The Hopping Pumpkin or Ho-Hum, That was Fun – (I heard this jump story from another teller, who said he got it form an old basal reader he found in a used book store)—Jane Dorfman

Once upon a time there was an old woman. She looked at her calendar and saw that it was just about Halloween.

“Oh my goodness! Those children will be coming dressed as spooks and goblins. What’ll I do.” Then she saw a big pumpkin still in the garden. She brought it in and cut off the top. Then she scooped out the slimy insides and with her best knife carved a truly scary face on it with scary eyes, a hook nose and a truly wicked grin. Then she found a stub ( show thumb for size) of a candle and took it outside. She put the pumpkin on a wooden post and lit the candle.

The old woman looked at the pumpkin and the pumpkin looked at the old woman and it went WAAAH! (do this as loudly as you can).

“Wo-oo!” went the old woman and she ran off.

“Ho-Hum,” said the pumpkin. “That was fun.” And he went hop, hop, hop on his one wooden leg down the road till he came to a fisherman beside a river. (hop with upraised thumb)

The fisherman looked at the pumpkin and the pumpkin looked at the fisherman and the it went WAAAH!

“Wo-oo!” went the fisherman. He threw his rod one way and he dived into the water and swam to the other side.

“Ho-Hum,” said the pumpkin. “That was fun.” And he went hop, hop, hop on his one wooden leg down the road till he came to a bakery where the baker was just taking a big tray of cookies out of the oven.

The baker looked at the pumpkin and the pumpkin looked at the baker and the it went WAAAH!

“Wo-oo!” went the baker, up went the tray and cookies fell like rain.

“Ho-Hum,” said the pumpkin. “That was fun.” And he went hop, hop, hop on his one wooden leg down the road till he came to a farmer who was trundling a wheelbarrow full of turnips to feed his hungry pig.

The farmer looked at the pumpkin and the pumpkin looked at the farmer and the it went WAAAH!

“Wo-oo!” went the farmer, down went the wheelbarrow and the turnip rolled all over the field.

“Ho-Hum,” said the pumpkin. “That was fun.” And he went hop, hop, hop on his one wooden leg down the road till he came to the farm.

The farmer’s wife was on the porch saying “Where is that man! He only went to get turnips for the poor hungry pig.”

And the pig was in his pen with his little trotters on the top rail. “ Where is that man. I am so hungry!”

The pumpkin went hop, hop, hop on his one wooden leg up to the pig pen.

“WAAH!” said the pumpkin. Was the pig scared? No, what was the pig? The pig was hungry! So he ate the pumpkin, scary eyes, hook nose, wicked grin and all, and he even ate the stub of a candle.

“Ho-hum,” said the pig. “That was fun. And tasty too”