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The Magic Pumpkin
The little old woman rides through the jungle in her magic pumpkin confident that she can outwit the tiger and gray wolf waiting to eat her for dinner.
- GenresPicture Books
46 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1971
8 people want to read
About the author
Gloria Skurzynski
90 books30 followers"May you live in interesting times."
That ambiguous wish was not meant to be kind, because interesting times can be difficult. You and I certainly live in interesting times - dangerous, challenging, and fascinating.
My parents were born just before the start of the twentieth century; my youngest grandchild arrived in this century's final decade. The years in between have been the most dynamic in the history of the human race. Technical knowledge has exploded; so has the Earth's human population. We can create almost anything, yet each day we lose parts of our planet that can never be replaced.
I'm greedy: I want to write about all of it - the history, the grief, joy, and excitement of being human in times past; the cutting-edge inventions of times almost here.
--from the author's website
Gloria Skurzynski has also co-written books with her daughter Alane Ferguson.
That ambiguous wish was not meant to be kind, because interesting times can be difficult. You and I certainly live in interesting times - dangerous, challenging, and fascinating.
My parents were born just before the start of the twentieth century; my youngest grandchild arrived in this century's final decade. The years in between have been the most dynamic in the history of the human race. Technical knowledge has exploded; so has the Earth's human population. We can create almost anything, yet each day we lose parts of our planet that can never be replaced.
I'm greedy: I want to write about all of it - the history, the grief, joy, and excitement of being human in times past; the cutting-edge inventions of times almost here.
--from the author's website
Gloria Skurzynski has also co-written books with her daughter Alane Ferguson.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 15, 2025
This rating is for the edition adapted by Gloria Skurzynski and illustrated by Rocco Negri.
October 12, 2025
Author Gloria Skurzynski and illustrator Rocco Negri retell a traditional Indian folktale in this picture book from 1971. Mother Parvati, an elderly village woman of the Bhilla tribe, travels safely through the jungle to visit her married daughter in her magic pumpkin, convincing both Vagha the tiger and Kolha the wolf to allow her to pass, promising they can eat her on her return trip. That clever old woman however, manages to escape this fate by provoking the two predators into fighting one another, allowing her to return safely home...
Having recently read and enjoyed Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and Susy Pilgrim Waters' Grandma and the Great Gourd: A Bengali Folktale , which retells a very similar tale to this one, I picked up The Magic Pumpkin with some interest. Given the use of the words vagha and kolha, which are from the Marathi language (although kolha apparently means fox), I would assume that this variant of the story is from Maharashtra or a nearby state. Unfortunately, no information is given as to the tale's source, something which is always unfortunate, in a folkloric retelling. In any case, I found the story here engaging, and thought Skurzynski's retelling was entertaining. It's clearly told from an outsider's perspective—would an Indian storyteller have felt the need to mention that Mother Parvati was brown, or would that be understood, within the culture's own context?—but I didn't sense any disrespect, as mentioned in another online review. It was interesting to see how similar this was to the variant retold by Divakaruni—an old woman travels through the jungle to visit her daughter, outwitting various predators who want to eat her with the help of a pumpkin/gourd—but also how it was different. In that other version, the gourd itself allows the heroine to escape the tiger, fox and bear, whereas here the tiger and wolf fight each other, allowing Mother Parvati to proceed on her way. Rocco Negri's artwork here was not as colorful as that of Susy Pilgrim Waters, but had some vintage charm. My favorite part were the depictions of the animals—the human figures were less appealing.
All in all, I enjoyed this one. I like to read and compare different retellings of the same folk and fairy-tales, so I'm glad to have discovered its existence during a recent search for pumpkin-related picture books for the autumn season. On the whole I think I prefer the Divakaruni/Waters retelling, which feels more authentic and more vibrant, and would recommend seeking that one out, if you only have time for one. But if, like me, you enjoy these kind of comparative reads, or if you enjoy vintage picture book art, I would recommend reading this one as well.
Having recently read and enjoyed Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and Susy Pilgrim Waters' Grandma and the Great Gourd: A Bengali Folktale , which retells a very similar tale to this one, I picked up The Magic Pumpkin with some interest. Given the use of the words vagha and kolha, which are from the Marathi language (although kolha apparently means fox), I would assume that this variant of the story is from Maharashtra or a nearby state. Unfortunately, no information is given as to the tale's source, something which is always unfortunate, in a folkloric retelling. In any case, I found the story here engaging, and thought Skurzynski's retelling was entertaining. It's clearly told from an outsider's perspective—would an Indian storyteller have felt the need to mention that Mother Parvati was brown, or would that be understood, within the culture's own context?—but I didn't sense any disrespect, as mentioned in another online review. It was interesting to see how similar this was to the variant retold by Divakaruni—an old woman travels through the jungle to visit her daughter, outwitting various predators who want to eat her with the help of a pumpkin/gourd—but also how it was different. In that other version, the gourd itself allows the heroine to escape the tiger, fox and bear, whereas here the tiger and wolf fight each other, allowing Mother Parvati to proceed on her way. Rocco Negri's artwork here was not as colorful as that of Susy Pilgrim Waters, but had some vintage charm. My favorite part were the depictions of the animals—the human figures were less appealing.
All in all, I enjoyed this one. I like to read and compare different retellings of the same folk and fairy-tales, so I'm glad to have discovered its existence during a recent search for pumpkin-related picture books for the autumn season. On the whole I think I prefer the Divakaruni/Waters retelling, which feels more authentic and more vibrant, and would recommend seeking that one out, if you only have time for one. But if, like me, you enjoy these kind of comparative reads, or if you enjoy vintage picture book art, I would recommend reading this one as well.
December 18, 2021
Fun story about a clever old woman who outwits a tiger and a wolf who want to eat her. The some of the language used to describe the woman and her home are quietly disrespectful--she lives in a "hut", not a "home"--and there's not much sign of awareness about Indian culture. The story is supposedly from Indian folklore; it could be a fun one to see retold and illustrated by people who know what they're talking about.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews