fiction
“Pumpkin Spice” Featured in “LitPOP” Article!
My children’s book Pumpkin Spice is one of the 10 books featured in a LitPOP article by Cara Broel called “10 New Children’s Books That Perfectly Capture the Fall Spirit.” You can read the article HERE.
Here’s what Cara had to say about Pumpkin Spice:
Little Pumpkin Spice, in her pumpkin costume, is fully prepared to start painting the leaves—that’s how they change into fall colors, right? Thankfully, a talking pumpkin named Jack is there to set her straight, and the two embark on a fun-filled sensory exploration of the sights, sounds, and especially smells that make fall great. Bonus: This one includes a pumpkin spice blend recipe kids can make at home!
You may already know this next part, but just in case you don’t: 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
“This board book will be much-loved by everyone who enjoys pumpkin spiced…well, everything…each autumn.” —Kids R Us
Basically, if there was a Pulitzer Prize for “Most Cozy Book,” Pumpkin Spice would win it. (I think.)
And to see all of the other books I’ve written for Penguin Random House (even the ones which don’t involve pumpkins, spice, or any combination thereof), 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?)
Astoria Bookshop Storytime Event on Sept 21st!
Attention, people of Earth! Er…I mean, people of Queens! Well, actually, people of Astoria, Queens, specifically! On Sunday, September 21st at 11:30am, I’ll be doing a special Sunday Storytime event at Astoria Bookshop. During the event, 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.
Astoria Bookshop’s address is:
36-19 30th Street
Astoria, NY
USA 11106
Pumpkin Spice was written by yours truly and illustrated by the wonderful Monique Dong. The book is available at bookstores everywhere, as well as HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.
And to see all of the other books I’ve written for Penguin Random House (which don’t involve pumpkins, spice, or any combination thereof), click HERE.
Since there’s a while between now and the Storytime event, here’s my headshot (photo by Carl Kelsch), 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, either it’s not me, or I’ve had pretty drastic plastic surgery.