Pumpkin Books

If you have gotten bitten by the bug, or know someone that has, this would make a *great* gift. It's a little more autobiographical to a first time small town grower than a lot will want to admit, but. Buy it for them AFTER they have gone through their first season! It made me smile and chuckle a few places (maybe with a bit of embarrassment) and was well worth the read! (yes, holiday gift, just make sure they don't have it already... heh)

If you have grown Atlantic Giants you can find yourself in this book, and if you haven't you may never want too. But Dr. Jack has this laughter thing down. I could not stop laughing out loud. This is a must read book because you will never forgive yourself for not reading it

Denis

One of the funniest books I've read in many years!You won't be able to put it down once you start reading. Jack's other book, "Surgeon Fishin'", is as hilarious as this one! I am having laughter withdrawals till the next book!

I started laughing half way through the first page of Pumpkins are Orange and I didn't stop until the very last page. My kids would peek in my bedroom to see what I was laughing about and then shake their heads and walk away convinced mom had lost it. This book is so full of refreshing original humor. I have never known anyone with ideas like this one. I found myself incredulous at some of his schemes, and soon found myself talking to the book. The characters are so real that you feel like they are friends and neighbors. Jack draws you into his little world and you are enchanted. The book races along and you can't put it down because you just have to know what is going to happen next. My deepest sympathies to his wife who obviously loves him dearly, but has to endure the consequences of his overactive imagination and zeal. It is a truly delightful book and I can't wait to read another book by Jack Breckenridge. He is definately one of a kind. and you can't help but love him.

Joan read the book first and laughed out loud at every page. She saw it from the "other-half's view". A "must" for anyone who has ever tried to grow these orange monsters (or anyone who is thinking of trying). One has to be able to laugh at ones self when into this sport! Gus Saunders >

Although we know that armies march on their bellies and that the search for food has played a crucial role in building societies, the writing of history has often neglected this important subject. Only recently has food history taken its place alongside more conventional approaches to history-writing. This book is a fine example of the new interest in food history.

What impressed me as I read it was how little I had known before, and how much I was learning about what New Englanders ate throughout the region's history. We've all heard about Boston baked beans and Indian pudding, but I didn't know about the gingerbread that colonial militamen nibbled on muster days. Nor did I know that bear was considered even better eating than venison by the Massachusetts Bay colonists. One nineteenth-century writer asserted that cod fish was to New England what roast beef was to England. What struck me most, however, was how the authors discuss the colonial revival of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and how that period shaped our ideas of "historic" New England. What we think of as New England's historic foods--the "first" Thanksgiving meal, those Boston baked beans--were partly based in fact but were mostly the invention of the colonial revivial.

The ways that people use their traditional foods to represent their culture are described in fascinating detail in America's Founding Food. There's a wealth of detail here, but also a great story about what food meant, from the settlement of New England to the revival of the region as a destination for those interested in America's roots. This is a substantial, thoughtful book.

This is a fascinating story that uses food to debunk many of the myths about New England that we learned in school. Here you will find the real story behind the English reliance on Indian corn, the origins of chowder, and the ways dishes such as baked beans were used to promote one social group over others. This is history at its best--fun, factual, thoughtful, coherent, and readable.

Yes, a scholarly book, with illustrations. Yawn. If you seek anything more than research and the occasional black and white illustration, look elsewhere. I'm sure the authors are being "celebrated" within their communities, but the hype is just that; hype. The cover of the book is the only colorful, exciting thing about it.

Not that I was expecting a cookbook, but it does not appeal to a wide range of people, and that is a flaw. The authors therefore come across as if they must be glad to be part of such an "elite" group of people who "get it," while the rest of us are simply ignorant.

Also, this is definitely not for the foodies.

My New England bookshelf groans under the weight of historical studies focusing on the politics, theology, intellectual life, industry, and notable people of the region. These are all worthy if well-worn subjects. Then there's the New England tourism industry, selling "ye olde" Boston baked beans, clam chowder, and Indian pudding as vaunted, almost sacred, symbols of the region. Here, finally, is a book that explains the connection between the two, taking both the history and the food seriously.

