Review of Duncan the Punkin by Scott Nicholson & Sergio Castro

Publisher: Haunted Computer Books

Release Date: March 13, 2011

Buying Links: Amazon     

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

A magical bedtime story for kids and adults.

Duncan the Punkin's mother tries to teach him to stay hidden on Halloween so he doesn't get turned into a jack-o-lantern. But being good and hiding in the pumpkin patch all the time is boring, even if it keeps the farmer from taking him away. However, there's another creature lurking on the farm, Skeerdy-Cat-Crow, and he's hungry from hanging on a pole all summer long. A ripe little pumpkin sounds just right to him. But when he visits the pumpkin patch, Mom has a special lesson for both Duncan and Skeerdy-Cat-Crow.

30 full-color pages of rhyming fun, magic, and Halloween mystery, professionally formatted as a read-aloud children's story for the Nook and DRM-free.

Reviewed By: Bea

Bea's Thoughts:

 First, a few notes not related to the actual review. I had intended to have this review up yesterday but I ran into technical difficulties and ran out of time. Also, the blurb says the book is formatted for the Nook, sold by Barnes & Noble, but their website couldn't find the book. I tried by title and by author. The copy I have is a Kindle eBook from Amazon. Also, since I read it on my Kindle, the illustrations were in black and white but read on a Kindle Fire or your PC's Kindle app, they would be in color.

Now, on to the review. :)  

"Duncan the Punkin" is a cute story about a little pumpkin and his mother. The story starts with momma punkin giving advice to Duncan about how not to be chosen by the farmer so he doesn't get harvested and turned into pie or a jack-o-lantern. Some of the pages are a little scary for younger children, say three years or younger; I think pre-schoolers would probably be fine. The text rhymes and is easily understood without being patronizing. Parental note: there's a slight reference to death ("...but sweetie pies never live to be five, be motionless, silent, and staying alive."). The story ends with a moral, which I didn't find to be necessary, but overall, it's a cute, if not great, story about pumpkins, Halloween, and staying safe.

I own this Kindle book.