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Pumpkinhead
Otho was born with a pumpkin for a head. And despite what one might think, he was not seen as a curiosity by his family. So begins this brilliantly droll tale of a very unusual boy. Otho loses his pumpkin head–quite literally–when a bat decides it would make a good home. And despite what one might think, this is not the end for Otho, but the beginning of a great adventure. Is Otho’s story a parable? A cautionary tale? A celebration of the individual? A head trip? That is something each reader (and Otho) will have to decide. . . . .
32 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 12, 2003
47 people want to read
About the author
Eric Rohmann
39 books67 followersEric Rohmann won the Caldecott Medal for My Friend Rabbit, and a Caldecott Honor for Time Flies. He is also the author and illustrator of Bone Dog, Clara and Asha, A Kitten Tale, and The Cinder-Eyed Cats, among other books for children. He has illustrated many other books, including Last Song, based on a poem by James Guthrie, and has created book jackets for a number of novels, including His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman.
Rohmann was born in Riverside, Illinois in 1957. He grew up in Downers Grove, a suburb of Chicago. As a boy, he played Little League baseball, read comic books, and collected rocks and minerals, insects, leaves, and animal skulls.
Rohmann has his BS in Art and an MS in Studio Art from Illinois State University, and an MFA in Printmaking/Fine Bookmaking from Arizona State University. He also studied Anthropology and Biology. He taught printmaking, painting, and fine bookmaking at Belvoir Terrace in Massachusettes and introductory drawing, fine bookmaking, and printmaking at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. He lives in a suburb of Chicago.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/ericro...
Rohmann was born in Riverside, Illinois in 1957. He grew up in Downers Grove, a suburb of Chicago. As a boy, he played Little League baseball, read comic books, and collected rocks and minerals, insects, leaves, and animal skulls.
Rohmann has his BS in Art and an MS in Studio Art from Illinois State University, and an MFA in Printmaking/Fine Bookmaking from Arizona State University. He also studied Anthropology and Biology. He taught printmaking, painting, and fine bookmaking at Belvoir Terrace in Massachusettes and introductory drawing, fine bookmaking, and printmaking at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. He lives in a suburb of Chicago.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/ericro...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
October 24, 2020
What a strange little book! A boy's head, which happens to be a pumpkin, has a grand adventure while his body stays home with his parents. I liked the author's artwork . . .
And, I suppose, kids will enjoy the wackiness of the situation.
And, I suppose, kids will enjoy the wackiness of the situation.
January 16, 2019
that's weird
December 13, 2018
A very strange book.
May 20, 2016
Quite bizarre, but hilarious and totally worth it for the gorgeous printed illustrations.
October 11, 2025
The illustrations are interesting because the only colors used are white, black, blue, orange, and small specks of green.
This story is kind of cute, and a little weird.
Otho has to navigate life with a pumpkin for a head, and his head and body can survive without each other. (Odd.) His pumpkin head does get taken from his body and weird little adventure ensues.
This would be ok for a kid who has anything going on that makes them feel different, especially physically. Also, it would be good to teach kids that others may have differences that make life difficult for them. And that we should be kind to them and treat them well just like we would anyone else.
This story is kind of cute, and a little weird.
Otho has to navigate life with a pumpkin for a head, and his head and body can survive without each other. (Odd.) His pumpkin head does get taken from his body and weird little adventure ensues.
This would be ok for a kid who has anything going on that makes them feel different, especially physically. Also, it would be good to teach kids that others may have differences that make life difficult for them. And that we should be kind to them and treat them well just like we would anyone else.
September 29, 2017
Bolted doors and windows barred,
Guard dogs prowling in the yard,
Won't protect you in your bed,
Nothing will, from Pumpkinhead!
(From the 1980s movie of the same name)
Young readers who like their books weird and a little bit dark (Think Nightmare before Christmas) will enjoy this odd little tale.
Veg*n parents note: The titular character is caught by a fisherman, sold with a bunch of dead fish at a market, and is shown eating a whole fish on a plate at the book's conclusion.
Guard dogs prowling in the yard,
Won't protect you in your bed,
Nothing will, from Pumpkinhead!
(From the 1980s movie of the same name)
Young readers who like their books weird and a little bit dark (Think Nightmare before Christmas) will enjoy this odd little tale.
