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Pumpkin Cat
Mouse shows Cat how to grow pumpkins, then turns one into a surprise. Includes facts about growing pumpkins.
28 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
October 26, 2019
A cat and a mouse grow pumpkins starting in May for Halloween. Basically, a simple how to story; It wasn’t an exciting story.
The nephew rolled his eyes during this book. As soon as we started I knew this wasn’t good for him, but we finished it anyway before reading another one. He gave this 1 star.
The nephew rolled his eyes during this book. As soon as we started I knew this wasn’t good for him, but we finished it anyway before reading another one. He gave this 1 star.
October 12, 2018
Anthropomorphic animal tales can be a little tricky to pull off, I find, and Anne Mortimer's Pumpkin Cat doesn't quite get the job done, despite its beautiful artwork. Ostensibly a story about a cat and mouse who cultivate a pumpkin together, it offers a very basic, step-by-step guide to the process, as narrated by Mouse, who instructs Cat in: adding soil to the flower pot, planting and watering the seeds, relocating the plants outside and waiting as they grow, constructing a scarecrow, when the pumpkins first begin to appear, and harvesting the pumpkins when they're ripe. In one final step, Mouse creates a Halloween surprise for Cat...
If this list of activities doesn't sound particularly scintillating, that's because it isn't, making the narrative feel a little hum-drum. Mouse and Cat, moreover, don't feel very convincing, and simply aren't human enough to be engaging in the activities depicted - anthropomorphism tends to work, in my experience, when the animals in question are simply humans in another skin, or when the entire landscape of the story has been fantastically altered (ala Redwall , and other similar tales) - which continually jolted me out of the story. Still, the artwork is very appealing, especially for a cat lover, and I particularly liked the final spread.
Not really a success as a storybook, or even as a holiday celebration, Pumpkin Cat is one I'd recommend primarily to those who are fans of Anne Mortimer's feline artwork.
If this list of activities doesn't sound particularly scintillating, that's because it isn't, making the narrative feel a little hum-drum. Mouse and Cat, moreover, don't feel very convincing, and simply aren't human enough to be engaging in the activities depicted - anthropomorphism tends to work, in my experience, when the animals in question are simply humans in another skin, or when the entire landscape of the story has been fantastically altered (ala Redwall , and other similar tales) - which continually jolted me out of the story. Still, the artwork is very appealing, especially for a cat lover, and I particularly liked the final spread.
Not really a success as a storybook, or even as a holiday celebration, Pumpkin Cat is one I'd recommend primarily to those who are fans of Anne Mortimer's feline artwork.
September 23, 2019
I actually liked this story and I don't usually like books about talking animals. The black of the cat and the orange of the pumpkin are very complementary; very nice illustrations. They give us the 5 steps of growing a pumpkin and the ending is a surprise gift from mouse to cat.
November 22, 2016
Darling illustrations!! This reminds me a bit of The Little Red Hen with a major difference...the cat and mouse work together to complete each step of growing the pumpkin (so I guess it isn't that similar...but somehow the step by step nature of the planting and harvesting was reminiscent of The Little Red Hen). The cat and mouse are so lovely...the illustrations are what make this simple text shine.
September 2, 2011
Wonderful illustrations are a joy to look at!
October 31, 2014
Super cute!! And it demonstrates learning, cooperation, and growing plants... all without telling you that's what it's doing.
October 23, 2019
I choose to do this book for storytime because I wanted something to explain the process of planting seeds to make a pumpkin. I think this one is simple and engaging enough to do the trick.
