How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?

Mr. Tiffin's Classroom #1

by Margaret McNamara, G. Brian Karas (Illustrator)

For curious kids, this explores skip counting and estimation in a fun pumpkin-themed classroom experiment. "How many seeds are in a pumpkin?" Mr. Tiffin asks his class as they gather around the big, medium, and small pumpkins on his desk. Robert, the biggest kid, guesses that the largest one has a million seeds; Elinor, sounding like she knows what she's talking about, guesses the medium one has 500 seeds; and Anna, who likes even numbers better than odd ones, guesses that the little one has 22. Charlie, the smallest boy in the class, doesn't have a guess. Counting pumpkin seeds is messy business, but once the slimy job is done... well, you'll have to read and find out!

Genres: Picture Books, Mathematics, Childrens, Halloween, Counting, Science, School

40 pages, Hardcover

First published July 10, 2007

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

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although Margaret McNamara's engaging, evocative narrative is perhaps a bit too math-oriented for me to ever consider How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin a personal favourite (as I am just not that enamoured of math as a subject), this is indeed a delightful little story, and perfect for an elementary school math class (or a unit on sizes and comparisons, contrasts), especially around Thanksgiving or Halloween (and not just in the classroom, but also for either at home or home-schooling use).

I absolutely love and also greatly appreciate how teacher Mr. Tiffin always actively and imaginatively strives to make his math lessons engaging, fun and meaningful for his students, and how he shows little Charlie that being the smallest student in class is simply a fact of life and entirely relative (as the small pumpkin Charlie carves actually ends up containing the most seeds).

As to G. Brian Karas' accompanying illustrations, while by themselves they are a bit too cartoon-like and garish for my aesthetics, for my personal tastes, in conjunction with Margaret McNamara's narrative, they work exceedingly well, presenting a fun and successful marriage of text and image (depicting an ethnically diverse group of students, and a smiling teacher who makes math, who makes learning fun and meaningful). Highly recommended (and even though personally, I would have liked more supplemental pumpkin facts, those who know me should realise by now that I almost always want more information).

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at pumpkins, AND a sneaky math lesson, as well.

Join a classroom of eager-to-learn kids as they attempt to determine which pumpkin has the most seeds - small, medium, or large.

An engaging story, complimented by the endearing artwork of one of my favs - G. Brian Karas.

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has math concepts, size concepts, the sometimes-its-not-so-bad-to-be-small lesson AND it taught me how to pick a pumpkin with the most seeds! This is too complicated for pre-schoolers, but this would be great in an early elementary school classroom, or to read with a child of that age.Teachers, get this book and get ready to go out and buy some pumpkins!

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? is the first book in the children's picture book series Mr. Tiffin's Classroom, written by Margaret McNamara and illustrated by G. Brian Karas, which follows Charlie – the smallest person in class as he learns that being small doesn't mean being small within.

McNamara's text is rather simplistic and straightforward. Charlie, the smallest boy in class learns an important lesson about size in this delightful tale that combines a boost in self-esteem and a math lesson. Back matter about pumpkins could be found in the back. Karas' watercolors charmingly portray Mr. Tiffin's busy class hard at work, but having fun learning. The children’s faces vividly express the wide range of reactions to pumpkin guts, as well as Charlie’s uncertainty about being the smallest.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Charlie loves everything about school except lining up by size – he is always the smallest. One fall day, his teacher presents the class with three pumpkins: small, medium and large. They must predict how many seeds are in each and then do the messy but fun work of removing the seeds. For homework, they think of how they should count them all. One group counts by twos, one by fives and Charlie counts the smallest pumpkin’s seeds by tens. The final tally is a surprise to everyone, with a not-so-subtle message that small things can have a lot going on inside them.

All in all, How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? is a wonderful book about prediction, skip counting, and the beginnings of multiplication – and that even the smallest things can have a lot going on inside of them.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 STARS

The smallest boy in class sometimes feels, well, small. When his teacher brings three pumpkins to class and asks the class to guess how many seeds are in each pumpkin, of course everyone guesses that the big pumpkin will have the most seeds. But, as the little boy discovers, sometimes the smallest things hold the greatest surprises.

I really wanted to like this one more, but somehow it just didn't totally engage me. I do appreciate the lessons in the story, both scientific and personal. Children might enjoy the seed-counting activity during Halloween; it could make a fun little side-project when you carve that next Jack O'Lantern.

[Dolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic story! Exactly the kind of book I look for when I want to read with our girls. It had an interesting plot, but incorporates elements of math and science, too, without being boring or too didactic. We loved it. It's a great book to read at the beginning of the school year, as pumpkins are coming into season.

This story was selected as one of the books for the October 2012 - Harvest-Time and Pumpkins reads at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

This book was also selected as one of the books for the October 2017 - Apples and Pumpkins reads at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

[midnightfaerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Educational, colorful, and fun, all my kids enjoyed this one. We had fun guessing which pumpkin had the most seeds, and counting by 2's, five's, and 10's. We even pulled out a calculator to do some of the math. It was fun and educational! Great book!

[La Coccinelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this classroom tale more than I thought I would.

One day, Mr. Tiffin brings three pumpkins to school and asks the class how many seeds are in each one. Which will have the most: the big, the medium, or the small pumpkin? Each student has their own ideas, but there's only one way to find out. And the answer comes as a surprise to everybody.

While the illustrations didn't wow me, they're perfectly adequate as an accompaniment to the story. I can see this being used in a classroom setting, perhaps along with a pumpkin-seed counting activity. I actually learned a few things about pumpkins that I didn't know before, and I always like it when that happens.

Recommended to curious kids who are interested in learning fun facts.

[Crystal Marcos · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter and I read How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? today. The book was interesting enough to hold her 3 year old attention span. Of course, it featured pumpkins and contains a little boy's name from her new favorite show. She even listened to the pumpkin facts at the end of the book which I found very interesting. My daughter is the opposite of Charlie, always the tallest. Her cousin is very small for her age, always the smallest. It was something my daughter could relate too. I think the message of big things can come in small packages was delivered in a subtle way. We are going to the pumpkin patch this Saturday so it is the perfect time to learn about pumpkins. I can also share my new found knowledge of picking the sweetest pumpkin or the one with the least or most seeds. We liked the illustrations and found them cute. I really like how the book was designed with text and illustrations to show the examples. I will be reading this to my daughter's two younger cousins before we head out to the pumpkin fields. I would like to revisit this book when she is older and let her do the experiment in conjunction with reading the book. Thanks again to the Children's group http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1... for another perfect pick for the season!

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Mr. Tiffin brings three pumpkins to school one day, his students all have different ideas about which one will contain the most seeds. Robert, the biggest boy in the class, believes that the largest pumpkin will naturally have the most. Charlie, who is the smallest boy in the class, isn't sure what to think. Everyone is in for a surprise, however, when the pumpkins are cut open, and the seeds scooped out and counted...

Chosen as one of our October selections over in The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is "Harvest-Time and Pumpkins," How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin is an engaging seasonal read, one that combines mathematical concepts with a sweet story about accepting who we are, and valuing everyone, no matter how small. Although I wouldn't describe it as a particular favorite, I did appreciate the fact that McNamara was fairly non-didactic in her incorporation of the latter into her story. Recommended to young pumpkins lovers, especially those who worry about being a little small for their age.

[Alexis Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books like these. They're great for math lessons when comparing big, medium, and small as well as short, tall, and tallest. Also, it'd be a great book to read before Halloween time and to have the children guess how many seeds are in the pumpkins then to split up the seeds and have each child count the ones in front of them. After they count their handfuls they can add each students outcome up and discover how many seeds are actually in the pumpkin then compare the numbers the students guessed prior to counting. A science lesson can also be done to have the students talk about the shape and what they think the seeds will look, smell, fell, and taste like using their 5 senses!

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is wonderful. It's great for a math lesson on comparing and contrasting sizes such as small, medium, and big or short, tall, and tallest. Students are able to practice their counting by counting the pumpkin seeds. It's a great book to read during the Halloween holiday or Fall season. It can also be used to teach a science lesson on pumpkins, their appearance and how they grow. It can also be used to teach a lesson on the student's 5 senses while they observe the pumpkin and their seeds. This book can be used for students in K-3 grade.

[Chinook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maddie (2) is obsessed with being small while everyone around her is bigger. This book was a huge win with her. Kait isn’t quite at the point of counting by twos or fives or tens, but she’s into counting, so she was also a fan. One year down the line we will have to perform this experiment.

[Lauren Anglin · Rating 5 out of 5]

1) Book summary, in your own words (3 pts)
This is a really fun interesting book. I would use this book for a fall math or science lesson. It is about a classroom whose teacher asks the students how many pumpkin seeds are inside a pumpkin. The students do a science experiment based off of that question.
2) Grade level, interest level, lexile (1 pt)
1st grade
3) Appropriate classroom use (subject area) (1 pt)
math or science
4) Individual students who might benefit from reading (1 pt)
students who like math and science activities
they could also use this book as a reference to practice counting at home
5) Small group use (literature circles) (1 pt)
none
6) Whole class use (read aloud) (1 pt)
read aloud with a science/math experiment to follow
7) Related books in genre/subject or content area (1 pt)
none
8) Multimedia connections (audio book, movie) available (1 pt)
none

[Erin Buhr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet book. I love how seamlessly counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s is integrated. I love the message about being small. I love the gentle illustrations and the wonderful characters McNamara has created. This is a great book to read with school agers in the Fall.