Veg*n parents note: The titular character is caught by a fisherman, sold with a bunch of dead fish at a market, and is shown eating a whole fish on a plate at the book's conclusion.
April 22, 2021
Easily one of the weirdest picture books I've ever read... which is probably a bit of a compliment and a bit of a complaint, haha. Parents should definitely read this themselves before sharing it with their kids, as removable heads and being carried away by bats and eaten by fish could all be disturbing to easily alarmed children. Of course, more unusual children will undoubtedly find this story a LOT more appealing than the usual picture book fare.
November 16, 2017
A young boy born with a pumpkin head has it stolen by a bat. Adventure and hilarity ensue. preschool and up for humor
August 30, 2018
Beautiful illustrations, weird story.
March 28, 2019
This book is weird. Even the third graders I read it to bought so. But totally worth reading!
July 6, 2019
halloween, strange boy, bat, weird, fish, mama
October 23, 2019
This book is kinda weird and the illustrations are much too small to share with a large group. Yet I kinda like it.
November 22, 2019
This is an unusual story about a boy with an unusual head - a pumpkin! Outlandish and funny with great illustrations.
October 1, 2020
Kicking of the Spooky and Halloween season with the coziest and most adorable children's halloween book. This is just so cute I can't even. Bring on the themed reads!
September 30, 2021
This is an odd book. It reminded me of James Stevenson's "Could Be Worse" in that a person is carried off by a bird *SPOILER* on an adventure but ends up safely back home.
February 24, 2022
we have to know that
its okay to be different
the world still love us
its okay to be different
the world still love us
June 28, 2022
As far as children’s books go, this one is… not the best
October 10, 2016
Kind of gross when you think about it.
January 26, 2014
Genre:
Fantasy (I really don't know what other genre it would fall into- it's about a boy w/a pumpkinhead)
Intended Age:
School Library Journal recommends it for Preschool - 2nd grd. (and I agree)
Summary:
Fun, descriptive, sometimes rhyming language tells the story of, Otho, a boy born with a pumpkin head. Even though Otho faces difficulties having a pumpkin for a head things seem to work out just fine for him in the end.
Curriculum Connection:
Pumpkinhead lends itself very well to creative writing connections - asking the children to write about a time they felt different, alone, or like things were out of their control. Pumpkinhead also has opportunities throughout to ask open ended questions about where the story might be going or what the resolution for Otho might be. Having the children predict the outcome of the story, or for Otho, could be a good exercise for younger children.
Opinion:
I felt this book was quirky in a "Nightmare Before Christmas" kind of way. I can see its appeal to children for its silly nature, action oriented illustrations, and creative use of language; but, personally, I found it a bit creepy.
Visual Appeal:
I find that Pumpkinhead has strong visual appeal. It is a compact, black, square, book with a square cutout that frames Otho's orange pumpkin head against a blue background. The color palette within the book keeps the blue, orange, and black throughout. It feels, at times, like a you're looking at a photo album of this story. The illustrations are most often framed in thick black lines and usually have some kind of action taking place in them. The text is black against a white background and scant on many pages, which leaves a lot of white space.
Fantasy (I really don't know what other genre it would fall into- it's about a boy w/a pumpkinhead)
Intended Age:
School Library Journal recommends it for Preschool - 2nd grd. (and I agree)
Summary:
Fun, descriptive, sometimes rhyming language tells the story of, Otho, a boy born with a pumpkin head. Even though Otho faces difficulties having a pumpkin for a head things seem to work out just fine for him in the end.
Curriculum Connection:
Pumpkinhead lends itself very well to creative writing connections - asking the children to write about a time they felt different, alone, or like things were out of their control. Pumpkinhead also has opportunities throughout to ask open ended questions about where the story might be going or what the resolution for Otho might be. Having the children predict the outcome of the story, or for Otho, could be a good exercise for younger children.
Opinion:
I felt this book was quirky in a "Nightmare Before Christmas" kind of way. I can see its appeal to children for its silly nature, action oriented illustrations, and creative use of language; but, personally, I found it a bit creepy.
Visual Appeal:
I find that Pumpkinhead has strong visual appeal. It is a compact, black, square, book with a square cutout that frames Otho's orange pumpkin head against a blue background. The color palette within the book keeps the blue, orange, and black throughout. It feels, at times, like a you're looking at a photo album of this story. The illustrations are most often framed in thick black lines and usually have some kind of action taking place in them. The text is black against a white background and scant on many pages, which leaves a lot of white space.
