Read together October 23, 2019
Rating: 3/5 ⭐️
Book #4 in our “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” challenge
Marley and the Runaway Pumpkin
by John Grogan
2010
Paperback, 32 pages
HarperCollins
Little One Book Review: It seems Mommy and I like to read books about troublesome animals. Last month, we read about a curious monkey named George; this month, we read about a mischievous little dog named Marley. This book is based on the “Marley” stories by John Grogan, who wrote “Marley and Me.” Mommy has that book on her TBR.
We chose “Marley and the Runaway Pumpkin” as our first book of autumn; it was a cute story but it didn’t quite scratch the “autumn” itch. We will be on the lookout for more seasonal books, for sure.
A little girl named Cassie and her family are growing a huge pumpkin in their garden and are tending to it oh-so-carefully. They want to grow the biggest, prettiest pumpkin in order to take home the blue-prize ribbon at the county fair, and they have a pretty good chance to do just that. But there’s one member of the family who doesn’t seem to care about keeping the pumpkin in tip-top shape: Marley the dog!!
One day, the family is loading the pumpkin up to take it to the fair. Marley is a yellow lab (and a rather big puppy) with a playful streak. She gets excited to see the big, beautiful pumpkin and…well, goes a little haywire. She breaks loose from her leash, bounds up onto the truck, and pushes the pumpkin off. Wouldn’t you know it has to roll down the hill and make its way through town. Of course, Marley is right behind it!
After the pumpkin is done wreaking havoc through town (it runs down a mailman and sends the mailbag flying), it rolls to a stop and smashes to bits. The big, beautiful pumpkin is no more. Cassie wonders how her family will ever win the blue-prize ribbon now; the pumpkin has been destroyed by Marley. What do you do with an utterly smashed pumpkin? You make pumpkin pie, of course! The book ends with Cassie and her mother making lots and lots of pumpkin pie, and they end up entering the pies in the county fair. They win their blue-prize ribbon after all.
Mama’s Book Review: This was a cute story about turning lemons into lemonade — or rather, a smashed pumpkin into a delicious pumpkin pie (my favorite seasonal dessert). It teaches a good lesson by showing that plan A often turns into plan B, and that life has unexpected twists and turns. Marley the dog is the perfect animal to teach us such a valuable life lesson.
Till Next Time,
Mama & Logan
Baby Stole My Book 