There are many surprises here, for instance that turkeys were often boiled and garnished with oyster sauce when served for special feasts, and that the first English to settle the region grew corn because their wheat crops mostly failed. This is a careful, food-oriented story, with lots of detail on what people ate, and how it was processed and preserved as well as cooked. It's also interesting to learn what average families wanted to eat when they were dining on their daily pottage.

The authors use memoirs, letters, and novels as well as cookbooks to uncover what New Englanders thought about the foods they ate. This is a compelling account and a detailed study, with lots of good stories to leaven the Boston Brown Bread. Whether you're interested in the ways gingerbread recipes changed from the court kitchens of the Middle Ages to the farm kitchens of New England, or in the reasons why a wallflower cuisine like New England cooking became enshrined as American food, there's something here for you.

Americans still think particular New England foods and menus, like Thanksgiving dinner, Boston Baked Beans, and boiled Maine lobster, are important parts of our American identity. This highly informative book tells us why these and other New England dishes were important to many generations of Americans, and continue to be part of our American heritage.

With wit and erudition, the authors separate fact from fiction through careful analysis of some hoary traditions. Along the way, they left me chuckling over such food-lore gems as the Adams-Jefferson dispute on when to serve pudding and the controversy concerning the "authentic" way to make Rhode Island Jonny cakes, with one side declaring that the other's was "hick feed."

There's something here for just about everyone interested in American history or the history of food. From a discussion of the economic motivation for setting up those quaint New England fishing villages to the environmental implications of animal husbandry (which the English colonists introduced into New England), we learn to think somewhat differently about New England's past. Along the way, we get a glimpse of American home life as it was lived, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries, in New England--the houswife who worries that she's too late bottling her plums and the little boy whose mother's "fire-cake" is such a treat. This book makes you feel like you are in those kithcens. Boiling a hundred oysters to make Oyster Ketchup, helping to butcher a 280-pound hog, these New England cooks were really something!

While it is a history and not a cookbook, this book gives both cooks and history buffs the solid information we need to separate the wheat from the chaff in terms of New England food lore. It offers a chance to see what New Englanders ate, and why, and most tellingly, what they thought about their food.

Poppa Bear finds himself in trouble, after entering the largest pumpkin contest. In growing his pumpkin he becomes entangled with a neighbor, wanting his pumpkin to be the biggest, and best, at all costs. He begins keeping his prized pumpkin under close attention!

We own over a dozen Berenstain Bear books, and The Berenstain Bears and the Prize Pumpkin is one of my favorites. True to life, this book tells the story of how Papa Bear is jealous of Farmer Ben's pumpkin patch, and gets quite upset at Farmer Ben's comment that Papa Bear had a "nice little pumpkin patch". Papa Bear wants to win the annual Big Pumpkin Contest...and gets obsessed "The Giant" (the pumpkin he nurtures throughout the story in hopes of winning).

As in most of the Berenstain Bear stories, Papa displays his pettiness and other faults, much to the chagrin of Mama Bear.

But in the end, the family remembers what it means to give thanks and count your blessings:

"It wasn't until they reached the crest of a hill that overlooked Bear Country that Mama decided to have her say. 'I know you're disappointed. But third prize is nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, Thanksgiving isn't about contests and prizes. It's about giving thanks. And it seems to me we have a lot to be thankful for.' Perhaps it was Mama's lecture, or maybe it was how beautiful Bear Country looked in the sunset's rosy glow. But whatever the reason, Papa and the cubs began to understand what Mama was talking about."

Although Papa Bear's behavior and comments are eyebrow raising (as usual), the story has a wonderful moral and lovely illustrations (especially the sunset and nighttime scenes!).

This book was a wonderful book. In it Papa Bear loses sight of what's important around Thanksgiving when he tries to beat out Farmer Ben in the Pumpkin Contest. After Farmer Ben tells Papa Bear that he has a "nice little" pumpkin patch Papa Bear does everything in his power to nuture his largest Pumpkin he calls, "Giant." Mama Bear tries to get him to realize that there are other things that are more important around this time of year than winning a silly contest. That is why this book would be helpful to little children it tries to help them to realize that they should be thankful everyday for what they have and not be competitive about things that in the long run won't matter anyway.It tells kids that they have a lot to be thankful for and that they should remember those things everyday.
I would recommend it to any child who needs to learn the value of day to day life and how to respect and love everything about it.

