Pumpkin is a small, scruffy dog who lived with a woman and her two kids. Then they moved in with Nina’s new partner, Libby, and her two kids. Life is now louder and messier, and Pumpkin isn’t sure what to think about it. In a series of diary entries, told in a hybrid graphic-and-text style reminiscent of the bestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Pumpkin relates the ups and downs of adjusting to his now-blended family.
At first, Pumpkin is upset by the changes to his daily routine, but gradually starts to settle in. And while some people say “That’s different,” when they learn he has two mums, “to me, it’s just normal,” he relates. They love him and each other, he says, making one family with lots of love.
Pumpkin’s even getting used to all of the kids, and they’re getting used to him, engaging with him rather than simply intruding on his space. We also sense that the kids are getting used to each other; there are fewer arguments and less shouting. In the end, Pumpkin knows that they’re a family, and he’s an important part of it.
Pumpkin’s dry observations (“This house has too many feet”) add humor to this lighthearted tale of everyday life and family change. Backmatter includes room for readers to draw and/or write about their own families.
A few terms (“mum”; “bins” [trash cans]; “custard cream”) reveal the book’s British origins, but should be easily understood from context by readers elsewhere. (Adults may also wish to know that there’s one scene involving a child’s unseen but smelly poop; young readers will likely get a laugh, but anyone with an objection to potty humor may grimace.)
The book is part of The Blended Diaries, a set of titles that follow the same blended family from different perspectives and are aimed at different ages of readers, including teens and adults.
The family is White.