December 3, 2013
“Pumpkinhead” is an unusual but enduring tale of a little boy named Otho who is born with a pumpkin for a head. One day while Otho is playing, his head is plucked from his body by a bat and dropped into the sea. From there his head goes on a crazy journey that is imaginative and suspenseful. This book’s illustrations are small, creative, interesting, and primarily done in orange, blue, black, and white. This story emphasizes the love and support a family has and how it is okay to be different.
“Pumpkinhead” uses many descriptive words such as “ravenous”, “looming”, and “drifted”. These are words that may be difficult or unknown for beginning readers. Because of the vocabulary in this book, it would be an excellent tool for a vocabulary lesson. Prior to reading the book, the teacher would make a word wall with the challenging words on it. The students would then point them out while the teacher was reading the book to them. In addition, if there were any other words in the book that the students could not understand, they could be added to the word wall. After finishing the book, the teacher would ask the students to use the words appropriately in a sentence and then act them out in order to fully grasp their meaning.
“Pumpkinhead” uses many descriptive words such as “ravenous”, “looming”, and “drifted”. These are words that may be difficult or unknown for beginning readers. Because of the vocabulary in this book, it would be an excellent tool for a vocabulary lesson. Prior to reading the book, the teacher would make a word wall with the challenging words on it. The students would then point them out while the teacher was reading the book to them. In addition, if there were any other words in the book that the students could not understand, they could be added to the word wall. After finishing the book, the teacher would ask the students to use the words appropriately in a sentence and then act them out in order to fully grasp their meaning.
October 15, 2012
Citation: Pumpkinhead, by Eric Rohmann. (Borzoi Book, 2003). 38p. Concept.
Genre: Picture Book - Concept
Summary: The story is a tale of a boy who was born with a pumpkin for a head. The story goes on to describe the various adventures that Pumpkinhead had.
A. One awesome feature of this book is that you open it up and it gives you a preview of what the story is going to entail. The best aspect is the lesson learned in the book which is that it is okay to look different and people can still accept you.
B. One facet of the story I found particulary odd was that Otho could still function without his body. It was the pumpkin itself who went on all of the adventures. The illustrations help move the story along.
C. For example, on page 10 we see Otho’s head get taken away by a bat who wants to live in it. We see the bat flying away which makes the readers want to immediately turn to the next page to find out what happened to Otho’s head.
Curriculum Connection: This book would be a wonderful read aloud with a class followed by a discussion with students about how to accept people who are different from you.
Genre: Picture Book - Concept
Summary: The story is a tale of a boy who was born with a pumpkin for a head. The story goes on to describe the various adventures that Pumpkinhead had.
A. One awesome feature of this book is that you open it up and it gives you a preview of what the story is going to entail. The best aspect is the lesson learned in the book which is that it is okay to look different and people can still accept you.
B. One facet of the story I found particulary odd was that Otho could still function without his body. It was the pumpkin itself who went on all of the adventures. The illustrations help move the story along.
C. For example, on page 10 we see Otho’s head get taken away by a bat who wants to live in it. We see the bat flying away which makes the readers want to immediately turn to the next page to find out what happened to Otho’s head.
Curriculum Connection: This book would be a wonderful read aloud with a class followed by a discussion with students about how to accept people who are different from you.
November 25, 2013
Pumpkinhead is an unusual yet enduring story about a boy named Otho who is born with a pumpkin for a head. One day while Otho is playing, his head is plucked from his body by a bat and dropped into the sea. From there his head goes on a crazy journey that is imaginative and suspenseful. This book’s illustrations are small, creative, interesting, and primarily done in orange, blue, black, and white colors. I found the storyline to be very peculiar and while I did enjoy it I think I enjoyed the message that it gave readers more, and that is that it is okay to be different. It also conveyed the love and support that families can have for one another.
Uses in the Classroom:
• Vocab Lesson (create a word wall including words such as ravenous, looming, drifted, etc.)
• Class charades (students can act out some of the words)
• Writing assignment: Talk to students about how it is okay to be different. Students can look up famous people who perhaps weren’t always seen as “normal” in society and how they made a difference.
Uses in the Classroom:
• Vocab Lesson (create a word wall including words such as ravenous, looming, drifted, etc.)
