Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Millie deals with too many pumpkins in fun seasonal sequel.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
MILLIE FLEUR'S PUMPKIN PROBLEM begins with Millie loving the fall, her favorite season, while "the townsfolk's joy seemed to wither." She decides to bring Garden Glen back to life after the flowers have died by planting pumpkins from seeds she orders from a catalog. She plants one seed from each of nine varieties, then stores the remaining seeds and soil in her garden shed. After she waters her seeds, she goes to put her watering can away and discovers the shed is gone! She follows his tracks to find he's escaped through her front gate on his long, bird-like two legs and walked all over town, accidentally dropping seeds and soil along the way. "Before long, Garden Glen was overrun with pumpkins." Millie comes up with a solution to the town's "pumpkin problem" and creates a giant pumpkin patch that attracts customers from all over to come get pumpkins and treats the townsfolk have made from them, including pies, purees, pickles, cookies, jams, and pumpkin cocoa.
Is It Any Good?
This fun fall story maintains Millie's identity as an outsider—she loves a season when flowers die—who's brimming with positive energy to tackle any situation. Millie Fleur's Pumpkin Problem mixes the realities of growing plants from seeds with the fantasy of a garden shed that can walk on his own and inadvertently cause trouble. Millie's teapot also walks on chicken-like legs, and Millie picnics with a pumpkin-headed walking scarecrow and spooky plant friends with eyeballs and personalities. Millie's can-do, problem-solving instincts are a delight, as are the many-shaped pumpkins piling up and Millie's clipboard-toting frog pal.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the different kinds of pumpkins shown in Millie Fleur's Pumpkin Problem. What size and shape would you look for in a pumpkin patch? A perfectly round orange one? A tall, skinny gourd as white as a ghost?
What do you think of the fantasy element in the story? What would you do if you saw your garden shed get up and walk away?
Millie gets the whole town involved in solving the problem she helped create. Why is teamwork an important character strength?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Christy Mandin
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Friendship
- Character Strengths : Gratitude , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Orchard Books
- Publication date : July 7, 2026
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 24
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : July 9, 2026
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