Living on the farm with his grandparents, Mimi and Papa, Peter enjoys all of the seasons and crops, from spring strawberries to summer corn. His favorite though, are the fall pumpkins, and he spends much time cultivating the pumpkins in the patch, and one very special one outside of it. When harvest time comes, he helps everyone in town pick out the best pumpkin for them, including his new neighbor Meg, with whom he shares the very best pumpkin of all...

The Very Best Pumpkin is the third autumn / Halloween-themed picture-book I have read from author/illustrator team Mark Kimball Moulton and Karen Hillard Good, following upon Miss Fiona's Stupendous Pumpkin Pies and Twisted Sistahs, and I found it charming. As with the other two books, I enjoyed the artwork here—created using watercolor, coffee and bleach–quite a bit, finding it quirky and sweet. Good, who appears to have also worked as Karen Hillard Crouch, produces work which always reminds me a bit of Wendy Anderson Halperin, but with a slightly more naive, folksy feeling. In any case, I also enjoyed the narrative here, both because I appreciated the heartwarming themes of friendship and generosity, and because I think that the prose format worked better for Moulton's storytelling, than the somewhat awkward rhyming text in the other two picture books I have read from him. Recommended to anyone looking for contemporary autumn picture books that emphasize traditional values of hard work and stewardship, as well as kindness, and generosity to newcomers. ( )

In Mark Kimball Moulton's "The Very Best Pumpkin" a young boy tends to his pumpkin patch. After having grown a special pumpkin, he fosters a friendship with the girl next door, who had been watching him tend to his special pumpkin day after day. This would be good for 1st and 2nd graders. For my lesson, I would have the kids relate their own Halloween experiences, or talk about their favorite activities to do with their friends. ( )

Wonderful illustrations - colorful and whimsical with a three-dimensional touchable suggestion. The storyline is one of discovery and learning and friendship and sharing. Very well-done! ( )

25 months - we will have to read this again in the fall. A cute story about living on a farm, growing pumpkins, making friends and sharing. Great illustrations and nice vocabulary words. I'd buy this one. ( )

Real life neighbors and amazing book partners Mark Kimball Moulton and Karen Hillard Good have teamed up yet again for a magicial autumn delight. As with a couple of Moulton's stories, you think at first "ahhh it's going to be about this" when in fact, you find out it is actually about "that". Such is the case in The Very Best Pumpkin.

I was first introduced to Moulton and Good's work through the Christmas classic A Snowman Named Just Bob. I began the book expecting a story about a snowman and found a beautifully illustrated tale about friendship and love. When I first saw The Very Best Pumpkin, I was expecting a beautifully illustrated story about a boy and his pumpkin, yet again, I found a gentle tale highlighting the give and take - the shyly touching simple joys - of friendship.

From the book's description: Mimi and Papa's farm is famous for growing pumpkins. And their grandson, Peter, tends them all. When a little girl comes to the farm looking for the perfect pumpkin, will Peter give up his pumpkin and gain a friend?

Moulton's prose so perfectly blends with Good's comfortable illustrations (can illustrations provoke a feeling of comfort?!) together they tenderly weave this story in such a simple yet eloquent way it begs to be shared with dear friends, new and old. ( )