The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin

App review by Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media
The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 5+

Interactive book with Halloween theme guides young readers.

iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire Books
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Parents say

age 3+

Based on 1 review

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this app.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin is an interactive book with a minor Halloween theme that's safe for young children. It helps beginning readers learn to read by highlighting words as they are read, while those too young to read can watch and listen as the book reads itself.

Community Reviews

OldShowLover
OldShowLover Adult
April 28, 2020
age 3+

Very cute story

The narration here is odd because they're trying to sound spooky, but other than the pumpkin's name and the fact that the events begin on the night before Halloween, it really isn't about that at all. It's about discovering that what makes you different can be special and desirable, which is actually an uplifting and sweet message. The app is great for preschoolers and elementary age alike. You can choose to read it yourself or have it read to you. The storm, and the threats it brings to the pumpkins, might be slightly scary for ages 2-3. This is one of our favorite read-along apps from this company. Accessed via Amazon FreeTime Unlimited.

This title has:

Easy to play/use
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Is It Any Good?

THE LEGEND OF SPOOKLEY THE SQUARE PUMPKIN, a book suitable for kindergartners and preschoolers, is about a cube-shaped pumpkin who is sad it is a different shape than the round pumpkins around him. However, when a storm comes up, he finds his squarish shape is an advantage because it keeps him from rolling around, and he is able to plug a hole in the fence that other pumpkins have been rolling through and then falling over a cliff into the sea. The moral is that its okay and sometimes even advantageous to be different. It's not quite as memorable a tale as other books that have found their way to Apple's devices, but kids should like it.

Like many other book apps for kids, this one can be set to automatically flip pages as a narrator reads the story. Slightly older kids can try to read each page themselves and tap on the text, the words of which light up when read by the narrator, for help when they get stuck. Young ones will appreciate being rewarded with squeaks and sounds of crashing thunder when they touch pictures of bugs and bolts of lightning.

App Details

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