into a jack o'lantern and then watching it rot. I remember as a kid being sad that the pumpkins didn't last long and seeing the jack o'lantern deteriorate and have to be thrown out in the woods and no longer lit. It really is depressing to say bye to a creation like that and I always have been an extremely sentimental person who felt sorry for inanimate objects and things.
This kid thought so much of his pumpkin that he named it, which is something I've never done. I knew what the author was talking about to have Tim describe it as being almost like magic. Tim felt that when Jack had to be taken out into the garden that it was better than a trash can, and that's a very sentimental and thoughtful idea that I probably would have had myself! He felt bad to leave Jack outside alone and that's exactly how I think.
The author described the pumpkin wrinkling and the smile looking silly, and the illustrator showed it caved in and we've all been there, seeing the stages of the pumpkin rotting. It was spot-on that when the smile caved in it really does look funny. I thought it looked like someone who had taken their dentures out, no teeth to hold up the lips so they cave in a little.
And then he started to mold, which was a true documentation of the process of food rotting. Winter passed with Jack buried under snow, until it was March and Tim found remaining bits. I can't attest to a pumpkin lasting that long and the stem and skin and seeds still lying around, and I wondered if that really happens.
As summer came, the sprout from Jack's remains grew and I liked how the author described the yellow flowers of the pumpkin vines closing during the afternoon. That was something my grandma told me as a kid; she had flowers that were only open briefly during the morning and then closed during the day.
By August the pumpkins were green, and then the story got a little odd and confusing for me. School started and the weather cooled, and I found it a bit of a whirlwind to have all these weather changes and all these months passing so quickly. The plants seemed "tired" and I didn't really know what that meant. The leaves didn't hide the green pumpkins and I wasn't sure what that meant either. Do they shrivel in the heat, or did the pumpkins grow too big to be covered? Idk.
Then it was October and they were frosted over, the leaves turned blue. Tim found the plants dying and I didn't know if this is something that happens every year to pumpkins, or if this was an early frost that wasn't supposed to happen. Tim looked for the unripe pumpkins and I also didn't understand that. Were they all unripe because they hadn't had time to ripen before the frost hurt them, or were there some that were ripe that Tim just passed out in preference of unripened ones?
Tim put them on his porch and looked for one more change, which I assumed was for them to change to orange but it wasn't said and should have been. By Halloween they were ripe and orange, and Idk if pumpkins always go through frosts and have to be taken off and they're able to ripen up off the vines or what.
Tim carved one and named it Jack, and it's nice that he used the same name, like Jack had come back to him this next year. It went from a pumpkin to a seed and then back to a pumpkin which showed the cycle.
Someone was quoted as saying this follows the cycle of a plant, and that sums it up well. It was too much about the plant itself and not enough about the pumpkin. There were so many questions raised for me that took away from the story that I still don't know about. But it was nice to show kids that things do die; that's the natural cycle of life and nothing lasts forever. We have to say goodbye to things, but we can make them again and have that same experience in a year's time.
I like the font of the title, how it's big, chunky letters with highlights in a different color. I really liked how on the inside page the title is in black and the highlights are orange. That looked really good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2018
Tim carves his first pumpkin in this warmhearted and engaging seasonal picture-book, and creates a jack-o-lantern that is "fierce, funny, and just right." Naming this glowing figure Jack, Tim keeps the pumpkin with him for as long as he can, well past Halloween night itself. Finally, when the pumpkin begins to rot, he is forced to take it outside, leaving it in the backyard where it slowly disintegrates. Is this the end, or does Pumpkin Jack have a few more surprises in store...?
Although Halloween is certainly the focal point of author/illustrator Will Hubbell's Pumpkin Jack - the story begins and ends with this autumn holiday, covering the events of one year - there is plenty of winter, spring and summer appeal as well. This makes sense, as the narrative developments emphasize the cyclical nature, not just of a pumpkin's life, but of the human calendar. Everything comes full circle here, as the seeds from the original Jack give rise to a new pumpkin plant, and eventually, to new pumpkins, just as Tim himself returns to the Halloween custom of carving a jack-o-lantern. Recommended to anyone looking for stories about pumpkins, Halloween, and the cycle of life.
Although Halloween is certainly the focal point of author/illustrator Will Hubbell's Pumpkin Jack - the story begins and ends with this autumn holiday, covering the events of one year - there is plenty of winter, spring and summer appeal as well. This makes sense, as the narrative developments emphasize the cyclical nature, not just of a pumpkin's life, but of the human calendar. Everything comes full circle here, as the seeds from the original Jack give rise to a new pumpkin plant, and eventually, to new pumpkins, just as Tim himself returns to the Halloween custom of carving a jack-o-lantern. Recommended to anyone looking for stories about pumpkins, Halloween, and the cycle of life.