[Breana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic read! We are pleased with this book for multiple reasons. First, we are a homeschooling family and appreciate when we are able to incorporate many subjects or lessons into one read aloud. This book encompasses math concepts, science and character traits amongst others.
We enjoy blending math lessons into our read alouds. While reading this book, my daughter loved grabbing her pen and paper to find out for herself which pumpkin had the most seeds. Beyond the math concepts incorporated in the story, it discusses personal character traits in an uplifting manner. There are also pops of educational facts about pumpkins throughout the book.

[L.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fabulous book to have an interesting storyline—what child doesn’t love pumpkins—AND easily weave in different ways to count AND an application for relationships! I loved it, and so does my 2 1/2-year-old!

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charlie is the smallest child in class. He loves his teacher but hates that they always line up shortest to tallest or tallest to shortest, because he is always shortest. One day his teacher brings in 3 pumpkins: Big, medium and small. The class predicts how many seeds are in each one. Then they scoop out the seeds, and count them (by 2's, 5's and 10's). The smallest one has the most seeds. At the end, Charlie tells their teacher, Mr. Tiffin, that sometimes small things have a lot going on inside. I enjoyed the pumpkin facts, the classroom connections you could make (skip counting, estimating, etc.) and the lesson that Charlie learns. I love that the teacher is portrayed as a caring, intelligent individual that teaches them life lessons along with the math and science.

Reread 10/2017.

[ASE · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book opens by pointing out a child who is smaller than all of his peers. In the end, the smallest pumpkin has the most seeds, which means that we should all like the small kid because his insides are cool. Except that we are actually told that the small pumpkin has the most seeds because it's the oldest, and if we'd paid closer attention to its exterior, we'd have noticed that. Also, what kind of teacher makes kids line up from smallest to largest every day? And then after the tiny pumpkin has the most seeds, all of a sudden, the short kid is the hero? Because he's small like the pumpkin with the most seeds? I'm sorry, but let's get our priorities straight here.

[Cassie Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great math informational book that explores predicting, counting, and skip counting. Charlie is the smallest boy in his Mr. Tiffin’s class, he has always been the smallest. His class is exploring three different sized pumpkins, they are going to cut them open and count the seeds. The class splits up into groups and they all choose different ways to count the seeds. It turns out that the smallest pumpkin has the most seeds, which really makes Charlie really happy because he tells the class that “small things can have a lot going on inside of them.”

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a great book for a young math class who is learning to count by 2s, 5s, and 10s. It's a cute story with a nice twist that the smallest pumpkin has the most seeds. Brian Karas's pictures in gouache, acrylic, and pencil do a very good job of illustrating the story. I especially liked the picture of 20 messy hands.

[Doris Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is wonderful. It’s great for a math lesson on comparing and contrasting sizes such as small, medium, big or short, tall and tallest. Students are able to practice their counting by counting the pumpkin seeds. It’s a great book to read during the Halloween holiday or Fall season. It can also be used to teach a science lesson on pumpkins, their appearance, and how they grow.

[Brittany Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

AS we flipped through the pages covered in gouache, acrylic, and pencil, we learn that big things can come in small packages. Mr. Tiffin begins the class's quest on determining how many seeds are in a pumpkin. Their guesses and ways they decide to count them, show the reader how to use grouping to count large amounts of items and which method might be best to use!

[Tricia Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well-done seasonal book for Halloween or Thanksgiving that children will enjoy. Not only is there science involved, but math and problem solving. I wish I had had this book when I was teaching my third graders. This book was one of several for the Goodreads October picture book bookclub.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, educational, and I love the classroom dynamics in which the kids are allowed to 'discipline' the braggart by pointing out "it's not a contest."

[Zoe McCurley]

Summary:
How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? is a great underdog story by Margaret McNamara. In this book, there is a little boy named charlie that always has to stand at the back of the line at school because he is the smallest kid. One day in class, charlie's teacher has 3 pumpkins, 1 large, 1 medium, and 1 small. He has his students choose a pumpkin and guess how many seeds are in it. Charlie gets left with the smallest pumpkin but comes up with a very efficient way to count the seeds. At the end of the activity, the students learn that the smallest pumpkin actually had the most seeds. The lesson they learned from this was that sometimes small things have a lot to offer on the inside. This made Charlie feel so much better about his size and the book ends with him getting to finally be at the front of the line.

Response:
I thought this was such a sweet book. I think that there are probably many kids in school that feel insecure because of their size. Whether they compare themselves to others or get bullied for being small, it can be very difficult for kids to feel comfortable in their own skin, especially if they don't feel like they fit in with everyone else. This book did a great job of emphasizing that we all have our strengths and talents that make us special and we don't need to look like everyone else to fit in. I admire the teacher in the book because I think what he does with the pumpkin activity is something all teachers should do more of. It is so important to teach life lessons while also teaching important subjects like math, reading, etc.