May 28, 2015
Booklist September 15, 2011 (Online)
Preschool-Grade 2. In a picture book that spans the seasons from spring planting to fall harvest, Mouse shows his friend Cat how to plant a pumpkin seed and tend the plant, then surprises her by carving a jack-o’-lantern for Halloween. At each step, after the narrative tells how things are progressing, the cat asks a question, the mouse answers it, and the same short phrase concludes the section: “‘What now?’ asked Cat. ‘Time to plant the seedlings outside,’ said Mouse. So they did.” Succinct and wonderfully satisfying to read aloud, the simple text carries the story and basic gardening instructions, while the final page offers further tips on growing pumpkins. Noted for her illustrations of cats, Mortimer also portrays the mouse, crows, and even pumpkin plants with such fine strokes of color that their fur, feathers, and hairy stems look realistically textured and completely convincing. With a topic and a presentation well tailored to young children, this is a fine choice for reading aloud.
Kirkus Reviews August 1, 2011
Cat wonders how pumpkins grow, and Mouse is happy to show him, in this seasonal offering for beginning readers. A simple explanation of the seed-to-pumpkin process sets the animals to filling a pot with soil, planting seeds, watering the plant, waiting and watching it grow, making a scarecrow, picking the pumpkin and carving a jack-o'-lantern. A more thorough exploration can be found in Gail Gibbons' Pumpkin Book (1999), with which beginning readers may already be familiar, so this brief story may be better suited to preschoolers just testing their green thumbs. In her signature style, Mortimer focuses on the cute, cuddly qualities of Cat and Mouse. Oval-framed close-ups and full-bleed spreads capture the unlikely animal friends working together. The final page is the most informative, presenting fleshed-out instructions for growing pumpkins, but ultimately there is little to harvest here. Sweet but bland, this title could still find an audience in autumn. (Early reader. 3-5)
Publishers Weekly August 29, 2011
In this tender story, Mouse teaches charcoal-colored, emerald-eyed Cat how to grow a pumpkin: "Mouse found a watering can. 'What now?' asked Cat. 'Time to water the seeds,' said Mouse." When they plant the seedlings and two crows appear, they make a scarecrow, and when the pumpkins are finally ripe Mouse cuts into one with a knife, telling Cat, "I am going to make you a surprise!" Mortimer's naturalistic yet whimsical scenes exude old-fashioned Halloween charm. Ages 4-7. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
School Library Journal July 1, 2011
PreS-Gr 1-"One morning in May, Cat wondered, 'How do pumpkins grow?' 'I know,' said Mouse. 'And I will show you how.'" Mouse proceeds to guide Cat through the various steps and stages, one phase featured on each spread, until October arrives and they are rewarded with a large orange pumpkin. The steps to growing pumpkins have been featured in numerous picture books, including Zoe Hall's It's Pumpkin Time! (Scholastic, 1994) and Jeanne Titherington's Pumpkin, Pumpkin (Greenwillow, 1986); what sets this one apart are the beautifully composed watercolor illustrations. As she did in Bunny's Easter Egg (HarperCollins, 2010), Mortimer has masterfully captured the texture of her subjects-the softness of the animals' fur, the scratchiness of burlap bags, the silkiness of delicate flower petals, etc. At times the scenes are viewed in oval frames, giving the impression that one is peeking into these gentle creatures' private world. A page detailing instructions for growing pumpkins is included. A lovely addition that should be popular in any season.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Preschool-Grade 2. In a picture book that spans the seasons from spring planting to fall harvest, Mouse shows his friend Cat how to plant a pumpkin seed and tend the plant, then surprises her by carving a jack-o’-lantern for Halloween. At each step, after the narrative tells how things are progressing, the cat asks a question, the mouse answers it, and the same short phrase concludes the section: “‘What now?’ asked Cat. ‘Time to plant the seedlings outside,’ said Mouse. So they did.” Succinct and wonderfully satisfying to read aloud, the simple text carries the story and basic gardening instructions, while the final page offers further tips on growing pumpkins. Noted for her illustrations of cats, Mortimer also portrays the mouse, crows, and even pumpkin plants with such fine strokes of color that their fur, feathers, and hairy stems look realistically textured and completely convincing. With a topic and a presentation well tailored to young children, this is a fine choice for reading aloud.