This book was a wonderful book. In it Papa Bear loses sight of what's important around Thanksgiving when he tries to beat out Farmer Ben in the Pumpkin Contest. After Farmer Ben tells Papa Bear that he has a "nice little" pumpkin patch Papa Bear does everything in his power to nuture his largest Pumpkin he calls, "Giant." Mama Bear tries to get him to realize that there are other things that are more important around this time of year than winning a silly contest. That is why this book would be helpful to little children it tries to help them to realize that they should be thankful everyday for what they have and not be competitive about things that in the long run won't matter anyway.It tells kids that they have a lot to be thankful for and that they should remember those things everyday.
I would recommend it to any child who needs to learn the value of day to day life and how to respect and love everything about it.

Be sure not to pass this book up when looking for Thanksgiving books to read to your children. In the classic Berenstain bears style, the cubs learn to be thankful after trying to win a pumpkin contest. They learn quite quickly to be thankful for what they have instead of trying to outdo the next guy and be the best at everything. Even Papa learns a lesson in this one. It's quite cute and a real favorite in our house. Highly recommend!

This book was useful for my history class and I learn some interesting things from it. That being said I dont think I would have brought it outside of this class nor do I think I would will read it now the class is over.

I use this book in school as a student, and it is probably the best book to learn a detailed history of the United States.

As a mid-30s woman who never got into history, I was afraid of this class... the text was excellent- a wonderful experience helping anyone to understand what REALLY happened. Very easy reading with notes on origin of conflicts that were never out in the open (Bay of Pigs... inherited from Eisenhower). Highly recommended.

This book is a great experience for me. Will blow your mind if you really want to know about modern history.

The book was received in perfect condition and the seller followed the sale with notification of shipment in a prompt manner.

Of the Kelton books I've read (7 so far) this is my current favorite. It is a real page turner. Good story with interesting characters as in every Kelton book I've read. I can't wait to start another.

If you get tired of the same old westerns, try this book. Kelton has the ability to draw the reader in and make you a part of the book. Well worth reading!!

This is one of the best westerns that I have ever read. The characters come alive and this author definitely is a studious expert in knowing human nature.Trey and Sarah McLean are wonderful characters, as well as all of the others who are in this story.Elmer Kelton fleshes them all out and there are no real minor characters. That, I believe, is where a lot of his true talent lies.

I agree with everything the first two reviewers said, but I have no idea where the first guy got that three star rating. I'd hate to try to please him! The Pumpkin Rollers was a great book, as every Kelton book has been from the very beginning. There is only one rival to Kelton, and that is Kirby Jonas, whom critics call The New Louis L'Amour. If you haven't read any of his stuff, you're missing out the same way I was before I read Kelton. Kirby Jonas and Elmer Kelton rule the world of the western, without a doubt!

The Pumpkin Roller's is an excellent book for anyone who enjoys hearing stories of the good old days. Any one who likes the thought of striking it new in a new area or cattle driving will enjoy this book. This book was so wonderful that I read it twice in the same week and still felt the need to read more of it. Anyone who picks it up will love it and should enjoy it for a long long time.

Fast, fun read. Lots of interesting characters and plot twists and turns.
Keeps your interest 'til the last page. Can't wait to read more Nancy J. Cohen.

Nancy's Bad Hair Days get better and better. Poor Dalton, stuck into Marla's family reunion. Not only is there a mystery to solve, which Marla does once again, but Nancy's books have that added flavor of family fun and tension, plus a bonus of hair grooming tips and recipes.

Marla Shore, hairdresser is going to the family reunion that her Aunt Polly has put together at the historic Sugar Crest Plantation Resort. Marla knew this weekend was going to be bad as this was her first time at introducing her fiancee, Detective Dalton Vail to the family. Worrying that they wouldn't accept him because he wasn't Jewish, wasn't as bad as the worry that she had that he wouldn't accept them because they were nutty.

Things got worse when they arrived at the resort to find out that one wing was condemned and off limits, there was a ghost hunter on site, looking for spirits who seemed to be roaming the old plantation.

