Friendship, comfort, and being yourself
Pumpkin's Cozy Costume
Pumpkin hopes to find the perfect costume for the Halloween parade, but the long cape, tall hat, and loud mask all feel wrong. With help from Bunny, Fox, and Mouse, he creates a cozy leaf hat, shiny buttons, and a tiny moon cape that feels just like him, and he wins a prize for the happiest smile.
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16 pagesPage 1
Pumpkin was a small round pumpkin with a big smile. Tonight was the Halloween parade, and every pumpkin in the patch wanted a costume.
Page 2
"I want the perfect costume," said Pumpkin. "Something that feels just right." He looked at the pile of costumes and did not know where to start.
Page 3
First he tried a long red cape. It dragged behind him and tangled around his little stem. "Too long!" he said.
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Next he tried a tall pointy hat. It tipped over his eyes, so he could not see his friends. "Too tall!" he said.
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Then he tried a big monster mask. It was scratchy and loud, and it hid his smile. "Too loud!" he said.
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Pumpkin sat down on a soft hay bale. "Maybe there is no costume for me," he said quietly.
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His friend Bunny hopped over. "Wait here," she said. "I have an idea." She ran to the costume pile.
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Bunny came back with a small brown leaf. She set it gently on top of Pumpkin's head. "A leaf hat," she said.
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Fox trotted up with three shiny buttons. "These fell off an old coat," he said. "They can be your buttons." He pressed them on.
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Mouse brought a tiny blue scarf. "It is just the right size for a moon cape," she said. She tied it softly around him.
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Pumpkin looked down at himself. Leaf hat, shiny buttons, little moon cape. Nothing was too long, too tall, or too loud.
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"It feels cozy," said Pumpkin. And then he did the biggest thing of all. He smiled his own big smile.
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The friends walked to the parade together. Pumpkin's cape flapped like a little moon behind him.
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At the parade, everyone asked, "Who made your costume?" Pumpkin said, "My friends did, and it feels just like me."
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Pumpkin did not win a prize for the longest cape or the tallest hat. He won a prize for the happiest smile.
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That night Pumpkin learned a cozy secret. The best costume is not the biggest one. It is the one that feels comfortable and makes you smile.