Big Pumpkin [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Erica Silverman (Author), John McDonough (Narrator)

Book Description

Once there was a witch who longed for pumpkin pie. Unfortunately, the pumpkin she had grown from a seed became so big she simply couldn't get it off the vine. Although "she pulled and she tugged and she pulled...that pumpkin just sat."

Along came a ghost. "I am bigger than you and stronger, too," said he. "Let me try."

Well, the witch wanted that whole pumpkin for herself. But she needed help -- Halloween was just hours away...

With the rhythm and repetition that children love, Erica Silverman tells a rollicking story about a witch who, through her encounter with a ghost and other spooky creatures, discovers both the value of cooperating and the joy of sharing. S.D. Schindler brings this captivating crew to life in spirited paintings that are as warm as they are funny.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A rhythmic text and a vibrant palette combine in a Halloween tale noteworthy for its finely tuned balance of drama and comedy. A green-faced witch, with pickle-shaped nose and chin, decides to mark the holiday by baking a pumpkin pie. But the pumpkin she's planted is stuck on the vine. A gallery of graveyard ghouls comes to her aid--first a translucent white ghost, then a smartly dressed vampire, a tightly bound mummy and, finally, a bat with a bright idea. Their breezy conversations create a pleasantly sinister mood that stops just short of being scary. Accordingly, in Schindler's hands the cast looks not so much spooky as spirited. The eye-catching full-spread illustrations, in rich hues of orange and blue, capture the midnight magic, while dropped-out type adds an extra dash of mystery. A fine combination of fright and fun. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-- A rollicking, amusing Halloween tale. Based on the Russian folktale ``The Turnip,'' it's the cumulative tale of a witch who plants a pumpkin seed in anticipation of a Halloween pie. When the pumpkin grows too large, however, she finds she needs the help of some fitting wanderers: ghost, vampire, mummy, and a little bat. Some nice lessons are learned: the need for help from others, the joy of sharing, and that everyone--no matter what size-- has something to offer. The text is rhythmic and repetitive, making it a surefire success for story hours or read-alouds. Schindler's richly colored illustrations lend humor and give a lively feeling to the characters and plot, helping to make the story nonthreatening for the youngest of readers. The book starts with a large border, and the pictures and the pumpkin grow as large as the page. Rousing good fun for the Halloween season and far beyond. --Elizabeth Hanson, Chicago Pub . Lib .
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Recorded Books; Unabridged edition (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0788725238
• ISBN-13: 978-0788725234
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,187,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Big Pumpkin! Big Fun!, August 21, 2002

By 

Terrie (Little Chute, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Pumpkin (Paperback)

This is a funny, charming Halloween story that introduces some of the traditional frightening monsters of Halloween like a green-faced witch, vampire, ghost, bat, and a mummy but in a non-scary fun-filled way. A delightful old witch plants a seed and grows a huge pumpkin because she has plans for making pumpkin pie. The pumpkin gets so big that she can't get it off the vine and down to her house to make it into a pie. As she struggles, successive passers-by stop to help because they also want some yummy pie. The witch, vampire, ghost and mummy all try using brawn and fail but a clever little bat saves the day with his idea rather than his strength. All the characters are drawn with such a light-hearted and comical approach that there is no scare to them at all, only a funny sense of helpfulness to reach that big goal, a pumpkin pie! You haven't seen a vampire until you've seen one enjoying a bite of pumpkin pie with those incisors and smiling at the same time! Big fun.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teacher's Favorite, October 4, 2002

By 

Annette Huff (West Jordan, Utah USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Pumpkin (Paperback)

Of all the Halloween books I have in my Halloween box at school, this is the one my students love the best. Since I began using it 4 years ago, my classes(K-2)have usually had it memorized and could say the verses outloud with me as I read. The pictures are incredible. The story is darling. If you happen to come across the book on tape, grab it up quick. The producers put the words to delightful music, and voices that make the book come to life.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to "scary" figures, September 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Big Pumpkin (Hardcover)

I read this book to my daughter last October when she was just a little over two. She's just turned three and we're using it as our pre-Halloween reading again. What I like best about the book is that the characters, a witch, ghost, vampire, mummy and bat, aren't at all scary. They all have the same sole interest, eating pumpkin pie. There's no witchcraft, no haunting, no nasty mischief. They're basically silly characters, offering parents a good way to introduce young children to them in a way that might later neutralize potentially scarier meetings. This book will not give my three year old nightmares - she may, however dream of pumpkin pie.