The Pesky Problem

by Cristina Garcia

A delightful family of pumpkins and gourds have a “pesky problem”: a flock of crows with crazy feathers peck and poop on them day after day. The patch puts their heads together to solve the problem in a creative way. Readers are invited to discover how teamwork and believing in ourselves can take us far.

“Together, we have everything we need to find creative solutions to any pesky problem.” -Cristina G.

Genres: Childrens

Kindle Edition

Published April 13, 2025

About the author

Cristina Garcia is a Romanian-American author, educator, and proud mom of three who combines her passion for teaching with her love for storytelling. She holds a Master of Education from the University of Nebraska Kearney and is certified in early childhood and special education. With over 20 years of experience as a dedicated teacher, Cristina embraces a holistic approach to teaching that nurtures every child's head, heart, and hands.

She believes holistic teaching enables children to think critically, care deeply, and participate actively in the learning process. Her love for children and teaching inspires her to write fun and educational children's stories. Cristina hopes her stories spark joy and valuable life lessons in children everywhere.

Cristina is the author of The Pesky Problem, a delightful tale about a family of pumpkins and gourds who band together to protect themselves from a flock of mischievous crows. The patch finds a clever solution through teamwork, showing readers the power of collaboration and creativity.

Reviews

[Alina ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

☆☆☆☆

Thanks to Netgalley and Atmosphere Press for this ARC.

A charming and funny tale of pumpkins and gourds outsmarting pesky crows, The Pesky Problem delivers a sweet lesson in teamwork and creative problem‑solving with vibrant, lively illustrations.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given and my opinions are my own.

This is an amazing fall book that children will love so much! Not only is the story entertaining, but it teaches the idea of working together to achieve a common goal. Another big theme in the book is problem-solving, a skill that needs to worked on throughout our lifetime, starting from childhood. Parents and educators alike will love this book.

The illustrations are amazing, and as everyone knows, that is so important in children's literature. This author/illustrator team was perfect together, and I hope to see more books by them in the future.

[Bookaholic__Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is pretty cute and it has a decent message about teamwork. I think the illustrations were done well. The main characters are pumpkins and crows, so I think this is a perfect addition to the bookshelf for fall reading.

I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Sheila The Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Pesky Problem, a diverse and colorful group of pumpkins face a mysterious issue that’s disrupting their peaceful patch. As they work together to uncover the source of the problem, they discover the power of kindness, collaboration, and seeing value in every member of their community.

This is such a charming and inclusive fall story, brought to life through vibrant, whimsical illustrations that perfectly capture the book’s heartwarming message. Not only does it encourage teamwork and problem-solving, but it also gently teaches kids that how we treat others, no matter their shape, size, or age, really matters. The variety of pumpkins featured adds a lovely layer of visual diversity, and the educational chart at the end gives kids a fun way to learn more about different pumpkin types. A delightful pick for autumn storytime that’s both meaningful and fun.

[Kristi Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pesky Problem greets a patch of pumpkins who are tired of being pestered by a group of nasty crows. Following the lead of the eldest-Mr. Warty Goblin Pumpkin, the patch works together to ward off the crows. The illustrations are cute, and at the end there’s a section detailing the different types of pumpkins in the story. Shout out to Casper Pumpkin and Long Island Cheese Pumpkin!

Thank you to Atmosphere Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book!

The Pesky Problem released March 25th, 2025-go check it out!

[red · Rating 3 out of 5]

The positives of this book is the artwork and the themes of problem solving and teamwork. I will always read a pumpkin story. However, this book read very clunky. The dialogue was rough and difficult to follow. And the word choices in a children’s book was very strange. Words like “harass” and “ cockamamie”. Book didn’t make sense for target age.

I would not recommend.

[Taleah Ushendibaba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks netgalley and atmosphere press for a copy of this book for my little one in exchanged for a free review. This story was super cute! I think when my little one grows up, he will love it. I'm going to put it on a list to get him physically. Plus I loved the little graphic at the end that talked about the different types of pumpkins.

