Too Many Pumpkins

This is a book that stays with you even when you are not reading it! My older son has adored this book for years and now my younger son is requesting it as well... I think I could probably recite it from memory at this point! We are often caught in the rhyme of "pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pies..." when found in the kitchen or picking pumpkins or other activities that remind us of this book! Definately a well read book in our house - and a keeper for the library for years to come! Oh, and amongst the enjoyment are heart-felt lessons to learn and grow on.

Rebecca Estelle has a problem on her hands. Rebecca Estelle is a white-haired woman who lives with her calico cat Esmeralda. She hates pumpkins because when she was a youngster her family was poor and ALL they had to eat was pumpkins. She doesn't even like to think about them. One day a truck loaded with pumpkins loses a pumpkin that smashes in Rebecca Estelle's yard and sends seeds flying every which way. When plants spring up she refuses to tend to them and just ignores them all summer long. She won't even go over near the space where the pumpkin smashed. In autumn, much to her surprise there is a huge pumpkin patch just filled with beautiful big orange pumpkins. At first she is horrified. There is a SEA of pumpkins! She uses her clever ingeniuity and her practical good sense to figure out a wonderful way to not only use up the pumpkins, but to attract many people to help her share the pumpkins. She ends up with a delightful party atmosphere, sharing a happy Halloween and she patches up her differences with pumpkins. The illustrations are utterly charming, brightly colored and filled with warm and homey country scenes. The feeling of autumn's hazy nostalgia and the wonderful aromas of harvest baking almost leap up out of the pages. Parents will enjoy reading this one every year at Halloween and the kids will love it for years to come.

With a captivating and amusing storyline and brilliant illustrations, "Too Many Pumpkins" is a family favorite. It will delight the youngest reader and Mom and Dad will enjoy reading it over and over! It is a wonderful introduction to the world of gardening and the Halloween season while avoiding many of the things young children may find frightening about that holiday. Truly a treasure!

A delightful lesson in what to do when life hands you too many pumpkins -- and you hate pumpkins!! In no way preachy or ponderous, this book shows what happens when you ignore a problem, and has lovely ideas of how to make the best of a bad situation, how to share and give to others.Too Many Pumpkins is well-written, entertaining and fun to read aloud.