PLUMPLY, DUMPLY PUMPKIN

Appealing wordplay and autumnal colors lend warmth to this tiger tale. Peter, an orange cub with an upturned grin, wouldn't pick just any pumpkin: "Not a stumpy, grumpy pumpkin,/ but a sunny, sumptuous pumpkin." He chooses a bounteous specimen, carves it and wins a contest, for "Perfect pumpkins really do/ make perfect jack-o-lanterns, too." Serfozo's (Who Said Red?) stumbly, bubbly tongue-twisters complement Petrone's (Ducks in the Muck) adroit digital illustrations, which mimic paint swooshes of violet, harvest gold and orange. Peter is a charmer. Ages 3-6. (Sept.)