PUMPKIN ON A VINE

Two rodents tend a garden from seed to harvest in this satisfying early reader.

Step by step, an older mouse in a hat and overalls shows a smaller one in a purple shirt and brown pants just what to do: “Take a pole. Poke a hole. Drop a seed. And pull a weed.” The younger mouse cheers loudly when the sprout appears. The sun shines, rain falls, the vine grows enormous, and—”ZOOM!”“BOOM!”—bright orange pumpkins appear everywhere. The cumulative, sometimes rhyming text builds delightfully with each page turn, and Harrison includes many examples for burgeoning readers to hone their phonics skills: four-letter long-vowel words like poke, hole, and seed, as well as diphthongs (shout, sprout) and variant vowels (zoom, pull). Feagan’s warm digital illustrations are a genuine asset, rendered in earthy creams and harvest golds with vivid pops and shades of orange and green. The mice’s body language and expressive eyes generate real charm. As the vine grows, the artwork becomes increasingly lush and enveloping, with the mice dwarfed by the sprawling plant. The compositions cleverly show above- and below-ground perspectives, letting children observe roots, seeds, and worms alongside the gardening action.

A warmly illustrated, phonics-rich gem.