October 31, 2018
Someone had this checked out until close to Halloween, and I worried I wouldn't get it in time, but thankfully they ended up turning it in in time.
This really captured the feeling of carving a jack-o’-lanterns, and then knowing the pumpkin is rotten, but not wanting to get rid of it.
Long after Halloween, Tim kept the pumpkin in his room, where its reflection lit up the wall, and he felt it was almost magic.
It reminded me of how I was as a kid when Tim felt sad to leave Jack outside alone, as if it’s a person.
Each time Tim comes outside, he notices Jack looks different. Tim watches Jack wrinkle, and then mold grow on him. As the temperature cooled off, Jack became flatter.
The book says winter came, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Valentines. I wondered where the book was set in that winter and snow came before thanksgiving. It said ‘snowman and sliding days’ and it seemed to be that it should have snowmen, plural, instead of snowman. Especially when in the picture, they’re making two snowmen.
Tim forgot about Jack during that time, and finds him again in March when the snow melts. All that’s left is crumpled pumpkin skin, a stem, and some seeds. I carved a pumpkin last year and put it in the woods when it became rotten. I don’t know how long it lasted, but I don’t think it was as long as this one. I couldn’t believe his pumpkin was still there.
Tim covers what’s left of Jack with dirt, and tells him goodbye. When a sprout shoots up in the spring, Tim knows what it is. He weeds, waters, and watches the sprout. The plant ends up branching out and turning into a web of vines on the ground.
When the weather was hot, flowers opened up on the plant in the mornings, and closed in the afternoon. It was worded ‘yellow stars that twisted shut forever in the afternoon’ which was a little odd because they don’t shut forever, just until the next morning.
Eventually Tim sees a green ball. I learned in another book that pumpkins actually start out green, not orange like you’d think. By August, the plant covered the lawn. I was surprised by how fast they seem to grow and how much ground they cover, because there were only a few seeds.
When school begins, Tim notices the pumpkin seems tired. There weren’t many new leaves, and the pumpkins were growing big enough that the leaves didn’t hide them. In October, a frost comes, which causes the plants to die. I was surprised Tim knew to pick the unripe ones. He brings them on the porch.
I was even more surprised that the pumpkins ripened to a bright orange, considering they had been cut from the plant and were just sitting on his porch. He ends up with many pumpkins, which he gives away.
He keeps one for himself, and goes through the same ritual he did with Jack. He carves a jack-o’-lantern, makes a fierce and funny face, and says “welcome back, jack!” which was sweet. To think that Jack comes back each season is a sweet thing. The cycle is endless, from jack-o’-lantern, seed, to pumpkin once more. And this story captured that cycle.
I liked the illustrations. They were realistic. I particularly liked the drawing of Jack when Tim put him out in the garden. The pumpkin was drawn perfectly, and the color was a deep orange. The illustrator did a great job of capturing a rotting pumpkin, too. How it wrinkles and wilts in on itself.
This was just ok, not quite as good as I thought it would be. This ended up being different from how I thought it would be. I thought it would mostly cover the cycle a pumpkin goes through when it starts to decompose, what’s actually happening to the pumpkin. I didn’t expect it to cover that part quickly, and then most of the story to be about the cycle it goes through during the changing seasons and then it growing again and being carved once again.
This would be good for kids to show them what happens to their carved pumpkins after Halloween, and the life cycle they go through. It’ll probably make some kids feel better knowing the pumpkin isn’t really gone forever, that if you plant the seeds it can grow again.
This really captured the feeling of carving a jack-o’-lanterns, and then knowing the pumpkin is rotten, but not wanting to get rid of it.
Long after Halloween, Tim kept the pumpkin in his room, where its reflection lit up the wall, and he felt it was almost magic.
It reminded me of how I was as a kid when Tim felt sad to leave Jack outside alone, as if it’s a person.
Each time Tim comes outside, he notices Jack looks different. Tim watches Jack wrinkle, and then mold grow on him. As the temperature cooled off, Jack became flatter.
The book says winter came, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Valentines. I wondered where the book was set in that winter and snow came before thanksgiving. It said ‘snowman and sliding days’ and it seemed to be that it should have snowmen, plural, instead of snowman. Especially when in the picture, they’re making two snowmen.
