The Pumpkin Patch: Ready-to-Read Level 1

Robin Hill School

by Margaret McNamara, Mike Gordon (Illustrator)

Level 1: Starting to Read
• Simple stories
• Increased vocabulary
• Longer sentences

Mrs. Connor's first-grade class is going on a field trip! They're headed to the pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins. Katie dreams of finding the perfect pumpkin. But the one she chooses isn't perfect at all. It's too small! But then her father shows her that wonderful things often come in small packages.

Genres: Halloween, Picture Books, Childrens, School, Fiction, Food, Holiday

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

Margaret McNamara is the Christopher Award–winning author of more than two dozen books for young readers, including the Robin Hill School series. The Fairy Bell Sisters series is inspired not only by her love of the classic sisterhood novel Little Women but by her own experiences growing up with older sisters (and a baby brother). Margaret and her family live in New York City, but they spend part of their summer on an island in Maine very much like Sheepskerry Island.

Reviews

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfi...

THE PUMPKIN PATCH is an intriguing early reader about a class trip to a pumpkin patch. The children are all excited to pick out their pumpkins to bring home. Katie has been thinking about it a lot, and she picks out what she thinks is the perfect pumpkin. However, on the way back to school, the other kids compare pumpkins and notice how very small hers is. She begins to think that maybe she did not pick the perfect pumpkin. When she gets home, her father reassures her that she did not pick a bad pumpkin and helps her to turn it into the best pumpkin!

What I loved: This is a fun story with lessons about judging, comparing, and first impressions being deceiving. While Katie compared her pumpkin and began to worry it was not as good as the others, she and her classmates soon learn that the size is not so important - her pumpkin is great! I also really loved that the book shows her interacting with, baking, and receiving reassurance from her father, which is important in children's books to see fathers in these roles.

In terms of the early reader level, it seem appropriate to the level assigned, with enough complexity to challenge budding readers and large, clear font to aid in the process. The images are placed carefully around the text to make this easier to read throughout.

Final verdict: A fun early reader for fall, THE PUMPKIN PATCH is a story for budding independent readers about deceptive appearances and the trouble with comparisons.

Please note that I received a review copy. All opinions are my own.

[Coralie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't particularly impressed by this book, but I didn't dislike it either. The illustrations weren't bad, but they didn't draw my eye either. The story was kind of cute, short, but cute. It's meant to be an early-reader. I read it to my little brother. He didn't dislike it-it kept his attention before bed-but he didn't really comment on it either or get excited about it. I liked the idea behind it. Girl picks out a pumpkin-everyone picked out a different one-and she worried hers was the worst. Turns out, hers was just fine. In fact, it was the best! I won't say why ;-)

I wouldn't go out of my way to buy this one, but I wouldn't be against reading it again or recommending it maybe. It wouldn't be the first book to come to mind, but it might be nice for a fall theme or time of year to have around.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Review: We picked up a bunch of fall Ready to Read books for Munchkin and this was at the top of our list to read. Munchkin loves going to the farms and picking out a pumpkin in the patches. This was a fun adventure with the familiar Robin Hill School class, and it had a great message about how everyone's idea of perfect is different. Some kids wanted the biggest pumpkin, others wanted tall and round pumpkins and some wanted a small pumpkin. It definitely taught a lesson about not judging others about their size, shape or preferences. It was easy for Munchkin to read with short sentences with easy words to sound out and sight words, it also had a lot of repetition to help those young readers gain confidence.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book to read after Halloween but before Thanksgiving because it's about pumpkins and fits right in in that time frame. I read this to my story hour kids and we had a discussion about pumpkin picking and pumpkin pie.

[Lauren Hanford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story that shows students that not everything is perfect to everyone, it just matters if it's perfect to you.

DRA 16
ACR 1.5

[Sam VanLoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book teaches the lesson that being different isn't a negative thing. Sometimes the best things come from things that are a little bit different.

Trait: Ideas
ATOS: 1.5
Lex: 230

[Nancy Messina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute enough story, but not anything super special. Winry and Warren like it for the pumpkin theme, but nothing else really stood out.

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute book

[kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

okay

[Set · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childhood nostalgia triggered. The drawings are dainty and childlike; the story is sweet just like her pumpkin. Perfect for fall/Halloween.

[Ashley Oswald · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book because the moral it can teach students is very valuable about not comparing ourselves to those around us, just like the pumpkins. Plus you can turn anything into something valuable and different.
ATOS: 1.5-1.9
DRA: 16
6 Traits: ideas

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A teacher and her students bus to a farm where each child is told to choose one pumpkin to take home. One little girl chooses the smallest pumpkin, but is unhappy about it when she shows her dad. He proves to her that she made a very good choice, and the next day she shows her friends at school why. Great illustrations for this sweet story.

[Ellista Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little girl named Katie goes on a search for the pumpkin patch with her school class, she learns about how everyone's pumpkin has a purpose and is perfect.
ATOS: 1.5
Lex: 390L
Trait: Ideas

[Shelaine Lorenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute, fall read. I think it would be perfect to read during the fall time, especially if the class has gone or will go to a pumpkin patch. It also showed a wonderful lesson that size doesn't define greatness!

Trait: ideas
Lex: 390L
ATOS: 1.5

[Breena Wadekamper · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very sweet book about some students that went on a field trip to the pumpkin patch. After reading the book students will understand that something perfect to them might not be perfect to someone else. Everyone likes different things!
AR: 1.5
Lex: 230L
Trait: conventions, ideas

[Consuelo · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The Pumpkin Patch" by Margaret McNamara is a Ready-To-Read Level 1 reader. The story is about a field trip to the pumpkin patch. The main character, Katie, is imagining the perfect pumpkin on the bus ride to the patch. However, once at the pumpkin patch, she realizes that it is a challenge to find the perfect pumpkin because there are so many. The other children make fun of her for picking a small pumpkin. She feels sad. However, Katie's dad helps her to make a pumpkin pie which she takes to class. The other children love the pie and hail Katie: "Your pumpkin was perfect!"

[Charlie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe its just because the book is too easy but I DID NOT like it. Even though this is a book for little kids the author could of added a couple more pages to make the story better. It wasn't awful but it wasn't good. The illustrations were okay, the words were okay, but overall, it wasn't the best.

[Deeanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is what my 7 year old said when she finished reading this book,"We went on a field trip to a pumpkin patch but we didn't get a pumpkin.":( Her class got to pick and take home other vegetables and go on a train ride, but oh the trauma of no pumpkin. She may be scarred for life!! :)

[Kerri Harshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book about going to a pumpkin patch for a class field trip. One student ends up with the smallest pumpkin of all, but finds a way to make the pumpkin great despite it's size! A good book for early readers to learn about confidence and get in the mood for pumpkin season.

[Skylar Burris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simple. Cute.

[Yadira · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a easy to read book to have children practice reading. In the early grades they can use this book for a math lesson and count groups of pumpkins. They can also group the pumpkins by sizes.

[Elizabeth S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy these Robin Hill School books for beginning readers. The plots are simple and cute rather than the mind-numbingly-dumb that I see in many other beginning readers.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars)

[Diana S · Rating 4 out of 5]

My granddaughter and I loved it! :D It inspired us to make a pumpkin pie :)

[Little Champs]

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