2009, Juvenile Fiction
WISE Score
Duck and Goose check every logical (and illogical) spot for a pumpkin, teaching toddlers that pumpkins don't actually grow in apple trees.
Our reviews and ratings are 100% unbiased. Screenwise is a Bookshop.org affiliate and an Amazon Associate, so if you buy a book through one of our links, we may earn a commission. Bookshop.org purchases also support independent bookstores.
Tad Hills' Duck & Goose, Find a Pumpkin is the gold standard for seasonal board books. It doesn't try to do too much; it just delivers a clean, colorful, and slightly silly look at a fall tradition.
It’s a low-stress, high-reward read for parents of toddlers. You aren't going to find a deep moral lesson here, but you will find a great opportunity to work on prepositions and vocabulary while your kid points at a very round bird.
This is a bullseye for the 0-3 crowd. Once a kid hits preschool (age 4), the simplicity of the search-and-find format usually starts to lose its steam.
The tone is exceptionally gentle, focusing on the simple friendship between two birds as they engage in a harmless seasonal tradition. No conflict, no snark, just curiosity.
While it follows a standard 'look and find' format, the humor of Duck and Goose looking in absurd places (like up a tree) for a pumpkin sparks a bit of silliness and curiosity in toddlers.
It is a board book about a pumpkin hunt. There is zero risk of inappropriate content, scary imagery, or surprising themes.
Excellent for developing the 'language comprehension' strand of the Reading Rope. It uses clear prepositions (inside, under, in) and builds background knowledge about autumn and nature.
We talk a lot about literacy being more than just 'sounding out words.' This book is a prime example of building the language comprehension strands of the Reading Rope. When you read this to a two-year-old, you aren't teaching them to decode 'pumpkin'; you're teaching them the syntax of a question, the concept of a search, and the vocabulary of the natural world.
If your kid becomes obsessed with these two, there’s an Apple TV+ series that captures the same vibe. However, the book remains the better starting point. The static images allow a toddler to linger on the details of the apple tree or the hollow log at their own pace, which is something a 24-frame-per-second cartoon can't replicate.
Published in 2009, this has stayed on library 'Best of Fall' lists for nearly two decades because it respects the toddler's intelligence. It knows they know where pumpkins don't grow, and it lets them be the experts while the birds play the fools. It’s a classic 'lap book'—short enough to read three times before naptime without the parent losing their mind.
Get a personalized guide on any topic