Kirkus Reviews August 1, 2011
Cat wonders how pumpkins grow, and Mouse is happy to show him, in this seasonal offering for beginning readers. A simple explanation of the seed-to-pumpkin process sets the animals to filling a pot with soil, planting seeds, watering the plant, waiting and watching it grow, making a scarecrow, picking the pumpkin and carving a jack-o'-lantern. A more thorough exploration can be found in Gail Gibbons' Pumpkin Book (1999), with which beginning readers may already be familiar, so this brief story may be better suited to preschoolers just testing their green thumbs. In her signature style, Mortimer focuses on the cute, cuddly qualities of Cat and Mouse. Oval-framed close-ups and full-bleed spreads capture the unlikely animal friends working together. The final page is the most informative, presenting fleshed-out instructions for growing pumpkins, but ultimately there is little to harvest here. Sweet but bland, this title could still find an audience in autumn. (Early reader. 3-5)
Publishers Weekly August 29, 2011
In this tender story, Mouse teaches charcoal-colored, emerald-eyed Cat how to grow a pumpkin: "Mouse found a watering can. 'What now?' asked Cat. 'Time to water the seeds,' said Mouse." When they plant the seedlings and two crows appear, they make a scarecrow, and when the pumpkins are finally ripe Mouse cuts into one with a knife, telling Cat, "I am going to make you a surprise!" Mortimer's naturalistic yet whimsical scenes exude old-fashioned Halloween charm. Ages 4-7. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
School Library Journal July 1, 2011
PreS-Gr 1-"One morning in May, Cat wondered, 'How do pumpkins grow?' 'I know,' said Mouse. 'And I will show you how.'" Mouse proceeds to guide Cat through the various steps and stages, one phase featured on each spread, until October arrives and they are rewarded with a large orange pumpkin. The steps to growing pumpkins have been featured in numerous picture books, including Zoe Hall's It's Pumpkin Time! (Scholastic, 1994) and Jeanne Titherington's Pumpkin, Pumpkin (Greenwillow, 1986); what sets this one apart are the beautifully composed watercolor illustrations. As she did in Bunny's Easter Egg (HarperCollins, 2010), Mortimer has masterfully captured the texture of her subjects-the softness of the animals' fur, the scratchiness of burlap bags, the silkiness of delicate flower petals, etc. At times the scenes are viewed in oval frames, giving the impression that one is peeking into these gentle creatures' private world. A page detailing instructions for growing pumpkins is included. A lovely addition that should be popular in any season.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2019
Lincoln enjoyed the illustrations in this
September 13, 2019
The illustrations definitely steal the show, the rest is just meh. Cat keeps asking what to do next to grow pumpkins and Mouse keeps telling him then they do it together. not a great read aloud choice, but not a terrible one, either.
October 13, 2018
Cat and Mouse (inexplicably friends) work together in a garden through the seasons to grow a pumpkin. Cat acts as student, asking questions about what to do next, while Mouse provides the expertise.
Pumpkin Cat is a good book for sequencing and asking questions. It does a good job of showing, through realistic pencil illustrations, the lifecycle of the pumpkin in the context of changing seasons. The illustrations will be too busy for some kids, but it is helpful that they are presented zoomed in on the action (Mouse/Cat view) in oval frames and set against a white background.
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I review children's books from the perspective of a parent of two kids with autism. This review is part of a list of 13 recommended Halloween picture books for autistic kids, which can be found on my blog: https://www.lineupthebooks.com/hallow...
Pumpkin Cat is a good book for sequencing and asking questions. It does a good job of showing, through realistic pencil illustrations, the lifecycle of the pumpkin in the context of changing seasons. The illustrations will be too busy for some kids, but it is helpful that they are presented zoomed in on the action (Mouse/Cat view) in oval frames and set against a white background.
---
I review children's books from the perspective of a parent of two kids with autism. This review is part of a list of 13 recommended Halloween picture books for autistic kids, which can be found on my blog: https://www.lineupthebooks.com/hallow...
February 10, 2019
Cat wondered how pumpkins grow. Mouse showed Cat the process of seeding to harvesting.
Two animals under the food chain were the major characters in the story. The mouse was often adopted in a picture book as smart and wise. For instance, Mouse in this book explains and shows Cat how to plant pumpkins, phrasing the instructions in the form of a nursery rhyme. The recursive patterns of discourses facilitate readers' ability to fully comprehend the necessary steps involved in the processes. For example, Cat keeps asking "what now?" and Mouse explains the steps of planting such as "time to plant the pumpkin seeds" and "time to water the seeds." What I liked about the illustrations were the detailed descriptions such as the pumpkin stem hairs and the furs of Cat and Mouse. At the end of the book, there are instructions for growing pumpkins based on information.
Two animals under the food chain were the major characters in the story. The mouse was often adopted in a picture book as smart and wise. For instance, Mouse in this book explains and shows Cat how to plant pumpkins, phrasing the instructions in the form of a nursery rhyme. The recursive patterns of discourses facilitate readers' ability to fully comprehend the necessary steps involved in the processes. For example, Cat keeps asking "what now?" and Mouse explains the steps of planting such as "time to plant the pumpkin seeds" and "time to water the seeds." What I liked about the illustrations were the detailed descriptions such as the pumpkin stem hairs and the furs of Cat and Mouse. At the end of the book, there are instructions for growing pumpkins based on information.
September 23, 2012
3.5 STARS
The illustrations are the star of this picture book featuring a wise mouse teaching and showing a black cat how to grow a pumpkin. Most of the text is sparse--I thought perhaps more suited for a board book, "Mouse found a watering cat. 'What now?' asked Cat. 'Time to water the seeds,' said Mouse. So they did." Yet some of it is more involved, "In a few weeks, there were lots of big, prickly leaves and big, yellow, papery flowers covered in pollen." It's not quite simple enough for a board book, but a bit too bland for an engaging picture book. Still, the illustrations are adorable and it's a nice introduction to how to grow a pumpkin. The final illustration is really cute and makes this a great addition to a Halloween picture book line-up, to.
The illustrations are the star of this picture book featuring a wise mouse teaching and showing a black cat how to grow a pumpkin. Most of the text is sparse--I thought perhaps more suited for a board book, "Mouse found a watering cat. 'What now?' asked Cat. 'Time to water the seeds,' said Mouse. So they did." Yet some of it is more involved, "In a few weeks, there were lots of big, prickly leaves and big, yellow, papery flowers covered in pollen." It's not quite simple enough for a board book, but a bit too bland for an engaging picture book. Still, the illustrations are adorable and it's a nice introduction to how to grow a pumpkin. The final illustration is really cute and makes this a great addition to a Halloween picture book line-up, to.
September 19, 2018
This is a nice picture book that tells the story of two unlikely friends (a cat and a mouse) and their pumpkin growing project. In the spring, Cat wonders about how pumpkins grow and Mouse is happy to help. Together they gather the materials, plant the seeds, and watch them grow. When October rolls around and the pumpkins are ready, Mouse shows Cat something really awesome to do with pumpkins. This would be a good book to share with young children as part of a lesson on growing seeds, or just a good story about friends helping each other.
February 13, 2017
In the month of May, Cat saw a packet of pumpkin seeds and wondered, "how do pumpkins grow?" Throughout the story, Cat and his friend Mouse go through the process of planting and caring for the seeds until by October they turn into big, orange pumpkins (that Mouse then surprises Cat by carving into a Jack-O-Lantern). Very nicely detailed illustrations with instructions on how to grow your own pumpkins at the end.
October 12, 2018
Who says cat and mouse can't be friends? Mouse teaches Cat all about planting pumpkins. Those Halloween jack o laterns take a lot of patience and work first. Good book for kids who want to test out their green thumb, but overall nothing too special
October 29, 2018
Cute, but strangely nothing to do with the cat or mouse characters. (Could have been done with... people?) But I like the instructions at the back of the book, and the informational elements here. Strange that it's so specifically a Halloween story, but sort of cute and unique.
July 3, 2018
Amazing illustrations!
August 15, 2018
An easy book to incorporate actions. More gardeny than Halloweeny, but still cute!
August 31, 2018
Delightful.
November 2, 2018
A bit too meh for storytime
February 4, 2019
I love this endearing tale of a cat trying to figure out how to grow a pumpkin in time for Halloween.
September 21, 2021
I am writing 5 stars, because of 2 reasons
1- the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. I love Anne Mortimer’s cat illustrations, they are just stunning
2- my 18 month old loves this book, the story is simple and very easy to follow, and it just follows the simple actions of a cat and mouse planting pumpkins, which when you are small is obviously gripping. He has started saying ‘cat’ at the parts ‘what now?’ Said cat. Simple stories with beautiful illustrations grab little ones attention.
I also love that it tells you how to grow pumpkins.
My littlest loves cats, he also loves the pictures by Anne Mortimer in toscas Christmas. I have read a pumpkin cat about 15 times in 2 days, as it’s his current fave and keeps bringing to me to be read.
1- the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. I love Anne Mortimer’s cat illustrations, they are just stunning
2- my 18 month old loves this book, the story is simple and very easy to follow, and it just follows the simple actions of a cat and mouse planting pumpkins, which when you are small is obviously gripping. He has started saying ‘cat’ at the parts ‘what now?’ Said cat. Simple stories with beautiful illustrations grab little ones attention.
I also love that it tells you how to grow pumpkins.
My littlest loves cats, he also loves the pictures by Anne Mortimer in toscas Christmas. I have read a pumpkin cat about 15 times in 2 days, as it’s his current fave and keeps bringing to me to be read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2019
This was an unexpected hit with my two-year-old and five-year-old. Perhaps it's the fact that we have two friendly neighborhood black cats. Perhaps it's the sweet friendship cultivated between a cat and mouse over gardening together. Perhaps it's the realistic illustrations and short sentences. No matter, this was a great read and a subtle Halloween picture book that emphasized the role pumpkins play in the holiday (instead of costumes, spooky elements, etc.)
October 2, 2020
This was another Read Aloud Revival (Sarah Mackenzie) recommendation. My kids (5yo & 3yo) loved this book! They loved the “super cute” illustrations and the little surprise at the end. It also helped reinforce what they learned in other books about how pumpkins grow. I wish it had a few more details about planting and growing pumpkins as it seems a bit over-simplified. But my kids, who are the actual target audience, loved it. We recommend this book!
September 17, 2018
A mouse demonstrates to a cat how to grow pumpkins. Story told in dialog form with the cat saying the repeated refrain "What now?" Beautiful life-like illustrations which show a variety of perspectives. The cat, especially, looks very realistic. The last page gives the adults the 5 steps for growing pumpkins.
September 30, 2025
A super cute older book with soft lines and vibrant color illustrations. It's very cozy to read and just shows a adorable little mouse teaching a cat where pumpkins come from, i.e. how to grow pumpkins. The mouse makes a Jack-o-lantern. In the back cover there are instructions on how to grow your own pumpkins. I definitely want a copy for my collection.
October 25, 2018
Enjoyed the book and it would be a good lapsit story or possibly a preschool storytime book. Lovely illustrations. It could be used for a pumpkin storytime but not my first choice for a halloween storytime.
October 27, 2019
I love a non-scary Halloween book, and the illustrations were beautiful (especially the cat and her expressions!). Also the cat is female which is so rare in a non-maternal character in children's books. The story of watching pumpkins grow is a little boring, but the end is good.
October 27, 2019
Cat asks the question of how do pumpkins grow? Mouse offers to teach him how pumpkins grow. Step by step instructions by mouse, and team work in the garden answers the question and after the pumpkin grows, mouse makes a surprise for cat to enjoy.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews