January 23 – National Pie Day

Happy Pie Day!

The Perfect Pumpkin Pie written and illustrated by Denys Cazet (2005)

Old Man Wilkerson was a crotchety character with only one good eye, but he did love  pie. He declared that if there was no pie after he died, he refused to go anywhere! One Halloween, his wife brought him the perfect pie. Just as he was about to take his first bite… he died. Mrs. Wilkerson buried him in the pumpkin patch and moved away. Jack and his grandma moved into the Old Wilkerson house. The next Halloween, Old Man Wilkerson came back to his house as a ghost when he smelled the pumpkin pie Jack’s grandma had made. Grandma offered him a piece of pie, but he refused. He only wanted a perfect pie. He left with instructions to make a perfect pie the next day. But the next day, he wasn’t any happier. This pie needed more cinnamon. The third pie was perfect and so Old Man Wilkerson’s ghost ate the pie and disappeared. The following Halloween, grandma decided she’d had enough of ghosts in her kitchen so she made an apple pie instead. Old Man Wilkerson’s ghost came back… Jack and Grandma just put out an extra plate.

Pie in the Sky written and illustrated by Lois Ehlert (2004)

Dad says this is a pie tree. The child watches the tree for three seasons. He sees birds, insects, and flowers, but he doesn’t see any pie. Finally in the summer he sees cherries growing on the tree, but no pie. The birds and insects seem to like the cherries. Even the raccoon comes to eat some of the cherries. Finally, Dad says it’s time to pick the cherries for a pie. The pick, and wash, and pit, the cherries. They add juice, flour, sugar, and cinnamon to the cherries. Then they make the pie crust and pour in the filling. They bake and wait. Dad cuts the slices… Wow! That’s the best pie ever!

Tiny Tilda’s Pumpkin Pie written by Susan Kantor and illustrated by Rick Brown (2002)

Tiny Tilda has three sisters Hilda, Gilda, and Wilda who never helped around the house. All of the housekeeping was left up to Tilda. Like THE LITTLE RED HEN, Tilda got no help in the garden planting her seed, watering the sprout, harvesting the pumpkin, or making the pie. Then when the smell of the wonderful pie reached her sister’s noses, they all looked out the window to see Tilda sharing the pie with her neighbors instead of them. Farmer Brown was so delighted with Tilda’s pie, that he offered to grow all the pumpkins if she would make the pies. And that’s how Tilda gave up housekeeping for her sisters and opened up her own bakery.

The Apple Pie Tree written by Zoe Hall and illustrated by Shari Halpern (1996)

A little girl tells the story of the apple tree in her backyard. She explains how it looks in each season and tells about a robin family that lives in the tree. At the end of autumn, she and her little sister pick a basket of apples and bake them in a pie. She says the best apple pie is one you grow yourself.