[Nikita Ramage]

overall the message behind this book is a great one for children which is if you work together you can achieve great things. I loved the illustrations however, the wording felt weird and didn't read very nicely and the way the story flowed seemed a bit disjointed

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story about the power of teamwork. The illustrations are adorable and there the end even has a pumpkin glossary! Thank you Atmosphere Press for this ARC.

[Eliz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pesky Problem is an amazing children's book that showcases working together, listening to others and how to problem solve! The art fits perfectly with the story and is very colorful with a lot detail! It's a story to keep that can be read several times and many years during the fall season.

[Feathered Quill Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pesky Problem by Cristina Garcia is the story of an issue that has been bothering a pumpkin and gourd patch daily. Everyday, pesky crows want to feed on the various pumpkins and gourds in this patch located in the colorful countryside, leading to the flock of crows pecking them incessantly.

The pumpkins and gourds try thinking of a way to stop the mean crows from being a nuisance. One pumpkin comes up with the idea of borrowing the local corn field’s scarecrow. She has watched the field for days, and noticed the crows have left the corn fields alone once the scarecrow was put in place. That may very well be the solution for the pumpkins and gourds. But when they go to talk to the ears of corn and present their dilemma, the ears of corn laugh at them for even thinking they would lend them their scarecrow. Defeated, the pumpkins and gourds return to their patch and come up with another plan. Does their plan work this time for them? Do the crows finally leave the pumpkin patch alone?

This was such an adorable story for readers of any age to enjoy. First, it was so entertaining to read about pumpkins, gourds, and ears of corn that were alive and talking. Each had their own personality, which made developing feelings for them extremely easy for the readers right from the start. The manner in which this dilemma was presented to the readers will teach young children that if at first you don’t succeed, try again. When Warty Goblin came up with a back-up plan, readers can’t help but cheer him on and hope his plan will work to protect his patch from the crows.

The illustrations provided by both Lenka Knoetze and Amy De Vries were not only a delight to look at, but were found on every single page of this adorable children’s book. The colors were vivid and eye-catching, and the illustrations perfectly complemented the written word from the author.

Quill says: The Pesky Problem by Cristina Garcia not only teaches children a valuable lesson about teamwork, but will also entertain readers of all ages with the whimsical story and eye-catching illustrations.

[Amira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for providing this e-book copy.

What I enjoyed about this book:
1. The illustration is very homely based on the colours used. In addition, the creative part comes when each different type of pumpkins has a fun looking appearance. Some wore glasses, and some had hats, they’re very fun to look at!

2. Characters’ names - this was the most fun and enjoyable part for me!! Each of the characters have their very own name such as: ‘Fairytale Pumpkin’, ‘Munchkin Pumpkin’, ‘Casper Pumpkin’. I love when they give names to inanimate objects. It will encourage the children to think creatively. It gives them the idea that these little things can be named according to their very own imagination.

3. The author even dedicated a page on the different types of pumpkins and information on the gourd! Very educational, even for an adult. Honestly, when you’re adulting, all kinds of pumpkins are pumpkins to you as long as you’re able to know which can be used for cooking or decorating it for Halloween! Thank you dear author for providing extra information regarding the type of pumpkins and which can or cannot be eaten.

4. Of course, the moral of the story - teamwork and cooperation.

Who is suitable to read this?
Everyone, haha. Both kids and adults! For adults it is such a great read for you to take a break before continuing reading a long series or when you’re in a reading slump. Take a break and enjoy the illustrations of pumpkins and gourds cooperating to save themselves from being threatened by those pesky crows!

