Pick Me! Pick Me! The Story of the Magic Pumpkin

Available in hardcover and paperback

Pick Me! Pick Me! The Story of the Magic Pumpkin is an enchanting tale that forever transforms the experience of pumpkin picking into a new family tradition. Using their Magic Pumpkin Charm, children find their Magic Pumpkin and bring it to life to share the wonder of its single most important day: Halloween!

Only books sold through this website come with a pewter Magic Pumpkin Charm. Although children love the story, they especially love the Magic Pumpkin Charms because they really work… just ask any child that’s ever used one! (They sometimes work for adults, too, if they believe in magic.) Children will swear they hear a pumpkin calling, “Pick me! Pick me!” and for parents, it’s a truly endearing experience. Make sure you have your cell phone ready because you’ll want to capture a video of that magical moment. It’s adorable to watch, and pumpkin picking will never be the same! 

It’s both a pocket charm and a pendant. To use its magic, just hold it tight as you walk past the pumpkins, and you’ll eventually hear one say, “Pick me! Pick me!” It works in pumpkin patches, at farm stands, and even in grocery stores. 

Buy on

Buy an autographed copy here, which includes a pewter Magic Pumpkin Charm!

Buy Autographed Copies

Magic Pumpkin Charms

Pick Me! Pick Me! The Story of the Magic Pumpkin includes a Magic Pumpkin Charm to help children find the pumpkin that’s meant for them. It’s 100% lead free pewter, made in the USA, and it comes in an orange drawstring pouch. (Charms do not come with purchases on Amazon.)

What People Are Saying:

“This story is a new classic! I am over the top in love with it, and as a former early childhood educator and new grandmother it flies to my top shelf of favorites calling out, “Pick Me! Pick Me!” for a delightful story of magic and love for life!”

Nancy Scarzello – Amazon customer READ MORE REVIEWS! 

“This book should be read to every child before going to pick a pumpkin so the child can listen for their own magic pumpkin. It doesn’t matter if it’s at a pumpkin patch, the grocery store or a roadside stand, the right pumpkin will be calling, ‘Pick me! Pick me!’. I love this book, and the illustrations are marvelously colorful and cute.”

R. Genewiger – Amazon customer READ MORE REVIEWS! 

“This story is absolutely adorable and the illustrations are timeless classics… it’s the next Goodnight Moon or Night Before Christmas!

Lisa M. – Amazon customer READ MORE REVIEWS! 

Enjoy some storytime!

How The New Halloween Classic Began

The end of the night

Pick Me! Pick Me! The Story of the Magic Pumpkin is an enchanting tale that captures the imagination of children. It transforms Halloween into a magical time as children bring a pumpkin to life to share the magic of its single most important day. All who read this story are forever drawn into a wonderful new family tradition.

The story began as a poem, but it’s also a song. It was inspired by watching children pick pumpkins at Mack’s Apples, the pick-your-own farm that I live near. It always put a smile on my face to hear their imaginations run wild as they combed through the fields, looking for the perfect pumpkin.

Some children would choose one with a perfect shape, and for others the perfect pumpkin was one that was a bit odd looking – as if they felt it needed them. But all of them just couldn’t wait to get home and bring their pumpkin to life by carving a happy face into it.

Here’s a little interesting background info… this is the second version of the story! The original version of the story was called The Magic Pumpkin and it was very different, but it was forever lost. It was about how all the pumpkins in the patch came to life at night and the fun rituals they created to celebrate Halloween. I spent months looking for the pages I had scribbled on… searching high and low, in every drawer, in every coat pocket, under couches, in cars, under my bed, and everywhere else I could think of, and it was nowhere to be found. Finally, my wife, Sue, suggested that maybe what I was writing just wasn’t meant to be and that I should start over. So I did, and this is the result. 

In addition to being a story book, Pick Me! Pick Me! The Story of the Magic Pumpkin is also one of seven original Halloween songs that we sing. If you’re ever in our neighborhood for Halloween you can stop by and hear us perform them all.

Every Halloween we decorate a small patch of wooded area in front of our house, where for the last ten years we’ve performed for the trick-or-treaters who come to visit. I think we get as much out of the experience – if not more – than the children do! I hope you enjoy hearing the story as much as I enjoy telling it. 

Sincerely,

Dave Bastien

If you’re a retail store or a pick-your-own-pumpkin farm interested in buying books and/or the custom designed Magic Pumpkin Charms for re-sale, please contact us for wholesale quantity pricing. You can also use the books for fundraising if you’re with a nonprofit organization or a school.