• Class charades (students can act out some of the words)
• Writing assignment: Talk to students about how it is okay to be different. Students can look up famous people who perhaps weren’t always seen as “normal” in society and how they made a difference.
December 10, 2012
1. Picture Book-Other
2. This is an interesting story about a boy that was born with a pumpkin for a head, and the adventures he experiences.
3. Critique:
a. The best feature of this book are the adorable illustrations, set in a Halloween style color palette of creepy colors.
b. The illustrations were ultimately responsible for driving the story, especially with the bodiless pumpkin head going on adventures. These illustrations are fun and vivid, in a creepy way of course.
c. Ultimately, the illustrations contribute to the overall feeling of acceptance of a being that may be different, even if they have a pumpkin head.
4. This is a great, seasonally appropriate way to teach young children about diversity. Although there aren't people with pumpkins for heads, the struggles the boy goes through are very real for children who may feel different.
2. This is an interesting story about a boy that was born with a pumpkin for a head, and the adventures he experiences.
3. Critique:
a. The best feature of this book are the adorable illustrations, set in a Halloween style color palette of creepy colors.
b. The illustrations were ultimately responsible for driving the story, especially with the bodiless pumpkin head going on adventures. These illustrations are fun and vivid, in a creepy way of course.
c. Ultimately, the illustrations contribute to the overall feeling of acceptance of a being that may be different, even if they have a pumpkin head.
4. This is a great, seasonally appropriate way to teach young children about diversity. Although there aren't people with pumpkins for heads, the struggles the boy goes through are very real for children who may feel different.
December 21, 2011
Otho is a special boy born with a pumpkin head. One day, while he's out playing, he is spotted by a bat who was tired and weary. The bat thought otho's head would make a perfect home. So it swooped down and snatched Otho's head right off his body! But eventually a pumpkin head becomes quite heavy and the bat dropped it. Otho floated in the sea for many days until being swallowed by a fish. The fish is mightily squeezed by a squid one day and Otho comes popping out. But then he is caught up in the nets of a fisherman. The fisherman is excited. He's seen all kinds of fish, but never a pumpkin fish. He thinks he should get a good price at the market. So Otho ends up at the fish market. And guess who should find him there? His mother! She purchases him with some mackeral.
April 21, 2013
This book was very odd. I wasn't really sure how I felt about it. Especially how easily this poor kid's head could be detached from his body and whisked to parts unknown. Some of the humor in the book was a little dark, but not too terribly dark. There were some crazy lines though out, but the second page did make me smile. But the rest of the book seemed more like a series of odd occurrences rather than a story. It was rather strange. Not sure I'd recommend.
*Taken from My Sentiments Exactly!: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2013...
*Taken from My Sentiments Exactly!: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2013...
July 25, 2011
I didn't expect much from this book. After all, books called Pumpkinhead don't exactly scream literary gold, but I found this book at the same time as as The Cinder-Eyed Cats and I gave it a try. It was a simple story and I encourage anyone looking for a little light reading to give it a try. It certainly is an adventure story. It has the quest and the journey and even a brief moment of self-realization for the protagonist.
May 17, 2013
My favorite children's book of all time!
It's a lot bit quirky, but despite what one might think (see what I did there?) I have never had a child distressed that their own head would be stolen by a bat, and have read it to many children.
I'm not sure if it's the eccentric story, the beautiful wood prints, or the funny side jokes (his body is kept safe in a cool, dry place), but I adore this book.
It's a lot bit quirky, but despite what one might think (see what I did there?) I have never had a child distressed that their own head would be stolen by a bat, and have read it to many children.
I'm not sure if it's the eccentric story, the beautiful wood prints, or the funny side jokes (his body is kept safe in a cool, dry place), but I adore this book.
August 7, 2010
Otho was born with a pumpkinhead...it didn't just look like a pumpkinhead, it WAS a pumpkinhead. One day, out in the field, he lost his pumpkinhead when a big black bat snatched it from his body. What follows is the journey the pumpkinhead takes before being reattached to his body and family.
A little creepy.
Used for "Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere" Storytime-October, 2010.
A little creepy.
Used for "Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere" Storytime-October, 2010.
January 21, 2008
this is the most adorable picture book ever!
May 19, 2008
Beautiful woodcuts, and an odd but beautiful story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews