The Pumpkin That Smiled Back - the cover, with your child as the heroOtis and the Smiling Pumpkin
Celebrations

The Pumpkin That Smiled Back

Free preview - see your child before you pay
Ages 0-2Ages 2-4Ages 4-6Ages 6-8Halloween
from $14.90free preview first

Your child carves a friendly face into the roundest pumpkin on the porch - and the pumpkin, being polite, smiles back.

Formats and prices for The Pumpkin That Smiled Back
FormatPriceWhat you get
Digital$14.90Read tonight, any device
Softcover$38.90Printed keepsake
Hardcover$42.90Premium keepsake

Free preview, no card required - see your child as the hero before you pay.

Secure checkout by Stripe. 2,450+ families in 7 countries.

  • Truly their faceBuilt from one photo, recognizable across all 12 chapters.
  • 12 illustrated chaptersA real story arc, warm hyper-realistic art.
  • Ready in minutesPreview free tonight - pay only if you love it.
A peek inside

How the adventure unfolds

These are just sample lines. Your book is written fresh for your child - their name woven through every page, with the words, sentence length and tone tuned to their age, and shaped by the story, interests and details you choose.

The roundest pumpkin on a porch, being sized up by somebody roughly the same shape.
Chapter One

The Roundest One

Your child picked the roundest pumpkin on the whole porch, the one that looked like it wanted a face.

The roundest pumpkin on a porch, being sized up by somebody roughly the same shape.

A carved face, freshly lit, doing something with its mouth that carving cannot explain.
Chapter Two

It Smiles Back

The last curve of the grin was barely finished when the pumpkin lit up and smiled right back at your child.

A carved face, freshly lit, doing something with its mouth that carving cannot explain.

Two of them side by side on the step, both smiling, both facing the same way out.
Chapter Three

Two on the Step

They sat together on the step all evening, one glowing and one grinning, watching the leaves go by.

Two of them side by side on the step, both smiling, both facing the same way out.

These three sample the opening, middle and ending of a 12-chapter book. All twelve are drawn with your child in them when the book is made: the cover and chapter one free in your preview, the remaining eleven once you order.

Is this the one?

Who the Pumpkin That Smiled Back is for

The Pumpkin That Smiled Back is the gentlest Halloween book here. The scary part is a carved face that turns out to be polite, and the whole story happens on a doorstep. It suits a young child who likes the pumpkins and is not sure about the rest of the night.

Nought to eight, best from two to five. The joke is that the pumpkin has manners, which is funny to a four-year-old and thin to an eight-year-old. Keep the reading level low and it works as a bedtime story through most of October rather than only on the night itself.

For Dor, who chose the pumpkin by hugging several and picking the best fit.
Every book opens on a dedication page. You write your own - this is one that suits this story.
Reviews

What families say

No reviews yet - be the first after you order this story.

Ordered this story? Sign in to leave a review.

Keep exploring

Stories they'll love next

The Friendly Little Monster

The Friendly Little Monster

On Halloween night, your child dresses up brave and bold and befriends the sweetest little monster of all.

Picked for the same night, out on the street instead of the porch.

View story

Common questions

What age is The Pumpkin That Smiled Back for?

The Pumpkin That Smiled Back is written for ages 0-8. The story is generated at the reading level you pick during setup, so the same book works at the younger or older end of that range.

How is The Pumpkin That Smiled Back personalized?

You upload one photo of your child. That photo becomes the illustrated hero - same face shape, hair and skin tone - and stays recognizable across all 12 chapters. Their name, age and a dedication are woven in too.

How long is the book, and what formats are there?

Twelve illustrated chapters, one full-page illustration per chapter. Digital is $14.90, softcover $38.90 and hardcover $42.90 plus shipping; the hardcover is a 8x8 inch matt-laminated keepsake.

Can I see it before I pay?

Yes. The cover and the whole first chapter - artwork included - are generated free. You only pay if you want the remaining eleven chapters.

Will it actually look like them?

  • Reference portrait: Deep brown skin, tightly coiled hair, age 5The illustrated character kept from it: Deep brown skin, tightly coiled hairDeep brown skin, tightly coiled hair
  • Reference portrait: Fine, fair, barely-there hair, age 1The illustrated character kept from it: Fine, fair, barely-there hairFine, fair, barely-there hair
  • Reference portrait: Straight black hair with a fringe, age 7The illustrated character kept from it: Straight black hair with a fringeStraight black hair with a fringe
  • Reference portrait: Curly ginger hair and freckles, age 4The illustrated character kept from it: Curly ginger hair and frecklesCurly ginger hair and freckles
  • Reference portrait: Round glasses, age 6The illustrated character kept from it: Round glassesRound glasses
  • Reference portrait: Long braids with beads, age 8The illustrated character kept from it: Long braids with beadsLong braids with beads
  • Reference portrait: A visible hearing aid, age 5The illustrated character kept from it: A visible hearing aidA visible hearing aid
  • Reference portrait: A baby with no hair, 6 monthsThe illustrated character kept from it: A baby with no hairA baby with no hair

Skin tone, hair texture and freckles all carried through - including the cases most generators get wrong. See it up close

See inside a finished bookWhat happens to the photoHow we compare

Last updated:

Make the Pumpkin That Smiled Back truly theirs

Upload one photo and see your child star in this story - free to preview.

Free preview - no card needed