Then Marla finds out that her Aunt Polly has a secret. It was Polly's Russian father, Andrew Marks, who had come to America after the Russian Revolution, who had once owned the plantation and he had died after a visit from two eerie Cossacks who had disappeared. It had been her mother who finally sold the plantation, but Polly retained the rights to stay at the resort whenever she wanted.

Polly hinted of lost treasure and secret ownership of the hotel, and when she was found suffocated in her bed, Marla knew she would have to unravel her own family history, as well as, the history of the plantation to find if there was a treasure. If they still had a claim on this resort or if the family ghosts were still haunting the place or was it just a current family member who was responsible for both the killings and the hauntings.

Highlights:

Marla has always been a likable character and her relationship with Dalton Vail and his thirteen year old daughter, Brianna has always been very believable. Marla has had some trauma in her younger days and a bad marriage which made her wary of both men and of having children.

The Mystery. There were actually several going on here. Who killed her Aunt Polly. Who was her grandfather and as an immigrant from Russia just after the revolution, how did he have the money to buy this estate? Who were the mysterious men who showed up a few days before his death? Were there ghosts on the estate and what did they want.

Humor. This series has always been one of the funniest.

Lowlights:

Boring. The worse thing a mystery can be is boring. I liked that there were several different mysteries going on at the same time, but except for finding out her Grandfather and Aunt Polly's history, they weren't very interesting.

Missing characters: In the previous books most of the interesting characters are people who surrounded Marla at her work. Dalton's daughter, Brianna and Marla's wonderful dog Spook. The least interesting people have always been her family. An entire book filled with the least interesting people and none of the ones you love can be tedious.

I think this was a misfire, but Marla is still a great character that I'm sure the next book will be much better.

Marla Shore and her fiancé Detective Dalton Vale head off on a much-needed vacation. Marla is excited as she will be introducing Dalton to many of her extended family. They are going to a family reunion at the Sugar Crest Resort. Her Aunt Polly arranged the reunion.

Turns out Marla's relatives once owned the place and it is now supposedly haunted by some of her past relatives. Apparently Polly wanted to right some wrongs and uncover family secrets by having the reunion there. Unfortunately, Aunt Polly is found dead before she can do much more than ask Marla to look for some old letters and gems. Marla is not sure they really exist, but her curiosity gets the best of her.

When a workman falls to his death, Dalton believes the death to be murder. The house doctor lists it as an accident. Unfortunately, the local police believe the house doctor and not Dalton. This just spurs Marla on further in her investigation. Dalton is doing some investigating as well. When they discover that Aunt Polly's death wasn't a natural death, things really heat up.

Can Marla help Dalton uncover the truth without anyone else being hurt, including herself?

I really enjoy this series. Marla is such a likeable character. Most of the books are set in and around her Florida salon. While I enjoy that, this was a nice change. The relationship between Marla and Dalton has really matured and it is fun watching it grow and change through the various books. Marla is a believable sleuth. She does get herself into some scary situations, but she has a level head most of the time.

I highly recommend this book and the whole series.

This Bad Hair Day mystery novel has everything! Murder, mystery, family history, ghost busters, greed, evil motives, Russian royalty, psychic predictions, Nazi's, hidden treasure--you name it.

Marla Shore, owner of the Cut 'N Dye hair salon, and part-time sleuth is heading to the Florida coast with her unflappable police detective fiance, Dalton Vail for the first Marks family reunion.

Three generations of Marks from all over the U.S. and Canada are gathering at the haunted luxury resort created by the family patriarch, Andrew Marks, whose ghost is said to inhabit the halls guarding his secrets. This could be the family's last opportunity to connect with their heritage through this resort as it is in jeopardy of being redeveloped into an amusement park.

Marla's Aunt Polly, keeper of the family secrets, alludes to the mystery surrounding Andrew Marks' death, the visitation of mysterious strangers right before his death, the rumors of treasure, and secretive documents.

Aunt Polly publicly opposes Marla's engagement to someone outside the faith, further dividing family loyalties and skewing motives.
Aunt Polly ends up murdered, despite having secretly fought the good fight with cancer. Family secrets are peeled away one member at a time while forecasting the future for Sugar Crest resort.

Armchair Interviews says: If you love a good mystery with humor running throughout, this is for you.

My seven and 4 year olds love this book, but I have to say I was hesitant to read it to the four year olds a second time. Before buying this book I would have liked to have known that the pumpkin was going to be threatening Mrs. McMurphy on each page and that she was going to eventually resolve the problem with pumpkin pie...this is more violent than I usually expose my kids to in their reading, although I realize people are going to say it's all in the fun of the season, and my kids did chuckle at it. So, I used it as a lesson in standing up to bullies (minus the carving knife!)... but still kept it out of our regular rotation... if you're looking for a great kid friendly, spooky, but not so scary halloween book, I would recommend The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid Of Anything, or for a fun and happy book The Runaway Pumpkin.

Mrs. McMurphy's Pumpkin by Rick Walton and Delana Bettoli (2004) uses sequenced changes to illustrations. A mysterious, pumpkin with a mouth appears in an old woman's room and declares that as soon as it gets teeth it will eat her. The old woman throws the pumpkin out but it comes back with more facial features. She throws it out again, but it soon reappears with even more facial features. Each time she throws the pumpkin out it comes back again with a new facial feature, until it finally has teeth. Mrs. McMurphy picks the pumpkin up and chops it into a pie. The effect of the changing illustrations for the pumpkin is to build suspense in the reader. It keeps the child interested enough to keep reading. Young children learn many things including a connection between parts of the face and senses, staying calm during a crisis, and that older women can be good role models.

My son is 2 and he asks for this book over and over. It's just scary enough for his attention to be riveted, but not so scary he's really afraid. And I love the message of the book about what to do when we are threatened.

The things I like best about this book is the Mrs. McMurphy is a woman who lives on her farm in the country, and she's no dummy! One morning a pumpkin comes to her home and tells her as soon as he gets a mouth he's going to eat her. Each day she nicely listens to the pumpkin each day, and then sends the pumpkin on it's way as she goes about doing her morning work around her farm. I absolutely love the colors in this book they are so bold. And the ending is really clever! This book would also be great as a board book!

I like the little bit of suspense this book provides for the child without being overly scary. A pumpkin appears one day in Mrs. McMurphy's house , at that time the pumpkin only has a grin and no other facial features. The pumpkin tells her that when he gets his teeth , he is going to eat her. Mrs. McMurphy handles the situation beautifully, and calmly removes the pumpkin from her house .(I love when she boxes the pumpkin and sends it to the North Pole.)But the pumpkin keeps returning, and every time it does , it possesses a new facial feature. As the pumpkin continues to return the suspense builds. Finally the pumpkin returns with his teeth, and Mrs. McMurphy ends up making a pie out of the pumpkin and giving slices of it out to trick or treaters. Nicely illustrated, I love the emerging details on the pumpkin, a nice Halloween story for young children . Just enough suspense to make it a Halloween story without frightening the child too much. I like the way Mrs. McMurphy handles the pumpkin , I think it's good for children to see that you can handle things calmly.

This is one of my favorite so of course I was happy when this book came out. But the tabs are (sometimes very) inaccurate, particularly in giving chord voicings which is an integral part of the sound. If you can, you're better off if you also track down Corgan's guitar magazine interviews from this period. They have Corgan's own instructions which of course are much more accurate.

I got this book when I first started playing the guitar. It is VERY helpful and I strongly recomend it. Billy Corgan's advice on playing the songs is great. All in all, this is one of the best guitar tabs money can buy.

In my personal opinion, I think this album is one of their best. The lyrics take you away, almost acting as a requiem. It;s very good kick back music, as well suitable for parties and what not. I think this is the only cool band my parents actually listen to. :)

This was also my first. It is a great book to learn from. I gained more knowledge from this book than I ever could have from a teacher. It covers different styles from textured melodies (Soma) to all out rock (Geek U.S.A - wanna learn a pentaconic scale?). Aside from the much lauded teaching abilities, this book faithfully reproduces every song from the album for a live performance of 2-4 guitars. It is wonderful. Get this and the album for your son or daughter that are just starting to get into playing music. The musical score included with the tabs also makes for a fun time with a piano and other instruments the book wasn't intended for.

This was my first guitar book, but by far the best one I've had. It's especially great to learn to play anything since Billy used so many basic chords and progressions. In all, it teaches some invaluable guitar lessons.

We love this book for both my 1 year old and 5 year old. The rhyming and alliteration are just great! The flow of the words is very sing-songy and fits perfectly together. The storyline is fun and the pictures are very pleasing to the kids. Great book!

This is a fantastic book for infants as well. Our little pumpkin has been reading this book for a month - she's 4 months now. She loves the story and the bright pictures. Very highly recommended!!

This book is great for the 3 and under group because of the great rhyming text and bold and bright illustrations. Also great for read alouds.

This is an excellent halloween book for kids ages 2-4. Peter the tiger goes and picks the perfect pumpkin, then goes home and turns it into a prize-winning jack o'lantern. The illustrations are bold, colorful, and delightful. This one is sure to add to your holiday cheer.

This book is great for the 3 and under group because of the great rhyming text and bold and bright illustrations. Also great for read alouds.

Please, don't let the "first reader" label deter anyone from buying, reading and appreciating the profound wisdom of this deeply philosophical metaphor of the triumph, trials and tragedy of life.

It is truly a profound story of man's fate, as relevant as any weighty words written by Andre Malraux, Plato or Paddington Bear. It raises questions to which there are no definitive answers, only individual opinions, ideas and issues of cultural relativity. Although Winnie the Pooh is a bear, in fiction at that, the story of his pumpkin expresses the full tragedy of life. If Americans are optimistic and the British perpetually pessimistic, then this wonderful story clearly expresses the innate fatalism of Canada.

It begins in innocence as Rabbit plants pumpkin seeds. Pooh is given a single pumpkin seed to plant, the whole story rests on this one seed. Obviously, it symbolizes the one "seed" of democracy planted by Canadians on July 1, 1867. Canada? Of course, as everyone knows, "Winnie the Pooh" was named for "Winnie", a Canadian bear named Winnipeg, or "Winnie" for short, a favourite of Christopher Robin, the son of the British author A.A. Milne (look it up on Google if you doubt this). Winnie the Pooh is the pure multicultural Canadian.

Being Canadian, "Winnie" was prone to sober second thoughts, a theme eloquently expressed in this story. Winnie wanted a pumpkin; but, by summer all he had was a vine. By the end of summer, he had a vine with a flower. Owl, noted for his wisdom, informed Pooh "A flower grows on a vine before there is a . . . cucumber!"

It is a perfect metaphor for life itself. Often, people begin with one grand goal and end up with a completely different result. Such was the sad fate facing Pooh, an invaluable lesson for children to learn. Pooh accepts his fate with typical Canadian complacency. Instead of demanding restitution, revenge or a class action suit, he asks one of the great unanswered philosophical questions, "I wonder if cucumbers taste good with honey?"

It's an issue as equally open to deference, discussion and debate as Plato's riddle of the cave. As with Plato, it is equally subject to a fascinating range of answers. Time passed. Pooh, the perfect Canadian, remains forever patient, polite and pouty. The flower becomes a green ball. It grows larger and larger. At last, with autumn as a metaphor for the twilight years of life itself, the large green ball slowly turns orange.

By now, having spent months just sitting and watching his pumpkin grow, Pooh has a "honey belly" that is as round as the pumpkin. Christopher Robin tells him, "You gave the pumkin so much care that you grew along with it." Thus do we grow to resemble our lives.

Had it ended here, it would close with a classic American happy ending. But this is not an American story, nor an American bear, nor an American Christopher Robin. Instead, as was the case with the British Empire that was nurtured for centuries, it ends with the sudden and cruel death of the pumpkin.

Christopher Robin leads the mob who kill the pumpkin with wickedly sharp knives; Owl, who couldn't identify a pumkin from a cucumber, carves out the eyes. Rabbit carves out the nose. Piglet carves out the mouth. On this gory note the book ends with the tragedy of a once beautifully alive pumpkin carved into "the best jack-o'-lantern in the Hundred-Acre Wood."

It is a perfect metaphor for the human condition. It's also neat for kids. May they grow to be as wise as Pooh.

Pooh's Pumpkin is a Winnie the Pooh First Reader book that I received through a refund offer with two cereal boxes.

Pooh's Pumpkin is a sure hit with the colorful illustrations that remind us of the impending fall season.

Pooh's Pumpkin consists of thirty-four pages with the characters of Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin, Piglet, Owl, Rabbit and Eeyore. Some of the other books in the Winnie the Pooh First Readers series are Pooh's Best Friend, Pooh Gets Stuck (we have that one too), Rabbit Gets Lost and Pooh's Honey Tree.

Pooh's Pumpkin begins with Rabbit, Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh planting seeds in rabbits garden one spring day. Pooh is interested in learning what Rabbit is planting indicating he would like to grow a pumpkin too. Once Pooh promised Rabbit that he would indeed take care of his growing pumpkin Rabbit gave him a seed. With the help of Christopher Robin Pooh planted his seed in a sunny spot near his house.

Next Pooh decided to sit and watch his seed grow until Christopher Robin informed him this would take time and not happen until the fall. Pooh then decided he needed something to eat and grabbed a honey pot from his kitchen cupboard and sat at the spot watching the seed. Pooh continued to sit and watch and eat while spring turned into summer.

Half way through the summer months Piglet stopped by to ask Pooh about the vine he was growing. Pooh informs Piglet that he wants a pumpkin and not a vine. Pooh continued caring for the vine when one day Owl showed up insisting to Pooh that his flower looked just right. Pooh told Owl he was waiting for a pumpkin and not a flower. Owl looks at the vine and tells Pooh that he is growing a vine and a flower that will make a cucumber. Well Pooh then wonders if a cucumber will taste good with honey. Pooh thinks for a minute and decides that Rabbit gave him a seed to grow a pumpkin and he will continue to watch until it becomes a pumpkin.

Pooh watched the plant while eating his honey, and occasionally watered the plant. Pooh noticed the weather was changing and the leaves started turning colors. Pooh started to fall asleep but woke up to find Eeyore looking at him asking about the green ball inside the flower.

This makes Pooh confused because he wanted to grow a pumpkin and not a flower or a green ball. Eeyore assures Pooh they can find something to do with it no matter what it is. As days and weeks passed the green ball grew bigger and bigger, until it turned orange. The color than became brighter as the leaves fell from the trees. On the vine was an orange pumpkin. Owl, Christopher Robin, Rabbit, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger and Pooh gathered around the pumpkin until Tigger compared the pumpkin to Pooh's tummy. Christopher Robin called his friend Pooh a silly old bear explaining that Pooh ate so much while watching the seed grow that his belly grew too.

Christopher Robin picked up the pumpkin so they could carve a jack-o' lantern. Owl carved the eyes while Rabbit did the nose and Piglet the mouth. They all made Pooh's pumpkin the best jack-o' lantern in the Hundred- Acre Wood. The book also has a few blank pages at the end where you can have the young reader trace a pumpkin picture and do some sketches.

The book shows how they all share in the carving of the jack-o' lantern and how patiently Pooh waits for his seed to grow along with the confusing process to the other animals. We get to see Pooh anxiously watch his seed grow and eat honey plus water his seed. No matter what the other animals say or think about his seed, vine, flower or green ball Pooh still waits for the outcome before getting discouraged. They all learn together how the seed grows into a pumpkin and share in their happiness with the end result.

When she was young, my daughter loved all stories about Winnie the Pooh and I know she would have loved this one. Pooh plants a pumpkin seed in early spring and wants to grow a great pumpkin. He goes to the cupboard and gets a large number of honey jars and takes them to the garden. All summer long he sits eating honey and watching the pumpkin vine grow. The story goes through all the stages of the growth of the pumpkin, from early sprout, to the blossom, to the green bulb and finally to the large orange pumpkin. Since he has consumed so much honey, Pooh's belly has taken on a shape similar to that of the pumpkin. When the pumpkin is finally ripe, Pooh and his friends carve it into the best jack-o'-lantern in the Hundred-Acre-Wood.
The artwork in the book is excellent and totally in keeping with the Winnie the Pooh tradition and the text is large and easy to read. If I had encountered this book when my daughter was younger, I would have read it to her many times.

Our son has a visual processing disorder and the book is simplistic enough and has pictures on each page that he can comprehend on his own what the story is about. It is hard to find books that work for him, I am thrilled this worked.

This is a very good story about patience, gardening and friendship-my son just loves Winnie the Pooh and this story is no exception--if fact this collection of Winnie the Pooh First Readers are all a real treat-