Pumpkinhead [Hardcover]

Eric Rohmann (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Otho was born with a pumpkin for a head. And despite what one might think, he was not seen as a curiosity by his family. So begins this brilliantly droll tale of a very unusual boy. Otho loses his pumpkin head–quite literally–when a bat decides it would make a good home. And despite what one might think, this is not the end for Otho, but the beginning of a great adventure. Is Otho’s story a parable? A cautionary tale? A celebration of the individual? A head trip? That is something each reader (and Otho) will have to decide. . . . .

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-A perfect blend of art and text works together to convey the adventures of a boy born "with a pumpkin for a head." A crafty flying bat plucks up Otho's head and explains in rhyme why he drops it into the sea. After a large fish swallows it, an even larger squid squeezes the fish, with Otho shooting out, "like a cork from a popgun." In excellent pacing, the next page shows the pumpkin-head hero drifting at sea, then scooped up by a fisherman. Young children are sure to enjoy the bouncing rhythm of the fisherman's words as he compares Otho to all the other types of fish he has netted. Besides black and white, Rohmann consistently uses shades of blue and patches of orange throughout. In this artwork, less is truly more. The multiple-color relief prints done on an etching press, with large white space surrounding smaller, movie-still-like pictures, enhance the visual appeal. In Otho's face, Rohmann captures the vulnerable emotions of a lost child, and the wide smiles when returning to a mother's embrace. Gather your little pumpkin heads close to you in the fall as you read them this tale and watch their faces light up with a glowing grin.
James K. Irwin, Poplar Creek Main Library, Steamwood, IL
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 1. Otho was born with a pumpkin for a head. His parents are unfazed by this anomaly as their son "heads" out on the adventure of life. First, a black bat wanting to nest in Otho's head flies off with it. Pumpkins are heavy, however, and the bird drops Pumpkinhead into the sea. Otho floats until a fish swallows him--but a squid squeezes the fish, and Otho pops out like a cork. He's caught by a fisherman and taken to a fish market, where his mother finds him, takes him home, and reunites him with his body, which, luckily for Otho, has been kept in a cool, dry place. The blue, black, and orange relief prints provide heft for the story. The borders and images outlined in thick black lines entice children from page to page while the seriocomic style adds buoyancy. The black cover with a die-cut center square framing Otho's pumpkinhead sets the stage perfectly. The message about individuality will bypass kids, but they'll be intrigued with the quirky, imaginative misadventure. Forget the logic, this story grows on you. Julie Cummins
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (August 12, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375824162
• ISBN-13: 978-0375824166
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.3 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #916,799 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eric Rohmann was born in Riverside, Illinois in 1957. He grew up in Downers Grove, a suburb of Chicago. As a boy, Eric played Little League baseball, read comic books, collected rocks and minerals, insects, leaves, and animal skulls.

Eric has his BS in Art and an MS in Studio Art from Illinois State University, and an MFA in Printmaking/Fine Bookmaking from Arizona State University. He also studied Anthropology and Biology. Eric taught printmaking, painting, and fine bookmaking at Belvoir Terrace in Massachusettes and introductory drawing, fine bookmaking, and printmaking at St. Olaf College in Minnesota.

Eric has created book jackets for a number of novels, including His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman. He won a Caldecott Honor Book award for Time Flies, and a Caldecott Medal award for My Friend Rabbit. Eric has written four children's books: My Friend Rabbit, The Cinder-Eyed Cats, Pumpkinhead, and A Kitten's Tale. He recently illustrated Lois Lowry's Bless This Mouse and an old Scottish poem, Last Song. Look for Bone Dog out in the latter part of 2011.

Eric currently resides in a suburb of Chicago.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pumpkinhead rules!, December 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Pumpkinhead (Hardcover)

I love this book. I love the friendly size of it, the bold illustrations, the generous white space, and most of all, the daring story, which has a nicely twisted sensibility but a warm, embracing heart all the same. It's the tale of a boy who has the misfortune of being born with a pumpkin for a head. His parents accept this odd development without fuss or concern, as does their son Otho, who journeys through life with gratifying good humor and a notable lack of self-consciousness or self-pity. When a hungry bat swoops down and makes off with his head, Otho endures some nerve-wracking escapades. He ends up in the net of a puzzled fisherman and then on sale with other exotic fish in an outdoor market, where his mother joyfully catches sight of him. As Rohmann puts it, "And then, after some spirited dickering, she bought Otho's head and a half-pound of mackerel." To me, this line perfectly captures the story's charm: its strange but wonderful humor, its brisk, no-nonsense approach to troubling situations, and its lovely confidence that everything will turn out fine... not perfect, mind you, but fine, even for a boy with a pumpkin for a head.

1.0 out of 5 stars Did not like., January 6, 2012

By 

Randie (Iowa, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pumpkinhead (Hardcover)

My five-year-old's impression of the book: "That was odd and a little scary."

I have to agree with the odd part, but I did not find it scary, maybe a tad bit creepy but not scary

5.0 out of 5 stars HIlarious, February 27, 2010

By 

Cassaundra Grace "Gusgus" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pumpkinhead (Hardcover)

I love this book!! Its one of my favorites! I love the woodcut style of the book and I think the story is hilarious. I highly recommend it!