Tim forgot about Jack during that time, and finds him again in March when the snow melts. All that’s left is crumpled pumpkin skin, a stem, and some seeds. I carved a pumpkin last year and put it in the woods when it became rotten. I don’t know how long it lasted, but I don’t think it was as long as this one. I couldn’t believe his pumpkin was still there.
Tim covers what’s left of Jack with dirt, and tells him goodbye. When a sprout shoots up in the spring, Tim knows what it is. He weeds, waters, and watches the sprout. The plant ends up branching out and turning into a web of vines on the ground.
When the weather was hot, flowers opened up on the plant in the mornings, and closed in the afternoon. It was worded ‘yellow stars that twisted shut forever in the afternoon’ which was a little odd because they don’t shut forever, just until the next morning.
Eventually Tim sees a green ball. I learned in another book that pumpkins actually start out green, not orange like you’d think. By August, the plant covered the lawn. I was surprised by how fast they seem to grow and how much ground they cover, because there were only a few seeds.
When school begins, Tim notices the pumpkin seems tired. There weren’t many new leaves, and the pumpkins were growing big enough that the leaves didn’t hide them. In October, a frost comes, which causes the plants to die. I was surprised Tim knew to pick the unripe ones. He brings them on the porch.
I was even more surprised that the pumpkins ripened to a bright orange, considering they had been cut from the plant and were just sitting on his porch. He ends up with many pumpkins, which he gives away.
He keeps one for himself, and goes through the same ritual he did with Jack. He carves a jack-o’-lantern, makes a fierce and funny face, and says “welcome back, jack!” which was sweet. To think that Jack comes back each season is a sweet thing. The cycle is endless, from jack-o’-lantern, seed, to pumpkin once more. And this story captured that cycle.
I liked the illustrations. They were realistic. I particularly liked the drawing of Jack when Tim put him out in the garden. The pumpkin was drawn perfectly, and the color was a deep orange. The illustrator did a great job of capturing a rotting pumpkin, too. How it wrinkles and wilts in on itself.
This was just ok, not quite as good as I thought it would be. This ended up being different from how I thought it would be. I thought it would mostly cover the cycle a pumpkin goes through when it starts to decompose, what’s actually happening to the pumpkin. I didn’t expect it to cover that part quickly, and then most of the story to be about the cycle it goes through during the changing seasons and then it growing again and being carved once again.
This would be good for kids to show them what happens to their carved pumpkins after Halloween, and the life cycle they go through. It’ll probably make some kids feel better knowing the pumpkin isn’t really gone forever, that if you plant the seeds it can grow again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2011
This is the perfect story to read in the fall when kindergartners and first graders are studying pumpkins and apples. Will Hubbell's explanation of the pumpkin's life cycle is engaging and easy for young students to understand. Through Tim's eyes, they can see Pumpkin Jack stand proudly at Halloween, slowly start to decay, get covered by snow in the winter, and re-emerge in the spring, first as a sprout that Tim cares for and ultimately as a thriving plant that produces pumpkins for Tim and all of his friends for the next Halloween. Wonderful curriculum tie-ins and a nice fall story to boot!
April 7, 2012
My nephew and I went to the library today, and I let him go nuts pulling books off the shelves. This was one of the random ones that he pulled out, and actually, he chose a pretty good story! We enjoyed Jack's journey from Jack-o-Lantern, to moldy rotten mess in the garden, back to Jack-o-Lantern again, and I thought that many of the illustrations were just great! The story reminded me of the few times that we grew pumpkins in our garden when we were kids, and it made me wish that I had the garden space to share this experience with my nephew. Good book, and it would be really fun to read near Halloween!
May 6, 2018
Because Fjola rec's.
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Good rec.'!
Great companion to Sophie's Squash. A little more earnest; a little quieter. Lovely pictures. Focus on the pumpkin, instead of the child.
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Good rec.'!
Great companion to Sophie's Squash. A little more earnest; a little quieter. Lovely pictures. Focus on the pumpkin, instead of the child.
October 25, 2016
I really enjoyed this story and it's illustrations. Pumpkin Jack is quite literally the Circle of Life in pumpkin terms and it's neat to see how Jack's story unfolds over and over. Skye, my nearly 2 year old, was riveted. Fantastic story. Highly recommended!
October 6, 2020
Horror in 24: Fright Week Readathon
Prompt: 2. Read a book with a pumpkin on the cover.
Prompt: 2. Read a book with a pumpkin on the cover.
