board books
Happy Thanksgiving from “Pumpkin Spice”!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! And to celebrate the holiday (while also shamelessly plugging a recent project), here’s a cropped image from the “Thanksgiving dinner” spread in Pumpkin Spice, a children’s book which was written by yours truly and illustrated by the super-talented Monique Dong. Pumpkin Spice is out now from Penguin Random House. (In other words: Plug-Pluggity-Plug!)
Pumpkin Spice is out now from Penguin Random House. It’s available at bookstores everywhere, as well as HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.
Here’s what critics are saying about Pumpkin Spice:
“Dong’s warm, cheerful illustrations enhance the cozy fall vibe…A lightly enjoyable seasonal pick that will find a place in fall displays.”—School Library Journal
“…a fun-filled sensory exploration of the sights, sounds, and especially smells that make fall great.” —LitPop
“This board book will be much-loved by everyone who enjoys pumpkin spiced… well, everything… each autumn.” —Kids R Us
“Rich with sensory detail, Pumpkin Spice makes a great introduction to fall for little bookworms.”—Bookstr
“Teachers who teach in early education classrooms will want to add this delightful board book to their collection of fall picture books.”—HubPages
“This sweet board book explores autumn through the senses…with lush illustrations sure to grab attention.” —Cracking the Cover
And here’s a look at the complete, un-cropped “Thanksgiving Dinner” spread from Pumpkin Spice:
Last but definitely not least, if you’d like to see all of the other books I’ve written for Penguin Random House (even the ones which don’t involve talking gourds), click HERE.
“Pumpkin Spice” Is Featured in “Cracking the Cover,” “Kids Bookshelf,” & “Kiddos Magazine”!
My children’s book Pumpkin Spice has been getting a good amount of media attention lately. Also, it’s almost Halloween and this book features a talking jack-o’-lantern as one of the main characters (as well as a scene that takes place during Halloween), so it seemed like the right time to put up a Pumpkin Spice-related post. Anyway…
Pumpkin Spice is one of the 8 books featured in this Cracking the Cover article by Jessica Harrison called “Celebrate Autumn and Halloween With Books for Babies and Toddlers.” You can read the article HERE.
Here’s what Jessica had to say about Pumpkin Spice:
This sweet board book explores autumn through the senses. Excitement builds around the changing colors and tasty smells and spices. It’s a simple narrative with lush illustrations sure to grab attention.
Pumpkin Spice was also reviewed by Christina Lewis over at Kids Bookshelf. You can read the review HERE.
Here’s what Christina had to say about the book:
Pumpkin Spice is getting ready to paint all the leaves red, orange, and yellow, but when she meets an actual pumpkin she learns that Fall leaves become those colors all on their own. Jack the pumpkin tells her that autumn colors can be found everywhere – where squirrels gather nuts, on a fruit tree, on Halloween, and on yummy foods served at Thanksgiving. A fun board book that focuses on our senses during the fall season.
And last but definitely not least, Pumpkin Spice was featured in an article in Kiddos Magazine called “Book Suggestions to Read this Month.” You can read the article HERE.
Pumpkin Spice was written by yours truly and illustrated by the wonderful Monique Dong. The book is out now from Penguin Random House. It’s available at bookstores everywhere, as well as HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.
Here’s what critics are saying about Pumpkin Spice:
“Dong’s warm, cheerful illustrations enhance the cozy fall vibe…A lightly enjoyable seasonal pick that will find a place in fall displays.”—School Library Journal
“…a fun-filled sensory exploration of the sights, sounds, and especially smells that make fall great.” —LitPop
“Rich with sensory detail, Pumpkin Spice makes a great introduction to fall for little bookworms.”—Bookstr
“Teachers who teach in early education classrooms will want to add this delightful board book to their collection of fall picture books.”—HubPages
“This board book will be much-loved by everyone who enjoys pumpkin spiced… well, everything… each autumn.” —Kids R Us
And to see all of the other books I’ve written for Penguin Random House (even the ones which don’t involve talking gourds), click HERE.
Reminder: Astoria Bookshop Storytime Event on Sunday Sept 21st!
Just a quick reminder: This coming Sunday, September 21st at 11:30am, I’ll be doing a special Sunday Storytime event at Astoria Bookshop. Specifically, I’ll be reading from my new children’s book Pumpkin Spice, which is out now from Penguin Random House.
Here’s the official description of the event from the Astoria Bookshop site:
Special Sunday Story Time: PUMPKIN SPICE with author Arie Kaplan
Sunday Sep 21st, 2025
11:30 AM-12:15 PM
Family Events
Join us every other Sunday for family storytime! On September 21st we welcome a special guest reader, author Arie Kaplan, with his board book Pumpkin Spice.
A delicious celebration of fall that hits all the senses, complete with a recipe for a homemade pumpkin spice blend! Little ones will love cozying up with this board book and learning all about the delights of autumn.
Stroller parking is available at the front of the store and near the register. Our restroom has a changing table. If you have any accessibility requests, please contact us at least 3 days in advance at events@astoriabookshop.com. Click the RSVP button to get an email reminder.
For more info, click HERE.
And Astoria Bookshop’s address is:
36-19 30th Street (just off 36th Avenue)
Astoria, NY
USA 11106
Pumpkin Spice was written by yours truly and illustrated by the wonderful Monique Dong. The book is out now from Penguin Random House. It’s available at bookstores everywhere, as well as HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.
Here’s what critics are saying about Pumpkin Spice:
“Dong’s warm, cheerful illustrations enhance the cozy fall vibe…A lightly enjoyable seasonal pick that will find a place in fall displays.”—School Library Journal
“Rich with sensory detail, Pumpkin Spice makes a great introduction to fall for little bookworms.”—Bookstr
“Teachers who teach in early education classrooms will want to add this delightful board book to their collection of fall picture books.”—HubPages
And to see all of the other books I’ve written for Penguin Random House (which don’t involve pumpkins, or gourds of ANY kind, for that matter), click HERE.
Also, here’s a photo of me, which was taken by Carl Kelsch. I’ve included it here so that you can see what I look like. If you’re at Astoria Bookshop on September 21st and the person reading from Pumpkin Spice looks nothing like this, it’s probably not me. Or it’s my understudy. (I mean, in a perfect world, authors WOULD have understudies, right?)
