When a 700-year-old woman and an 800-year-old man, both witches, discover on Halloween Day that their pumpkin has been stolen, they are (rightly) incensed, given their fondness for pumpkin pie. Setting out to track down the thief, they question a ghoul, a rapscallion and a varmint, using their magic to temporarily transform each in the process. Holding no grudges, these creatures follow after the old woman and man, joining them in the hunt. Eventually the group encounters a 900-year-old wizard, who has put the pumpkin to good use, and all ends happily...

Having greatly enjoyed Tony Johnston's The Witch's Hat, an enchanting little magical tale that also features a witch, I was curious to see how I would like The Vanishing Pumpkin, published a year earlier (in 1983), and illustrated by the talented Tomie dePaola, who is also famous for his own witchy creation, in the figure of Strega Nona. This is quite a trippy-dippy little tale, and feels somehow more like a book from the 1970s, than one from the 1980s. The story itself is fun, and the artwork is amusing. I appreciated the use of words like rapscallion and varmint, and found the humor quite enjoyable. Recommended to Tony Johnston and/or Tomie DePaola fans, and to anyone looking for slightly surreal Halloween picture-books. ( )

This was a very cute book. I would use it during the month of October. In the book the old people are wanting to make pumpkin pie. They go outside to get their pumpkin, but it has vanished. They can't find it. The old couple look every where. Will they find the pumpkin? Will they be able to make the pumpkin pie that they want? ( )

37 months - a bit too repetitive for me but O enjoyed it. ( )