Pumpkins [Hardcover]

Ken Robbins (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

From late summer to Thanksgiving, pumpkins are everywhere, a symbol of fall and a reminder of the holidays to come. In this handsome book, Ken Robbins--widely known for his sumptuous photo-essays on subjects ranging from trucks to tools to autumn leaves--portrays the pumpkin from seed, to sprout, to flower, to fully fledged fruit, and back again. Instructions are given to (safely) carve a jack-o'-lantern. As always in a book by Ken Robbins, a simple--but never simplisitc--text is accompanied by luscious photographs.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2–With color photos that equal any painting for artistry of composition and sensitivity, Robbins has created a book that is certain to become an autumn favorite. Without naming the season, it launches into a description of autumn as …that time of year when…, clearly and poetically evoking the crisp, cooler days with the leaves …splashing their color on the ground…. The author documents the life cycle of the pumpkin with close-up, naturalistic photos and clear, simple text. He discusses the wide variety of pumpkin colors and sizes, from the palm-sized types to those weighing more than 1000 pounds. Basic instructions are included for carving a jack-o-lantern, with adult help suggested. The next year's crop, ensured by the pumpkins and their seeds left to rot in the field, is the focus of the last spread. Will Hubbell's Pumpkin Jack (Albert Whitman, 2000) covers similar ground, but is told as a story, and has colored-pencil illustrations. Reading both books makes a great lesson in comparing and contrasting, as well as in botany and in the joys of the season.–Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, Waterford, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

From the irresistible, eye-grabbing front cover, a photographs of a wagon filled with pumpkins, to a close-up shot of a pumpkin stem on the back cover, Robbins' salute to this squash glimmers as brightly as a jack-o'-lantern. His spectacular color photographs juxtapose scenes framed in white borders with full-bleed close-ups. The left side of one spread, for example, shows a hand holding seeds, while the right pictures a farmer planting them. Using artfully contrasting proportions and dramatic page compositions studded with vivid orange color, Robbins creates a visual narrative of a pumpkin's life cycle--from seed to sprout to flower to fruit to holiday symbol. Instructions for making a jack-o'-lantern are included. Showing pumpkins from tiny to gigantic (one weighing more than1,000 pounds), this record of a favorite American vegetable wins a blue ribbon. Julie Cummins
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press; First Edition edition (August 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596431849
• ISBN-13: 978-1596431843
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 11.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,283,286 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pumpkins is especially fun, November 5, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pumpkins (Hardcover)

Written by Ken Robbins, Pumpkins is a picturebook celebration of the edible plant that is cherished as a Halloween symbol. Full-color photography offers a tour of the life of a pumpkin plant, from seeding to flower to fruit and harvest, and finally being carved into a scary jack-o-lantern. The perfect seasonal read-aloud book for Halloween, Pumpkins is especially fun to page through for young pumpkin lovers eagerly looking forward to the holiday season.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Photos, November 17, 2007

By 

Book Lover ""Betsy"" (Iowa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pumpkins (Paperback)

I bought this book with some others that I needed, but without being able to page through it. I was hoping for a book with few words but great photos that show the different aspects of pumpkins and growing to share with my preschool special education classroom before our visit to the pumpkin farm. What a happy surprise to find out it was Perfect! It contained some photos of planting that I had no pictures of yet. Plus the written text accentuated the photos. It was short enough that I didn't have to "paraphrase" to my class. Excellent choice!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Your child will like this book, October 30, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pumpkins (Hardcover)

Pumpkins is a beautifully done book for children, ages 4 - 8. It details through photography a pumpkin from the beginning to the final carved product.

It shows and tells how the farmer plants the seeds, what the new plants look like, how pumpkins form and what they look like and even the many colors, shapes and sizes they come in.

I was really impressed by this beautiful book. The only thing that really bothered me is that there were photography of trick-or-treaters dressed in some really scary costumes-considering the age it is geared to.

If you celebrate Halloween, then you will not want to miss Pumpkins. It will be a wonderful treat for your favorite child.

Armchair Interviews: Special look at a pumpkin as it becomes a jack-o-lantern.