The Roll-Away Pumpkin


Amazon Bestseller
7 Languages (EN, IT, DE, FR, ES, JP, PT)

3 Literary Awards

Recommended for readers aged 2 to 5

Honorable Mention
2022 PURPLE DRAGONFLY BOOK AWARD
Early Readers

Honorable Mention
2022 PURPLE DRAGONFLY BOOK AWARD
Best Illustrations

Honorable Mention
2022 PURPLE DRAGONFLY BOOK AWARD
Holiday

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EDITORIAL REVIEWS

“Marla Little’s pumpkin is rolling away! Can she catch it before it’s gone forever? Readers both young and young at heart will delight in this lovely, whimsical tale.” BookBub

“This book combines patterns with some classic onomatopoeia to create a very silly story that your kids are sure to enjoy. And it’s perfect for the whole season! While a lot of fall books stick strictly to Halloween, this includes the sights and sounds of fall itself – which we love best of all.” Book Nook NYC

“Being a seasonal book, it is safe to say this won’t likely get worn out, and may even become a seasonal tradition – likely in my house to say the least! A winner for sure!” ErmaReads

“It makes a wonderful bedtime story, one that’s perfect for these chilly autumn nights.” A Southern Girl’s Bookshelf 

Hardcover Edition
38 pages
8.5 x 0.25 x 8.5 inches

Paperback Edition
38 pages
8.5 x 0.1 x 8.5 inches

Kindle Edition
38 pages
Text Pop-Up Enabled

Cover

Multi-award-winning author and illustrator team delight young readers with a rollicking sequencing story.

When a large pumpkin gets away from its young owner, Marla, an amusing and lighthearted pursuit ensues. As it rolls down country roads, through a farm’s haystacks, past a milkman and his cart, over a stone bridge, through a city’s bistro, and past a butcher shop, readers will enjoy as each subsequent person joins in the young girl’s chase after the runaway, rollaway pumpkin, making for a silly procession that gets even sillier when the group encounters a marching parade. A pleasing ending has the ever-growing group enjoying a cauldron of pumpkin soup.

With stunning illustrations in beautiful muted earthy tones, many small details make each spread a delight in poring over—a dog with little sausages in its mouth, street signs that point “this way” and “that way”, a tiny windmill in the distance, leaves fluttering down on the country road, fresh baguettes stacked up in the baker’s wagon. A wonderfully lilting text is beautifully typeset in a fun and whimsical way, curving along the streets and alleys. A repeated refrain throughout the story adds a fun opportunity for young readers to chant along. 

A short and simple story, The Roll-Away Pumpkin is a perfect read-aloud for families and educators of young children, while its highlighted keywords, repetitive language, and predictive nature make it ideal for beginner readers.

The Roll-Away Pumpkin is:

  • recommended for toddlers and preschoolers aged 2 to 5 years.
  • a delightful and whimsical children’s picture book for early and beginner readers.
  • written with repeating sentence structures to capture young listeners’ attention and give early readers confidence.
  • beautifully illustrated with exquisite autumn hues, brimming with expression and humor that small children will love.
  • a charming little story that teaches the joy of helping one another and sharing.
  • entertaining—the book is full of funny situations that are sure to elicit plenty of giggles.
  • perfect for teaching sequencing to preschool and kindergarten children at home or in the classroom.

From the author

From the author:

The Roll-Away Pumpkin is a short and simple story written for early and beginner readers. The use of repetitive language and highlighted keywords throughout the book makes the text appealing to very young children—toddlers and preschoolers. Children tend to listen to books with patterns and the predictive nature of The Roll-Away Pumpkin aims to help young readers develop early reading skills.It is also a visual feast for both the young and the young at heart! Owing to Daniela Volpari’s exquisite artwork, each page, with its warm and vibrant autumn hues, will get you in the mood to welcome the fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving—all perfect opportunities to enjoy the pumpkin season. ~Junia Wonders

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Read reviews

Reviews:

A wonderful Thanksgiving read. Good chefs often say “the simplest dishes are the hardest to make well.” I’d say the same goes for stories. Leave it to great storyteller Junia Wonders and her talented illustrator Daniela Volpari to turn a simple story of a rolling pumpkin into an exciting tale and a visual treat. The artistically laid out texts, the short but emotion-charged dialogue and the beautifully drawn pages that flow so seamlessly one into the other, will keep your young ones enchanted and caught up in the chase. […] every child can benefit from learning the universal message the book teaches: helping each other and sharing your rewards.” -Joseph Yu, Reviewer

“Read it to my granddaughter and we just loved it. We made it a game while reading. Try and remember who was running after the pumpkin and how many. Good fun and a teaching book.”-Lucy Garcia-Storey, Reviewer

Gorgeously illustrated book! A pleasure to go through. In its simplicity, it is brilliant!” -Ina Ana, Reviewer

Great for beginning readers. I love the repetition it helps to keep her interested. My daughter like the catchy tune and it is a great time to read this during fall.” -Daine, Reviewer

“I love it when books for kids have one or two parts that are repeated so kids can participate in the repetition. Beyond that, it’s a lovely fall story with great illustrations about a pumpkin! Lovely, lovely, lovely!” -Virginia, Reviewer

My class certainly enjoyed this rollicking adventure of a little girl and her pumpkin! We think you will enjoy it, too.” -Babs, Reviewer

Award winning story and art that belongs in every young person’s library. This is an award winning quality children’s book that will entertain young and old alike. It belongs in everyone’s library and I imagine that it will soon sit in libraries across the world awaiting readers. I found the illustrations to be outstanding and the story as much so.
Five stars for this wonderful book.” -Reynold Jay, Reviewer

This Might Possibly be an Instant Classic […] This was a clever story written in a manner that may well render it timeless, as it evokes classic tales that will leave you feeling nostalgic. That brings me to the artwork. One word comes to mind when describing Daniela Volpari’s art: quintessential. […] The story and art, together with the professional book design ranks this title up there with the best of the bunch. Highly enjoyable.” -Daniel Middleton, Reviewer

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This book is also available in Italian, German, French, SpanishJapanese, and Portuguese.