The Pumpkin Seed's Secret: A Life Cycle Poem

by Hannah Barnaby, Cédric Abt (illustrator)

A picture book full of heart and hominess, The Pumpkin Seed's Secret reveals the life cycle of a pumpkin with clever and cozy rhyme. With each page turn, the pumpkin becomes something new – it's a seed, a flower, a house, a face, and more! Extensive back matter on pumpkin life cycle stages, other fun pumpkin facts, and a recipe are included. A perfect book for home and school libraries!

A pumpkin is a seed.

A plain little seed with a secret inside,

A pocket, a pip with a new life to hide.

To hide and to hold

As springtime unfolds,

A pumpkin begins as a seed.

A pumpkin is a sprout.

A curious sprout with one leaf and then two,

A budding, a nudging, a slow peekaboo.

Happy for rain

And sunshine again,

A pumpkin pops out as a sprout.

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry, Nature, Gardening, Nonfiction, Childrens, Science

40 pages, Hardcover

Published July 2, 2024

About the author

Hannah Barnaby is a former children's book editor and indie bookseller, and was the first-ever Children's Writer-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library. Her debut young adult novel, Wonder Show, was a William C. Morris Award finalist, and her second novel, Some of the Parts, received a starred review from Publisher's Weekly. Hannah makes her double picture book debut in 2017 with Bad Guy, illustrated by Mike Yamada, and Garcia and Colette Go Exploring, illustrated by Andrew Joyner. Hannah lives in Charlottesville, VA with her family.

Reviews

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

The Pumpkin Seed's Secret: A Life Cycle Poem is exactly what the title depicts and tells the life cycle of a pumpkin from tiny seed to large vegetable. Told in poetic verse and accompanied by beautiful illustrations captivate the reader and bring the journey of growth of a pumpkin to life.
The back of the book features features further information and even a recipe to try!
This would make a great book for a school setting in science.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of those surprise finds that I had to get for my little library immediately.

It's a poem that tells of the life cycle of a pumpkin from seed to planting to growing to harvest to being prepared in various ways for food to being carved into a jack-o lantern for Halloween to being left in the garden to start the process all over again.





Obviously, the book is cutely illustrated throughout (not my favorite illustration style regarding the people but suitably nice).

A wonderful way of teacher the reader(s) what the actual life cycle of a pumpkin looks like, but also of letting the reader(s) know all the wonderful things one can do with pumpkins and how wonderful nature is.

Really cool book for young and old and absolutely befitting Spooktober / Halloween!

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children's nonfiction, plants. This book starts with themed endpapers (seeds on the front and pumpkins on the back!) and then tells in poetic form the life of a pumpkin. Each page has two stanzas of three lines each, for example:

A pumpkin is a vine.
A traveling vine crawling over the ground,
Leafy and reaching and stretching around.

A deeply green loom
Where the blossoms will bloom,
A pumpkin grows into a vine.

Beyond seed to plant to fruit to seed, this shows the family eating pumpkin food, the squirrel nesting in the abandoned pumpkin, the seeds overwintering. It is very informative in a limited amount of text, making it a good choice for younger readers. An extensive 6 pages of back matter includes a diagram of the pumpkin's anatomy, a written 11 step life cycle, information about fungus and decomposition, fun facts, and a recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds. Illustrations span the entire two-page spreads but the text is in high contrast white or black. A great new addition to life cycle books or fall pumpkin selections.

[Ilona · Rating 4 out of 5]

[I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley, in exchange for a honest review.]

“The Pumpkin Seed's Secret” is a very sweet picture book all about pumpkins, and their life cycle! All the process is written as a poem, making it very lovely and pleasing to read.

The illustrations are full of tenderness, and made this children's book even more enjoyable!

There are also some pages with more info at the end of the book, which I tend to appreciate a lot in children's books about nature—and a recipe is also included!

Very lovely read, that I recommend for all the little autumn lovers!

[Jessica Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little book about the life cycle, and many uses of pumpkin. The poem part is done fairly well with only some rhyming. I appreciated the educational parts in the back, very well presented and researched! My horticulturist self was pretty pleased. I would own this book.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Synopsis:
A Life Cycle Poem + Rhyming + Learning About Pumpkins

My thoughts:
🤔 This a a fun, poetic way to learn about the life cycle of a pumpkin.
🤔 I especially love the nonfiction extras in the back of the book. (Parts of a Pumpkin, A Pumpkin’s Life Cycle, Hooray! Decay!, Recipe for Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, and Pumpkin Fun Facts)
🤔 I love when poetry blends with nonfiction, and this book just does that!

Who is going to love it? Those who love….
❤ Poetry Books with Rhyme
❤️ Learning about the life cycle of pumpkins
❤️ Blending Poetry and Nonfiction
❤️ Giving Book Gifts for Holidays (like me!) This would be a good one for Halloween!🎃

🚨There are some challenging vocabulary words for the intended age level, so I would recommend some pre-teaching before reading.

📢This one releases soon! July 2, 2024! You can preorder now!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Kids @sourcebookskids and @NetGalley for this gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Joni Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice story about the life cycle of a pumpkin. Perfect for a science lesson in fall. The illustrations are soft and add nicely to the story.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to give this pumpkin life cycle picture book 5 stars because it’s even better than Will Hubbell’s Pumpkin Jack that I enjoyed very much and continued to recommend to teachers despite its 2000 copyright.

The Pumpkin Seed’s Secret has rhythm and rhyme and uses wonderful verbs and adjectives to describe each and every stage of a pumpkin from seed, to sprout and all the way to the gushy rot stage. The role of animals in seed distribution is included and author Hannah Barnaby, like Will Hubbell, includes the many uses of a pumpkin including Halloween decorations and yummy snacks and dessert. Her back matter is extensive and with the inclusion of a diagram of a pumpkin’s parts, a glossary of all the terms used at various stages, recipes, fun facts, a look at fungus in fields and forest, plus things to look for during a rotten walk in the woods, this picture book is useful with the youngest of learners and well through elementary school.

Cedric Abt’s digital illustrations literally spread themselves across the pages and augment the text beautifully.

Highly recommended for use during the Fall, Science lessons on life cycles, classroom cooking and so much more.

Target age: PK- grade 4 (and possibly higher)

Thanks for sending me a finished copy, Sourcebooks Kids.

[Deanne Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The little pumpkin seed has a big secret this Spring. With the rain gently falling on it, it starts out with just one leaf then two appear. As the sun shines and the vines start tangling around things it becomes lush and green, reaching up towards the sky. Summer appears and so do the orangey yellowish flowers which turn into small fruits visited by bees. Autumn comes around to visit us and the fruits have swollen into beautiful globes of orange pumpkins shielded by the thick pumpkin vines which have been silently creeping and twining upon everything. The pumpkins are now ready to pick for decorating your house or for consumption in your Autumn dishes. Fully illustrated with beautiful pictures children will fully appreciate showing the life stages of the pumpkin.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pumpkin Seed's Secret: A Life Cycle Poem written by Hannah Barnaby and illustrated by Cédric Abtis a delightful, narrative nonfiction story, written in lyrical, poetic style. When I first read this picture book, the feeling that came to my mind was cozy. Cozy is definitely a feeling that I like my picture books to evoke, especially in the fall. Readers will be fascinated by the full color, double page spread illustrations. They were created using Photoshop on a Huion Kamvas Pro tablet. Make sure to compare and contrast the end pages in the front and back of the book. Back matter includes: parts of a Pumpkin, Life Cycle of a Pumpkin, Fungus in the Field, and Pumpkin Fun Facts and Food. If you’re learning about life cycles, picking, or carving a pumpkin, this is the book you will want to share.

[Martha Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, it’s been done over and over. So many pumpkin seed books! BUT, does the author get a second look by doing it better than anyone else?
The rhyming is much better than you would expect and it beautifully serves the science. The back matter is voluminous and very interesting – I especially liked the section on decay. (others will be thrilled about the recipe). The illustrator is French and it shows in great visual appeal. AND the author is clear that if you leave the pumpkin intact and let it decay in a field (or even a big pot), pumpkin sprouts will be your reward next Spring! (it made me want to try this; imagine how it will affect preschool and early elementary classrooms)

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gem of a title about pumpkins in both text and illustration. I never thought I wrote write this, but I liked these illustrations created by PhotoShop! Obviously, Cedric Abt, the illustrator has spent time in a pumpkin patch as the illustration depicting the various stages of the pumpkin blossom are perfect. Even the blossoms in the bud stage are spot on.
And I learned in the appended material that the tradition of carving jack- o-lanterns originated in Moreland and after the Irish arrived in America the used pumpkins instead of potatoes and turnips.

[Charessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the eGalley to review!

I loved this book. It'd be a perfect autumnal story time pick, not just for its rhyming but for teaching kids about the life cycle of a pumpkin. There are several pages in the back providing more facts and graphs, as well as a recipe! It'd be perfect for a classroom unit. The illustrations are lovely to boot. I can't see a collection or display about pumpkins being complete without this title.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming picture book about pumpkins and their life cycle. Nice illustrations and narrative to go along with the pictures. Good descriptions of all the ways pumpkins can be used. There is a section at the end, with definitions, and additional information. There is also a simple recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds.

Perfect story for an autumn story hour.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for a review.

[Jordan Tu'ulauulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Kids for an E-ARC in exchange for my, and my son's, honest reviews.

A lovely and lyrical book going through the life of a pumpkin from seed to jack-o-lantern to pie. The words flowed nicely and the artwork is beautiful. My 4 year old liked the bugs and animals throughout the book and was shocked to see what a pumpkin looks like before it takes on the famous round orange shape. This was a little over his head. Overall a great read though!

[Abbigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cute rhyming picture book about watching a pumpkin grow. I love the squirrel, obviously, and the little reference to it at the end. Very extensive backmatter for kids who become interested in pumpkins after reading this book (life cycle of a pumpkin, pumpkin diagram, roasted pumpkin seed recipe, an exploration of fungus and decay as a part of the life cycle -- not common so happy to see that). Happy to add a new picture book to our fall section.

[Julia Shelburne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cute book is about a pumpkin’s life cycle. The book is poetic and thorough about pumpkins while still being easy to understand for all ages. I love this as an alternative to the spookier Halloween stories and will enjoy reading this aloud to my children.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

[Peacegal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful, rhyming celebrations of pumpkins in all seasons--seeds, sprouts, flowers, and gourds! The many uses of pumpkins, from fun jack o' lanterns to tasty ingredients are also highlighted, as well as the fact that they serve as shelter and nourishment for wildlife and fertilizer for the garden. The perfect read for this time of year,

[Andrea Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderous and beautifully illustrated poem about the life cycle of a pumpkin. I loved that all of the uses of a pumpkin was included, as well as figures at the end to show the parts of a pumpkin, recipes, and even how fungus helps in the lifecycle. A great book to include in your classroom or home!

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
I read a digital advanced copy courtesy of the publisher and Edelweiss
In poetic form, the life cycle of a pumpkin is examined from seed all the way to see again - throughout all four seasons.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

My students would like this book that shows pumpkins from seed to mush and mold. There is a picture of how some are used and one of them is a jack-o-lantern. I know some do not like that in a science book, but they are purchased for that a lot.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shows the life cycle of a pumpkin - from seed to plant to pumpkin back to seed and plant again. I also liked that it showed myriad ways pumpkins are used by people and animals alike. Fun facts in the back add to the science and it even includes a recipe for pumpkin pie (yum!)

[Holly Gonzales · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC reader for NetGalley

My lil was entranced by this lyrical poem on the lifecycle of a pumpkin. A colorful and fun way to learn.

[Patricia Q · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of information after the story. Great for a fall story time.

[Kelsey Modlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute illustrations, teaches life cycle and poem structure, and includes more in depth information about the life cycle at the back

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetic take on a pumpkin life cycle

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goes beyond just describing the life cycle of a pumpkin to include the ways it can be used as it grows and after it dies.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barnaby shares the life cycle of a pumpkin in poem format. Readers follow the growth from seed to final fruit and then see it repeat the following spring. The illustrations capture the stages.

[Lynne Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Also try the Pie that Molly Grew by Sue Heavenrich

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the title states, this is a rhyming tutorial of the life of a typical pumpkin from seed to Halloween decor to decay. There's also fun facts and a pumpkin seed roasting recipe in the back.