Good bedtime story, with different characters - parents and children can play different roles and make different sounds. Kids can explore a variety of roles and characters. As an ESL teacher, from my point of view teaching in one of the SEA countries - this book is recommended starting from Grade 3 Intermediate-Advanced up until Grade 6. Also recommended for teachers to use this as a role-play activity for Grade 3-Grade 4. For Grade 1 - parents and educators may need to do it as a story time where they hear and later on repeat each and every word just so they recognise the words and spellings.

I enjoyed reading this so much and can’t wait to purchase a physical copy of my own!
Rate: 4.5/5

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

My young son and I were excited to dive in to one of our first autumnal books of 2025. "The Pesky Problem" boasts beautiful illustrations and perfect colours for a great fall read-aloud. The variety of characters highlights the idea of diversity and encourages relatability as both the pumpkins and crows experience conflict and collaboration throughout the story. We both agreed our favorite part of the story was the "Different Types of Pumpkins" section which revealed individual, vibrant illustrations of each pumpkin/gourd and a description of the type of pumpkin!

However, my son was immediately frowning as the pumpkins and gourds spoke rudely to one another followed by the crows doing the same! This seemed to cause a disconnect as he watched the characters dismissing ideas of others. He was upset that the crows, behaving as crows do: searching for food in a field, were being treated as the villains of the story. He practically snapped at the injustice received by Warty Pumpkin's ideas and feelings being ignored by Fairytale Pumpkin and was absolutely furious by the end that the crows went without ANY food. A great feeling as a mom to have such an empathetic kid picking up on kind and unkind behaviour, not the most delightful reading experience, however. I really appreciated the variations of behaviour more complex than simply "nice" or "mean"! Including "entitled" provided an important learning opportunity and it was a great example that he was able to grasp by concept.

This story will be a *great* addition to classrooms, though I believe a recommended age range for this book would be between 6-9 years, as the word choice is advanced for younger readers and the overall negative tone of the problem solving among the groups might not be the right fit for very early readers.

I was provided with an electronic copy of The Pesky Problem by Cristina Garcia in return for an honest review. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this title and look forward to future reads from this author.

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pesky problem here is that a 'family' of disparate pumpkins and gourds are terrified of the local flock of crows – and so are the local heads of corn. When the heads of corn refuse to hand over their scarecrow, the pumpkins look doomed to suffer the pecking and the pooping – but they might have a way to sort things out.

This was perfectly adequate – although it suffered obviously from taking a plot point from one of my favourite books, so I could guess it far too early and even if the 'family' is a daft idea. I don't know why the art took two people in different countries to come up with it, but it again is very reasonable. I think the use of 'cockamamie' is not correct here, and somebody breaks into rhyme for no reason, but on the whole quibbles are minor, and this is worth a look. It's not done brilliantly, mind – and that fact and the deja vu I had reduce this to three and a half stars, but I'd not dismiss it right away.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

To start off this book is way too long. And the word choices are interesting. It sounds like a grandma telling a tale. Which could be lovely if done in the right way. Here it just drags the story out and makes a lot of things redundant. While the story overall was fine, my biggest problem is the reviews of the book in the very beginning. It has two glowing reviews before the story even starts. I hate when authors and publishers do this. It’s one thing if it’s a big name, traditional author who’s got a ton of books already. But for a smaller, not well known picture book author I think it’s a bad call. It sets the reader up for something that some other people have called absolutely wonderful so then it’s created the expectation that’s hard to live up to. And for this book, the expectation did not live up to what the reviews Told me what I’d find in these pages. That just makes the book even worse than it would have been without those glowing reviews.

[bookcookery]

Filled with scarecrows and pumpkins, The Pesky Problem is a fitting read for Halloween or the fall season. Best suited for preschoolers and early elementary readers, it offers a mildly spooky vibe that will work for younger audiences. The story includes simple problem-solving and conflict resolution, making it both engaging and educational. It's also fun to explore the many different types of pumpkins featured throughout the book, with a helpful explainer at the end that adds an extra layer of learning.

Thanks to Atmosphere Press and NetGalley for the advance reading copy.