Freak369's Full Review: Erica Silverman and Erica Siverman - Big Pumpkin
While most of the Halloween books that I own were gifts from friends, there are some that I purchased myself after getting seeing other stuff that I really liked by a particular author. In the case of this book, I was talking to some fellow Halloween lovers and they recommended the book saying that it was one of the cutest they’d seen but not so sugar coated that you wanted to gag. I had to look around for this for a while before I came across it at a small local bookstore but it was most definitely worth the effort. As I’ve mentioned in several other reviews of kids books, there is something so redeeming about being able to pick up a book, read it in a couple of minutes and come away from it with a smile. Don’t let the cover illustrations fool you into thinking that this is about some mean old witch, well, it is about a witch and she does look a little witchy but she has the heart the size of a pumpkin!
Big Pumpkin
Have you ever had a craving for something like pumpkin pie? Well, don’t pick up this book unless your sweet tooth is filled or you have a good supply of your favorite comfort food on hand because this book will make you hungry! The old witch wanted to make a pumpkin pie but she took the hard road to making it. Instead of just popping into the local store to buy a pumpkin she decided to grow one from a seed. Unconventional yes but I’m sure in her eyes it was the best way. She tended to the seed until it grew into a sprout then the watered it and weeded it until it grew and grew and grew some more. When Halloween arrived she decided it was the perfect time to pick that pumpkin and make that pie!
I guess she was a better pumpkin grower than she knew because the pumpkin was huge! It wasn’t the size that became the issue but rather the vine that was attached to it. She pulled and pulled and pulled some more but the little bugger wouldn’t budge, not even an inch. A ghost came along and offered some help claiming that he was bigger and stronger than the witch. “Hmph!” said the witch but the thought of pumpkin pie was too much for her to handle and she allowed the ghost to give it a try. The ghost had no luck deplucking the pumpkin from it’s rather precarious position on the vine but they were both in luck when a vampire came by. He was bigger and stronger than both of them and they both let out with a “hmph” when he offered to help.
The story continues on with well wrapped mummy offering to lend a hand, and having absolutely no luck whatsoever. When a bat flies by the witch, ghost, vampire and mummy all laugh when he offers to help. No, he wasn’t going to pull on it or try to break the vine, no, he has a small suggestion. Maybe if the witch, ghost, vampire and mummy all work together pulling on it they’ll be able to get it off the vine! Their efforts were rewarded when they heard a loud snap and the pumpkin went flying over the hill, down the hill and landed right in front of the witch’s door. She got down to business baking her pie and they all gathered around to enjoy it … all thanks to one little bat with one great idea!
My Take
This is a really cute story that would be great for kids that need to learn about patience. The witch wanted to make a pumpkin pie so she planted a seed, took care of it and was rewarded with a huge pumpkin. Not only does she share this with her new friends in the form of a pie but she goes out and plants another seed when everyone leaves. Sometimes kids books are “cute” but don’t really have any message to them, in a round about way this shows what a little bit of patience can do and how nice it is to share with people. I’d suggest this for kids in the five to eight year age range but younger ones might like to read along with an adult and shout out the “drat” word when each of the characters say it in the story. What I really love about the book is that it has full page illustrations with white text. You get some fantastic drawings and the lettering stands out so it’s easy to read and doesn’t get lost in the illustrations.
The Bottom Line
I am really glad that I had the chance to pick this book up a couple of years ago; the hard cover version sells for about $16.00 but you can find it for less if you look online. I paid a little over $8.00 for this when I got it at my local bookstore when Halloween was over and now that I’ve had it for a while I can say that it’s an awesome book that kids genuinely love to read. If you are someone that collects Halloween books, takes care of younger kids or just wants to add something seasonal to their home library, “Big Pumpkin” is a great pick.
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