''Big Pumpkin'' is a children's book written by
Erica Silverman, illustrated by
S. D. Schindler
''Catwings'' is a series of four American children's picture books written by Ursula K. Le Guin, illustrated by S. D. Schindler, and originally published by Scholastic from 1988 to 1999. It follows the adventures of kittens who were born wi ...
, and published by
Aladdin Paperbacks in 1992. The story is loosely based on a Russian
folktale
A folktale or folk tale is a folklore genre that typically consists of a story passed down from generation to generation orally.
Folktale may also refer to:
Categories of stories
* Folkloric tale from oral tradition
* Fable (written form of the a ...
, "
The Gigantic Turnip", and takes place on
Halloween
Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...
as a witch struggles to release her pumpkin from a vine.
Plot
The story begins on Halloween. A
witch has grown a large pumpkin in preparation, but she struggles to release the pumpkin from its vine. With Halloween just hours away, the witch desperately tries to tug and pull on the pumpkin, but to no avail. Not soon after, a ghost arrives and notices the large pumpkin. The witch explains how she wishes to release the pumpkin from the vine, but cannot. The ghost offers his help, but he is also unable to release the pumpkin from its vine.
A
vampire then arrives and like the witch and the ghost, he also struggles to release the pumpkin. A
mummy also notices the pumpkin and like the witch, ghost and vampire, she struggles to release the pumpkin using the same method as the other three. Soon a bat arrives and notices the pumpkin. Initially, the four others just laugh at the bat. However, the bat suggests that they all work together to get the pumpkin off the vine. This new method proves to be successful as they are able to release the pumpkin from the vine. The pumpkin flies into the air and lands in front of the witch's house.
The witch makes
pumpkin pie and shares it with the ghost, vampire, mummy and the bat. The story ends as the witch plants another pumpkin seed.
Reception
Critical reception for ''Big Pumpkin'' was mostly positive,
with the book garnering positive reviews from ''
Publishers Weekly'' and ''
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
''. The ''
Horn Book Guide'' gave a mostly positive review, calling it an "amiable take-off".
Educational use
The book has been recommended for classroom use, to teach children not only about the holiday of Halloween but also about virtues such as caring and cooperation.
The
Scholastic cassette
Cassette may refer to:
Technology
* Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback
** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in the ...
has the music of Richard DeRosa and the singing narration of
Steven Blane
Steven Blane is an American rabbi, cantor and recording singer-songwriter.
Rabbi Blane, a Universalist rabbi and cantor, conducts his teaching and pastoral work online. He is the founder and dean of the Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute, an on ...
.
References
External links
Erica Silverman(official) – wit
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Big Pumpkin
1992 children's books
American picture books
Halloween children's books
Picture books based on fairy tales
Aladdin Paperbacks books