Snow Pumpkin

by Carole Lexa Schaefer, Pierr Morgan (Illustrator)

The author-illustrator team of the celebrated picture book The Squiggle team up again to tell of a heartwarming and surprising snowy adventure.

No school tomorrow! With a few inches on the ground, Lily is off to the park bright and early to find her friend Jesse and build the season's first snowman. But everyone's already at the park and everyone's building snowmen. Lily and Jesse roll enough snow for the body, but there's not enough for a head until Lily gets an idea. A head should be round, but it doesn't have to be white. It could even be . . . a pumpkin!

Genres: Picture Books, Halloween, Childrens, Storytime

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 2000

About the author

When Carole Lexa Schaefer was growing up, she wanted to be both a poet and a journalist. In an unexpected way, she feels she achieved her ambition. While studying for a master's degree in early childhood education, she once put together a picture book made of photo essays. "The lyrical, every-word-counts genre captivated the poet and journalist in me," Carole Lexa Schaefer recalls--and she's been writing stories for children ever since. Her first book with Candlewick, THE COPPER TIN CUP, traces the origin of a family keepsake that's been handed down for generations. "It was inspired by my connections with my immigrant relatives through stories and songs--invisible heirlooms--to keep handing on," she says.

The longtime director of a Seattle preschool that she founded in 1980, Carole Lexa Schaefer often draws on her experience with young children when writing stories. In DOWN IN THE WOODS AT SLEEPYTIME, not one of the baby animals in the woods is ready to go to bed, until Grandma Owl finally finds a way to settle everyone down. The author says she was inspired "by all my friends at Little Friends Preschool who like to play just a little bit longer--even at sleepytime." Luckily, preschool teachers now have some help at nap time: DOWN IN THE WOODS AT SLEEPYTIME, says PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, is a book in which "author and artist make bedtime about as appealing as it gets."


With her next books, Carole Lexa Schaefer switches gears from sleepytime to partytime. FULL MOON BARNYARD DANCE is a rousing read-aloud that showcases farm animals dancing as they learn to appreciate their differences. ONE WHEEL WOBBLES, a zany counting book, follows one fun-loving family on Family Parade Day as they roll along on an ever-increasing number of wheels--Gramma on a motorcycle, Sister on a trike, and Grampa on some snazzy skates. Of ONE WHEEL WOBBLES, Carole Lexa Schaefer explains, "I wanted to create a counting book for children with which they could have a rollicking good time."


Carole Lexa Schaefer, who has a master's degree in early childhood education from the University of Washington, taught school for ten years in places as varied as Taiwan, Switzerland, and Micronesia, as well as Missouri and Washington. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, the author now lives in Seattle.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carol Lexa Schaefer's Snow Pumpkin sweetly and evocatively presents a basic and simple little anecdote of how two friends combine an early snowfall on Halloween with making a traditional snowman (using snow for the body, but then, when there obviously is not sufficient snow yet for the head, putting a pumkin on top, hence and of course the title of Snow Pumpkin).

Now although I cannot really claim that I have in any way been "blown away" by this story, Snow Pumpkin has indeed (with both Carol Lexa Schaefer's sweet and gentle narrative and Pierr Morgan's accompanying, tenderly luminous and descriptive accompanying illustrations) made my heart warm and my eyes smiling, and truly, that is really all which is sometimes required and which matters when reading. So yes, Snow Pumpkin is indeed most highly recommended (and I do oh so much appreciate the multi-ethnic and multi-generaltional feel of this book and that this is thankfully never made into a huge deal, that first and foremost, Snow Pumpkin is simly and utterly, magically a glowing and entertaining presentation of two friends using their imagination during a late October snowfall to make a snowman, and using a pumpkin for the snowman's head when there clearly is not enough snow on the ground as yet to make an entire snowman from top to bottom).

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining tale about an early snow storm and a snowman children made with the help of a pumpkin. I love the details in the illustrations, such as the people in the neighborhood wearing the costumes that Lily's grandmother sewed throughout the tale. And it was sweet to see all the children playing in the snow and making snowmen.

Our girls talked about how their cousins' Halloween was postponed last year because of an early snowfall (they live in Massachusetts), but it's not likely to happen where we live. We enjoyed reading this book together.

This book was featured as one of the selections for the December 2014 Snowmen-themed reads for the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When an unexpected snowstorm drops three inches of snow in October, Lily rushes to the park to build a snowman. When there is not enough snow for an entire snowman, Lily uses her wits and builds a snowman that is half snow/half pumpkin. A clever approach to combining the fall/winter seasons.

Used for "Fall for Pumpkins" Storytime-October, 2009.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the scene that this book set for a snowy night in October combining both seasons. Children from the North may understand, having seen a very rare day when snow came early while pumpkins are still out. Captures the spirit and the fun of the children in the story well.

[SamZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little tale. I especially enjoyed the ingenuity of the kids when their snow became too full of dirt and grass to make a head. Also really fun for those of us who have memories of trick-or-treating in inches of snow and arguing with our moms about how the winter coat would hide our costume. :)

[Becky Loader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely written and nicely illustrated gentle tale featuring a great pumpkin.

[Kathryn]

As a (non-mountains) California girl, I've never experienced a snowy Halloween but I really enjoyed reading about one in Snow Pumpkin. I appreciated the multi-ethnic cast of characters and the sense of community. T ingenuity of the children in creating their snowman when snow was dirty and scarce was wonderful! I enjoyed the illustrations and really appreciated the little details--for example, the grandmother is sewing in most of the scenes and at first, I wasn't sure what the grandmother was sewing or why but after I saw the ending I got a big smile on my face and went back to look again at each illustration of the grandmother sewing ;-) I liked the happier ending to the typical snowman tale, as well, and the final image of the smiling snow pumpkin's head on Halloween was really cute. I think this would be a good snowman tale for children who feel unhappy about the "melted snowman" endings of some other snowman books.

[Ami · Rating 2 out of 5]

Artwork was kind of bleh. One of the neighbors in the story has a Korean last name, which prompted David to tell me a few interesting tidbits of Korean last names, and honestly, that was the most interesting part of the whole experience. I mean, cute enough story: early snow, snowman made with pumpkin, snowman melts. But no gorgeous illustrations or engaging and conversation-prompting storyline (in and of itself; I guess it did prompt a conversation in our house, somewhat incidentally). One and a half stars, probably.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Halloween/snowman tale was a simple story of a little girl and her friend making a snowman, and using a garden pumpkin for the head. The story featured multi-ethnic characters, and had a sense of community, with many people building snowmen in the park. The last double-page spread shows the children dressed in their Halloween costumes, ready to collect treats, and the pumpkin from the melted snowman sitting in the place of honor on the windowsill. The final end papers are decorated with snowflakes cut from paper. The illustrations were nice enough, but did not especially appeal to me.

[Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Touching, easily accessible story.

The real standout star is Mr. Rhee. An adult man, wandering around in the snow with his dog, telling awful jokes. Who then dresses up as Super Rhee for Halloween, with his Scottie dog done up as a sidekick. This is the kind of character that begs for a spin-off. I'd buy a deeper examination of Mr. Rhee's life in a heartbeat.

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was a cute seasonal read. There were two children who woke up to snow in October and went to build a snowman. They needed a head for their snowman and it was October so they used a pumpkin. The next day they woke up and all the snow had melted but the pumpkin was still there, and they used it for Halloween later in the week.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the theme, setting, design, and illustration style.

I'm not too sure of the idea that snowmen and pumpkins can actually be shaped so well... they never have been for us (but that's just me being cynical and grumpy today, probably).

I will look for more by the author, especially if they take place in this same urban working-class diverse neighborhood.

[Shelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This seems like such a funny read to me, having lived in sunny California my entire life, the idea of snow right before Halloween. The children in this story were excited for the first snow fall, but needed the help of an interesting pumpkin to finish the job.

[Morgan]

Snow Pumpkin was a very easy read. The best thing about the book is that it was very relatable, kids always get excited for snow and this was a special case that was even more exciting while reading. I would put this in my classroom for it's classic feel and story that children will love.

[David Corleto-Bales · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming book about an October snowstorm and the making of a snowman. So true for Central New Yorkers!

[Sierra Davis]

this book had great illustrations. I think students would be very interested. I loved this book

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this book more than I expected to. Wonderful sense of place and season, and it really captures a sense of magic, wonder, and excitement about holidays and the transition of fall to winter.

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how this book shows children how a problem can be turned into a wonderful surprise. My daughter was fixated with the images of the book's pages especially the page with the little girl and her grandma.

[Kalynda · Rating 2 out of 5]

A young girl cleverly uses a pumpkin to complete her snowman during an early snowfall.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story and vibrant, active illustrations. A+ for diversity too.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a feel good story about an early snow storm and the imagination behind building a different type of snowman.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars -