Pumpkins

by Jacqueline Farmer, Phyllis Limbacher Tildes (Illustrator)

Did you know pumpkins have been around for 11,000 years? Or that the biggest pumpkin on record weighed over 1,300 pounds? Learn all about pumpkins—where they come from, how to grow them, and more—in this informative book that's guaranteed to squash the competition. Recipes, fun facts, and resources round out the text.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, Halloween, Spanish Literature, Science

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Connie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It has a lot of interesting facts about pumpkins as well as their many different uses. It talks about carving pumpkins, eating pumpkins, planting and growing pumpkins. It even goes into the history of how long pumpkins have been around and why they were so popular. Pumpkins used to be grown for food because they were a fruit that stayed good for a long time when kept in a root cellar. I learned a lot about pumpkins from this book and I would love to have this book in my classroom. It would be fun to read this book in the fall with your students and then let them carve pumpkins and save the seeds and insides to make a couple of different dishes that the book mentions.

[Heather Knight]

This is a book all about pumpkins. It describes the many different types of pumpkins and what they are grown for. It also describes how pumpkins have been used throughout the years all over the world. Did you know that the pilgrims grew pumpkins? After the fridge was created, people did not need to eat them anymore so they got a new use, jack-o-lanterns! The book gives us a back story on jack-o-lanterns as well!

I thought this book was a creative way to teach young children about pumpkins and where they came from. I also love that it tells us all of the different ways that we can use a pumpkin!

[Elisa Maher · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect book for fall, this is a very informative book to teach kids about pumpkins from seed to a jack-o lantern! It contains the history of pumpkins, and a variety of fun facts. For example did you know that in Ethiopia they make pumpkin soup to celebrate the New Year! Great for younger school age kids, what make this book great is that it is also written in Spanish! We are currently using it as part of our pumpkin science unit for 1st grade.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A non fiction book that teaches adults as well as children about all things Pumpkin!
The format is not cohesive but that is forgiven by the interesting content.
Recommended for 5 and up, definitely too long to read aloud in one sitting.
Did you know there are real blue pumpkins?!

[Natalie Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute non-fiction book about pumpkins. It covers the origin of a pumpkin and just facts about them. Super cute and informative.

[Evelyn Swanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Pumpkins” by Jacqueline Farmer and Phyllis Limbacher Tildes as the illustrator is an informational text about pumpkins. It also includes historical facts, which make this book an additional source when teaching Social Studies. I recommend this book to upper elementary grade levels. However, a teacher can modify the lesson when using this book for the lower grades. With all the information in this book, students will become pumpkin experts by the end of the last page!

This book will take students back 11,000 years to Latin America when the people of Peru and Mexico ate them and made beautiful pumpkin-shaped pottery. Also, they will learn about the year 1620 when the pilgrims landed the Mayflower in what is now Massachusetts. In addition, this book contains information about how the Native Americans planted and cultivated pumpkin seeds for food and taught the pilgrims to do the same. A few things I have learned from this text is that a pumpkin is a fruit and not a vegetable, and some can weigh more than my family! Also, there are many types of pumpkins like the Connecticut Field, sweet Small Sugar, the Jack-Be-Little and the Atlantic Giant.

This book includes the best way to grow, farm, store them, and how to roast the seeds, make bread and pies. At the end of the book, you can find easy recipes to follow and fun facts like how to say “pumpkin” in different languages. Moreover, students can learn how to carve their own jack o lanterns for Halloween! Teachers will find this book helpful for an autumn season teaching theme. Students can learn about many topics, such as harvest time, the Mayflower and pilgrims, Native Americans, traditional American holidays, like Thanksgiving and Halloween. I like this book because it is very informative and it is an excellent source for making learning fun and engaging.

[Megan McKenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal reaction: Overall this is a very informational book that includes facts that many people (especially children) probably do not know, like 9/10 pumpkins purchased are used for carving or that a pumpkin is really a vegetable. This book could easily inspire further questions and research on pumpkins. I wish this book would have included a variety of illustration formats, as well as real pictures of pumpkins. Also, the book covers a variety of informational categories on pumpkins that may seem overwhelming.

Purpose(s): This would be a great read aloud if doing a unit on pumpkins or fall theme. I would not recommend reading this book in it's entirety in one sitting to young students. As a read-aloud to students as young as kindergarten, in sections, it could be incorporated into a number of projects related to the intended objective. For example, if you want to discuss carving of pumpkins, you could introduce it by reading the history of jack-o-lanterns on page 17. You then could encourage your students to design their own jack-o-lanterns by reading on to page 22 about pumpkin carving. This would be a good book also as an independent reading book for children around 3rd grade. You could keep in the reading center available to students when doing a unit on pumpkins or plants in general. Children who are able to read this book on their own will be intrigued by the many facts included to do further research on the topic.

Other: While the author of this book does not note specific research or credibility on the topic, a list of other sources about pumpkins is included. This is not to say that the information is incorrect but as an educator, one should check the facts to be sure it is a reliable book.

[Kelli McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Pumpkins by Jacqueline Farmer. There were some facts about pumpkins that I had not known before, for example one of the first things mentioned in this picture book is that pumpkins are a fruit not a vegetable, which I had always had mixed up. So this was more of an educating read for myself than I had expected it to be. I would read this story a loud to a class of second graders definitely during the fall time. This would be beneficial to read right after halloween and before thanksgiving because it includes a variety of pumpkin facts, answering the questions of where pumpkins came from, what they were used for (historically and now), how they grow, why we carve jack-o-lanterns and how to make a delicious pumpkin pie. This factual book about pumpkins could fall under a few different categories of reading aloud for enrichment or curricular reasons, because it does include some history and even brings up the Mayflower. Pumpkins also offers other perspectives about pumpkins, including details about the use of pumpkins in Latin America and Mexico. Other interesting facts include Native Americans grew pumpkins for food and medicine and the Iroquois Indians believed pumpkins were a gift from God.

[J-Lynn Van Pelt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is full of facts about pumpkins, but there is a lot going on and it isn't very cohesive. The book is part informational text about pumpkins themselves, part historical fiction about the importance of pumpkins and how our Halloween traditions came about, plus it has recipes, directions on how to carve a Jack-o-Lantern, a glossary of the word pumpkin in multiple languages, a list of Guinness-type record setting pumpkins, and a page of websites and reference books. It is kind of all over the place, but did provide good general information about pumpkins.

The watercolor and pencil drawings are bright and clear, showcasing the pumpkins well. However, the illustrations, by Phyllis Limbacher Tildes, are what concerns me. This book has a lot of text and would be more appropriate for older elementary readers, but the illustrations show very young children doing all of the tasks. Also, it has a stereotypical portrayal of an American Indian girl that I didn't like.

[Dawn Draper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pumpkins cover everything pumpkin. Types of pumpkins, how people throughout history used pumpkins, how pumpkins are grown, traditions using pumpkins and lastly how we use pumpkins during the fall make this book one that covers a great deal of information. The illustrations are informational as well. At the back of the book there are sections for how pumpkin is said in other languages, interesting facts about pumpkins and other places where a student could find more information on pumpkins. This would be a great book for a student to do a report or project from. It has it all, and would give beginning writers a on stop shop for doing research.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pumpkins by Jacqueline Farmer is a book for 1st or 2nd graders. I would definitely use this book during Halloween. It is an informative book about pumpkins, how to grow them, the importance of them, and the history. I would let the students use this book to jump start their creativity. I would have a pumpkin carving contest or even have them make pumpkins using construction paper or paints. I would probably bring in some pumpkin treats while doing this activity. I would bring this book out during a Halloween party or set a time to do this on a Friday when there isn't much to do.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pumpkins by Jacqueline Farmer has bright, colorful illustrations and tons of interesting and surprising facts about pumpkins, halloween, and Halloween.

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

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read to find out little known facts about pumpkins. I wasn't aware of many of the facts in this book and my 2nd graders were as interested in them as I was. It is a bit long for a read aloud for the younger kids.

[CFAITC]

This book introduces the pumpkin plant, including its anatomy, growth cycle, and historical importance.

[Mary Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun with this book in homeschool coop kindergarden!

[Rachel]

Talks about the process of the growth of pumpkins, kinds of pumpkins, history of pumpkins, and uses of pumpkins.

[Rachel]

The pumpkin book in spanish

[Emerson and Theodore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great. Even has recipes.

[Angie Quantrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great nonfiction book about pumpkins - lots of facts, history, and information. Love it!