How I would use it:
I would use this book with certain clients that may be behind their peers physically and/or developmentally. I think it would help teach an important lesson and help them feel more comfortable with themselves while also helping them with their speech or language skills. It is very important to build rapport with clients so they feel comfortable with you. We as clinicians are supposed to treat the client, not just the disorder and I think this book emphasizes that idea.

[Maria Logan-Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Margaret McNamara isn’t a teacher, but she probably should be. While visiting my favorite local bookstore today, I discovered this delightful little picture book, illustrated by C. Brian Karas. Even though it has been out for quite a while, it was brought out again for the Halloween season.

Her book, How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?, published in 2007, McNamara tells the story of an elementary school teacher, Mr. Tiffin, who brilliantly creates a hands-on math challenge that excites his students. Simultaneously, he surreptitiously increases the self-esteem of Charlie, the smallest boy in the class, and demonstrates to the class, especially Robert, the tallest boy, that all of us, even those of small for our age, have value. In Charlie’s words, “Small things can have a lot going on inside them.”

McNamara included some interesting pumpkin facts through Mr. Tiffin’s lecture:

• A pumpkin is a fruit, not a vegetable;
• the lines on the outside parallel the rows of seeds on the inside;
• the longer it grows, the more lines/seeds it will have, and the darker orange it will be;
• huge pumpkins don’t taste as good as smaller ones;
• small, sweet ones are the best kind for making pumpkin pie.

What Makes This Book Reviewer Grumpy?

Not a thing! It is beautifully written and illustrated. How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? is the perfect gift for your little goblin this Halloween season.

Look for me online as the Grumpy Book Reviewer.

[Savannah Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret MacNamara is about Mr. Tiffin's class making a hypothesis about which of the three pumpkins, large, medium, and small would have the most pumpkin seeds. He had the class guess how many seeds would be in each and the next day had the class take the seeds out. He then had them count the number of seeds from each pumpkin in whatever they pleased, one group counted by two's, another by five's, and Charlie by ten's. Each group counted their seeds and then as a class counted each up. Mr. Tiffin had the class look at each pumpkin and observe the differences.

This is a really quick, simple read for younger students. The vocabulary is not too complicated and explains exactly what the students are doing. At the end of the book, there are quick facts about pumpkins which I think is a fun bonus. The illustrations are subtle, the colors are muted which adds to the fallish effect.

This book ties in math and science very well, the story is about an experiment about which pumpkin has the most seeds. The students went through the scientific method without realizing they did, they made a hypothesis then tested it, and reviewed the results. Math is also incorporated well, each group counted the seeds a different way. It goes to show that there is not one way to solve a problem. My class could perform this experiment in my class and also include the life cycle of a pumpkin.

[Stephanie Croaning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story offers a fun hands-on way to explore the concepts of skip counting and multiplication. A fun fall activity would be to have students do this with real pumpkins.

Picture book, fiction
by Margaret McNamara; illustrations by G. Brian Karas
Schwartz & Wade Books, 2007
4 out of 5 stars

The teacher in this story has his class explore the question of how many seeds are in a pumpkin. First they make predictions about the number of seeds in each of the three differently-sized pumpkins, then they remove the seeds and come up with different ways to count the large number of seeds. One group counts by twos, another by fives, and one student by tens.

Science is included in this story when the students notice differences in the way the pumpkins look and find out they can tell the time on the vine and general number of seeds by the color and number of lines on the outside.

This would make a fun fall activity and students would enjoy getting their hands dirty by gutting the pumpkin. The teacher could read the story just to the part where the students are asked to figure out the best way to count a large number of seeds. Students could come up with their own ways and the story could be finished after they are done counting.

[Jaycie Birdwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charlie likes school, he likes his teacher, but he doesn't like being the smallest in his class. One day, Mr. Tiffin brings in three pumpkins, one large, one medium, one small. He asks the class, "How many seeds in a pumpkin?" The class starts throwing out ideas, but everyone thinks the big pumpkin will have the most. After they dig out all the seeds, Mr. Tiffin asks them the best way to count, and one student suggests counting by twos, fives, and tens. Charlie counts the seeds in the smallest pumpkin by tens, and it seems that he has the least amount of seeds because of the smaller number of groups. But when they are all counted up, the class realizes that Charlie's small pumpkin has the most seeds. Charlie doesn't mind being so small after all.

I thought this book was a clever way to teach younger kids math while also giving a sweet message about self-love. I could use this with students who are learning how to skip count, or I could use it with kids learning multiplication by asking them to find a better way to count all the seeds. We then could actually perform this exploration in class and see if it holds true for us.