With countless unwelcome pumpkins to deal with, Rebecca Estelle turns disaster into a celebration.
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Rebecca Estelle hates pumpkins. "What's not to like?" you may be thinking. Certainly, pumpkins are benign, as far as gourds go, and they make for delicious pies. But if you were forced to eat only pumpkins (baked, steamed, boiled, stewed, mashed, and rotten), you might agree with Rebecca, who was so poor as a child that she could only afford to eat the unrelentingly orange squash.
One day, years and years later, white-haired Rebecca was busy not eating pumpkins when--SPLAT--a giant pumpkin fell off an overloaded truck and smashed into her yard. She buried the mess so she wouldn't have to look at it, and, as you might imagine, she witnessed a bumper crop the following fall. In Too Many Pumpkins, a 1996 American Bookseller "Pick of the Lists," Linda White (who based the book on her own pumpkin-eating aunt Becky) reveals how swallowing one's personal (pumpkin) prejudices can end up benefiting a whole community. Illustrator Megan Lloyd creates spunky, detail-rich drawings that are sure to hold up to the scrutiny of youngsters everywhere. This is an ideal Halloween-time book for those who want to bypass ghouls and goblins (or any actual mention of Halloween) and focus on ... pumpkins! (Ages 4 to 8) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3-Golden autumn hues cast their warm glow throughout this humorous harvest tale. Rebecca Estelle, having survived on various pumpkin dishes during her poor childhood, hates them so much that when a pumpkin accidentally falls into her yard, she shovels dirt over it so she won't have to see or think about it again. In spite of all her efforts to the contrary, she is "rewarded" with a yard full of bright orange globes the following fall. Not willing to let the windfall go to waste, she once again prepares the dishes she detested as a child, carves jack-o-lanterns from the remaining pile, and then thoroughly enjoys the fellowship of her neighbors lured by the glow of the mischievous carvings. And, of course, Rebecca Estelle saves seeds for next year's planting. Lloyd snuggles White's text into her rich watercolor-and-pen illustrations. Nature's determined bounty spills from formal borders and is tinged with just the right touch of realism to contrast with the cartoonlike Rebecca Estelle and her feline companion. The vocabulary and sentence structure calls for solid independent readers, but the large horizontal format packed with engaging fun makes this title an ideal harvest/Halloween read-aloud.
Claudia Cooper, Ft. Stockton Independent School District, TX
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Claudia Cooper, Ft. Stockton Independent School District, TX
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Linda White shows a side of life that people do not often see nowadays--the optimistic approach to life. What do you do when your childhood experiences have led you to, quite frankly, hate pumpkins, and through an odd twist of circumstances you end up with a houseful of them?! Make the best of it! Too Many Pumpkins is a wonderful (and educational--watch the seeds grow!) Autumn/Halloween book without the spooks and goblins that aren't always suitable for a bedtime story. This is a delightful read with beautiful illustrations that your children will love, and you won't mind reading it "just one more time." Go ahead--read it with your little Pumpkin...and then bake a pumpkin pie together.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By Terrie
Format:Paperback
Rebecca Estelle has a problem on her hands. Rebecca Estelle is a white-haired woman who lives with her calico cat Esmeralda. She hates pumpkins because when she was a youngster her family was poor and ALL they had to eat was pumpkins. She doesn't even like to think about them. One day a truck loaded with pumpkins loses a pumpkin that smashes in Rebecca Estelle's yard and sends seeds flying every which way. When plants spring up she refuses to tend to them and just ignores them all summer long. She won't even go over near the space where the pumpkin smashed. In autumn, much to her surprise there is a huge pumpkin patch just filled with beautiful big orange pumpkins. At first she is horrified. There is a SEA of pumpkins! She uses her clever ingeniuity and her practical good sense to figure out a wonderful way to not only use up the pumpkins, but to attract many people to help her share the pumpkins. She ends up with a delightful party atmosphere, sharing a happy Halloween and she patches up her differences with pumpkins. The illustrations are utterly charming, brightly colored and filled with warm and homey country scenes. The feeling of autumn's hazy nostalgia and the wonderful aromas of harvest baking almost leap up out of the pages. Parents will enjoy reading this one every year at Halloween and the kids will love it for years to come.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
With a captivating and amusing storyline and brilliant illustrations, "Too Many Pumpkins" is a family favorite. It will delight the youngest reader and Mom and Dad will enjoy reading it over and over! It is a wonderful introduction to the world of gardening and the Halloween season while avoiding many of the things young children may find frightening about that holiday. Truly a treasure!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Remembered
A co-worker purchased this book perhaps 8-10 years ago. I loved the story from the first time I read it. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Teresa Wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great for Teachers
This book is great for harvest time. I use it in my pre-k classroom and the children love it, it is a great read!
Published 5 months ago by Jessica
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a great read aloud book in classrooms.
I've used this book in my classroom for the past 10 years. The kids love hearing it, there are great literature extension activities that go along with it, and the illustrations... Read more
Published 6 months ago by SmartShopper
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, Festive Book--Great for all ages
I bought this story for my Kindergarten classroom as a read aloud for our pumpkin unit each year. Although the book is filled with some higher level vocabulary words, the bright,... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Laura
5.0 out of 5 stars
Too Many Pumpkins
This book has been a favorite of my two granddaughters for many years. The story is full of emotion and a true sense of giving to others. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Maureen E Baird
5.0 out of 5 stars
Too Much Fun!
We love this book in our family. We've had it since before my son was born (he's now 5). My daughter is 8, and every fall we take this one out and read in dozens of times. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Julie Hedlund
5.0 out of 5 stars
Favorite fall autumn book ever!
We have been reading this book in the fall since my children were quite young-ages 3 and 5 then! I have never found a better story about cause/effect. Read more
Published 20 months ago by A. Methvin
3.0 out of 5 stars
Would be a great story - but verbiage is too strong
I just obtained this book for our 33 month old avid book lover. We look for books that have a good story with nice illustrations and this one seemed to fit the bill. Read more
Published on March 3, 2011 by E's Mom
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book
I like this book.
Too many kids' books are badly written, or use cutsy childish language that does nothing to help a child learn. This book is well written and fun. Read more
Too many kids' books are badly written, or use cutsy childish language that does nothing to help a child learn. This book is well written and fun. Read more
Published on October 20, 2010 by K. Hemstreet
5.0 out of 5 stars
Too Many is good
This is a funny and instructive book that is fun to read both as an adult and to read to children. Megan Lloyd does an excellent job in creating the picture graphics. Read more
Published on September 28, 2010 by Joe Bowden
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