November 8, 2020
Cute book
September 11, 2019
I do not like the illustrations of this book, it doesn't give off a holiday feeling at all. The story is a bit boring and predictable.
October 5, 2018
Published 2000
Realistic Fiction
This book was so cute, I enjoyed watching the lifecycle of the pumpkin jack, and how at the end of it he was a new pumpkin plant from sprouted seeds from the original jack o lantern.
I would use this around Halloween or if there was ever a science unit where we would be planting seeds.
Realistic Fiction
This book was so cute, I enjoyed watching the lifecycle of the pumpkin jack, and how at the end of it he was a new pumpkin plant from sprouted seeds from the original jack o lantern.
I would use this around Halloween or if there was ever a science unit where we would be planting seeds.
October 11, 2018
I take my Halloween books very seriously & this one is delightful! It teaches kids how to enjoy pumpkins and Jack-O-Lanterns year after year. Putting an old Jack in the garden instead of the garbage can bring a nice surprise next spring. I used to read it to my boys when they were little, and I came back to it when they’re all teenagers because I remembered how much we all loved it.
November 1, 2018
Loved the full circle story here! It was relevant on Halloween to talk about what we would do with our carved pumpkins. My son is very attached to his and it was cute to see him comforted that "Jack" never really went away.
As an avid composter, it also warmed me to see the lesson to children about natural waste.
As an avid composter, it also warmed me to see the lesson to children about natural waste.
October 25, 2018
From seed to Jack o'Lantern to seedling again, this cycle will be familiar to anyone who carves a pumpkin for Halloween. Gorgeous, stunning artwork that celebrates the beauty of nature and the familiar sights of the fall season.
November 24, 2017
I love this story. It is a great way to sneak in a little education into a children's book. it talks about plants growing from a seed into a new plant. It deals with lost and saying good bye to a treasured item.
December 5, 2017
From a store-bought pumpkin to rotted pumpkin, a rotten pumpkin to snow covered grounds, water to old pumpkin seeds, seeds to a home-grown pumpkin... A more creative depiction of the lifecycle of a pumpkin!
November 17, 2016
Great book about the life cycle of a pumpkin.
November 3, 2017
The words are beautiful! It has such a melancholy and nostalgic quality tot eh writing. I really enjoyed reading this one over and over.
November 16, 2017
3.5 stars
December 9, 2017
This beautifully illustrated book is a great way to teach children about the lifecycle of a pumpkin. I do feel it is a little awkward to read aloud.
May 7, 2018
Liked the artwork and storytelling
October 9, 2018
A unique look at the life cycle of a pumpkin.
October 9, 2018
Love this book, it is all about the life cycle of a pumpkin. A great read for children's science.
October 29, 2018
Nice book about the life cycle of a pumpkin.
November 9, 2018
Beautiful illustrations and a classic tale.
April 26, 2019
What a great circle of life. 🤗
November 3, 2020
This a perfect story for the fall and Halloween nights. Tim, the main character carved a fierce and funny smile into a pumpkin and named it Jack. Tim loved the way Jack would dance in the dark and fill the air with what smelled like airy pumpkin and fall. After Halloween, Tim's mom noticed that pumpkin Jack was rotting. Mother wanted to throw it out, but Tim thought it would be best Jack be kept in the old ghostly garden instead of the trash. Overtime, pumpkin Jack started to wrinkle, grow mold, and was eventually hidden under snow when the cold days came. Once spring hit, Tim noticed Jack's stem and seeds. So, Tim decided to cover it with soil. Eventually, a plant started growing where Tim had hid the seeds. The garden grew and grew with plants and pumpkins. Because the garden was so generous to Tim, he decided to also be generous and give them away, all but one. He kept one for himself, and carved the same fierce and funny smile Jack had and Tim was so pleased.
October 6, 2022
I loved think book because it followed a little boy named Tim who loved his pumpkin Jack so much he didn't want to throw him away. so he put him in a garden. As winter passed and spring came Tim noticed a green strong stem poking out of the ground where jack used to be. what Tim was doing was watering his plant, and watching it grow until he saw the leaves and stems start to get big and strong and started to turn green. I would use this book to teach students what they can do with their pumpkins after October or November is over. we never want to throw away the pumpkins we make so why not grow new ones for next year? this teaches students how they can recycle their pumpkins and also how they can grow their own pumpkins for the following year. This would be a great book to have and teach my students about how pumpkins grow and we could even look at a pumpkin in our classroom and examine it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews