The Perfect Pumpkin Pie

by Denys Cazet

When he was alive, Mr. Wilkerson was an ill-tempered, disagreeable, sour, and impatient old man. Once he died, he got better.
But not much.
Now he is back and very, very hungry.
When Jack and his grandma move into the old Wilkerson house, they find out just how hungry, and why.
At least they think they know. It has something to do with pie.
A perfect pie.

Genres: Picture Books, Halloween, Childrens, Holiday, Humor, Ghosts, Horror

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 6, 2005

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this might be ok for Thanksgiving with a Pumpkin Pie theme. This is a Halloween story and doesn't work for Thanksgiving.

A man dies and haunts a house for Pumpkin Pie. He is a very grumpy ghost. What I like is none of the living members are afraid of him. They have him as a guest.

Very interesting. The kids loved this book.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

If a book gets requested to be read many times without me throwing an inner hissy fit because I want to read it, too, it's definitely getting five stars from me. The illustrations are messy, but I love them. The eyeball is awesome. (Read the book to find out why.)

When I read it to my little girls (ages 3 and 5) the first time, I was a bit worried there would be some scary stuff. It does involve a ghost, after all. However, the author did a wonderful job putting wisps of smoke and ghosts in their proper place as sources of fun. We even made his wailing a team reading effort: "and never, ever go awaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!" My kids love it.

This ranks up there for me right along with Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance. It's great fun, and I don't feel like it needs to be Halloween to read it.

[Erin Sterling · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story about a grumpy old man who dies while eating pumpkin pie and comes back to haunt the new residents with a chant for more pumpkin pie! The expressions are priceless and the text a bit wordy, but it adapted really well to a story.

** This is a story I adapted and retold and would definitely do again! It’s perfect for an elementary school audience, but could be used for any audience, depending on how you spin it.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting twist on the typical ghost story with the ghost and his repeated chant. I love the grandmother in the story. She's full of spunk. I liked the story overall. It made me laugh a bit. But the pictures had a sort of light-hearted grotesqueness to it. As much as I can't help saying "ew" once in a while, I think the K-4 audience would love it.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun and spooky story to read aloud with children. It's not too scary, especially with a no-nonsense Grandma who won't put up with ghostly foolishness or rudeness. But I still would recommend reading it during the day to avoid the middle of the night bad dreams.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book will appeal to children who have a thirst for spooky Halloween tales. There is a creepy character who rises from his grave to eat pie. This is not the story for every child by any means, but for those looking for a story that's a little bit spooky and a little bit funny, this might be a good choice. The illustrations are attractive and definitely carry the message.

[Set · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations are original but a bit sloppy and mucky for my taste. The story is a bit hilarious really and I have a theory that the wife poisoned him but way too scary for sensitive children. It's about a man that returns from his grave in the pumpkin patch next to a house to haunt a granny and grandson if they don't feed him the perfect pie.

[Riley Gullett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember reading this as a kid and loving it. It's a great book for Halloween or Thanksgiving. I also love how creative the drawings are. They have very different illustration styles than what you would normally see.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really cute read aloud. And even though it is fall or Thanksgiving themed I think kids would enjoy it just about any time.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't review every children's book I read, so even though I am only giving this three stars, I like it enough to put it here. It also means I want to look for more by this author. What do I like? The humor, the storytelling and the illustrations. This story is morbid, but that's appropriate because it's a Halloween ghost story. Any book that makes me laugh out loud gets a review. Plus, I really enjoyed making my voice sound like a grumpy, loud, old man while I read. Alena enjoyed it too.

[Megan Boomgarden]

I was excited to read this book becuae i love pumpkin pie but once i read the first few pages, i was surpirised by the context. it is about an old grumpy man who dies before he gets to eat a piece of pie and then haunts the house until the new owners make him the perfect piece of pumpkin pie. I thought the storyline a somewhat creepy but there are a lot of positive elements to the book as well. the style of he text is very entertaing and visually interesting. The size and boldness of the words change in a way to emphasize what is going on. When Mr. Wilkerson is mad, the words are very big and bold...etc. Another good quality to the story is that Mr. Wilkerson speaks using rhymes so they are rythmic and catchy. I thought there were good elements to the book, however, when i was in elementary school, reading about being haunted by a ghost would have given me nightmares:(

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you can muster up a just back from the dead pie-lovin' ghost voice, this is the book for you. Perfect to read to school age children who are sure to find it just spooky enough and definately funny enough. (Younger children may find this too frightening and will miss the fine humor). The demanding old crabby ghost, disconcerting with a fork stuck in his head, demands a perfect pumpkin pie - and Grandma is up for the challenge, dialing down the scary factor with her no-nonsense tone as she shows Jack, her grandson, how to deal with a ghost who is "nothing but cold smoke...a ghostly fussbudget with an appetite for a good pie."
This book will be especially welcome in libraries and classrooms around Halloween when one wearies of endless trick or treat tales.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another one of my All-Time Halloween Favorites! I just finished reading “Perfect Pumpkin Pie” to my granddaughter’s 3rd grade class and it was so much fun! The rhyming ghost and his unceasing quest for perfect pie is pure entertainment! The illustrations are hilarious! Watch for new details every time you read it.

Ohhh and Grandma - she is GOOD! The kids loved her! No sassy ghost is gonna get past her!

We finished the perfect pumpkin pie story by tasting pumpkin ice cream. So much fun! “Perfect Pumpkin Pie” by Denys Cazet is a hard copy worthy keeper in my Halloween library for kids.

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

K picked this book up from his school library.

This is a weird but funny story about a man who dies and his wife buries him in the pumpkin patch. When a young boy and his grandmother move into the house and start baking pies Mr. Wilkerson comes back and wants one last perfect pumpkin pie before he dies. It is a rhyming book that is funny and will keep the little ones going oh my when will he just die and quite eating pie. The pictures could be considered creep especially Mr. Wilkerson but they weren't scary. Far from it. This is a great book to read whenever but maybe more so during Halloween!
K enjoyed reading it to me and kept going "oh why does he keep coming back?"

[Shelley Douglas · Rating 2 out of 5]

When he was alive Mr. Wilkerson was pretty much a jerk. He bossed his wife around, until one day he dies while eating a piece of her pumpkin pie. After his death Mrs. Wilkerson sells the house and is never heard from again. When new owners move in, Mr. Wilkerson begins to haunt the house until they make him a perfect pumpkin pie. The illustrations were great, but the story itself was stupid.
Genre: picture book
Copyright: 2005

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

(8yrs +) I found this just a bit creepy but I think that kids who like scary stories will love it. Cazet's art is "perfect" for this story but will be too much for some, even though Grandma's calm attitude defuses a bit of the intensity! Definitely not for young children...

I think that this is the best Halloween story (new for me, although originally published in 2005) that I have read in a while.

[Emily Northcutt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my all-time favorite fall read-alouds. I had a teacher request it for her class and since I have not read it in a couple of years, I was happy to dust it off. My K-3 audience enjoys that it is "scary" because there is a ghost in the story, but they love the silly rhymes he speaks in even more. The parallel structure of the story allows them to make predictions about what will happen next. Highly recommended!

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A patron recommended this to me--she said her daughter just loved it, especially the refrain: "Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkin pie. Must have some before I die." And I enjoyed it, too. It's a bit creepy, with a ghost and some gruesome art, and a bit long, so I wouldn't read it to preschoolers, but it would be great for grades 1-3, I think. I also liked how no-nonsense the Granny was about the ghost--that dialed back some of the scare factor.

[Dianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given it two stars but my 3 year old son liked it so much I bumped up the rating. It's a story about a grumpy, old man that is really mean and disrespectful to his wife. He ends up dying and haunting the house where he lived. He's then a ghost that loves pumpkin pie and promises to haunt the house until he gets the perfect pumpkin pie. Although the rhyming words and pictures are a plus, the negative story for children will make me choose other fall favorite readings.

[Edward Creter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Denys Cazet is a treasure and this book is a Halloween treat. An old man has died from a bad pumpkin pie, and has returned from the grave to exact his REVENGE: he requests (and not too kindly) a perfect pumpkin pie, or the haunting will continue. (I thought continuing sagas like Friday the 13th were scary enough by virtue of the sequelization alone.) He has become a PIEtergeist! With a LUST for CRUST! Hope you like your PIE SQUARED!!!!

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't actually want to get this book from the library... but the kids wouldn't give up. So we took it home. The pictures looked so gruesome- but after reading the book (adding some creepy gruff voices) it became a fast hit in our family. It is very catchy. We bought it this past Halloween because the Library where we live didn't have it.

[Joann10 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this book, but the kids loved it. A man dies eating pumpkin pie and, if he smells pumpkin pie, returns on Halloween the look for the "perfect pumpkin pie." I thought the illustrations were too gruesome for my preschoolers--my 3 year old was afraid of this, but the 4 year old and olders wanted it read again and again.

[Skylar Burris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about a jerky, old man's ghost who won't leave a boy and his grandma alone until he gets the perfect pumpkin pie. I can't quite put my finger on why, but I rather liked it. I think it's one of the better Halloween picture books we have read this season, but it does seem to be a genre with slim pickings.

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Wilkerson loves pumpkin pie. His wife makes him pumpkin pie on Halloween but he dies before he can eat it. Mrs. Wilkerson sells the house to Grandma and Jack. Mr. Wilkerson's ghost haunts Grandma and Jack on Halloween...he's hungry for pumpkin pie.

Not as scary as it sounds, kids will love reading this hauntingly funny story. Illustrations remind me of Catrow's work, quirky but fun.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will buy this for the school library. The students will love the old man's refrain about pumpkin pie. It will be a great story-time selection. Personally, I did not care for the illustrations quite as much as the story line. They were too busy for me. Perhaps that is more a function of my exhaustion than reality.

[Kadee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Halloween favorite. Every year we check it out. Just say the word pumpkin pie and the kiddos might start saying "Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin pie I must have some before I die". At first I think the kiddos may have been scared but Brigham used some fun voices and made if fun and quickly became a favorite and not so scary.

[Pamela Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an elementary school librarian, this book gets more requests than any I've read aloud. I've read this one each Halloween season for about ten years and the students start asking me as soon as school starts if I'll read it again this year. We do a thorough lesson on fiction before reading it to make sure no one has bad dreams! ;) A definitive hit with my students, K-6.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A grumpy man dies before he can eat his pie (apparently his only joy on this earth is pie) and when a grandma and a little boy move into his old house, he "haunts" them until they can produce a pumpkin pie that meets his picky expectations.

Weird and slightly gruesome illustrations. Makes me want pie though.

[Ashley Courtemanche · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really love this book. its not like most childrens books because it has death but its still a great book. i really like the pictures, i think the book has a funny twist too. i think everyone should read it.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny story about a pie-obsessed old man who dies and haunts the pumpkin patch near his house in search of the perfect pumpkin pie. Great grumpy, old-geezer voice for the ghost: “I knows me pumpkins, so’s you better comply and make me a perfect pumpkin pie.”