Skip to main content

Rotten Pumpkin

Rotten Pumpkin: A Rotten Tale in 15 Voices
Written by David M. Schwartz
Photos by Dwight Kuhn
Creston Books, 2013. Unpaged non-fiction.

What happens to a jack o' lantern after Halloween night? He's put back in the garden, and life carries on. Sort of. Rodents, slugs, and flies nibble away at him. Then, Jack begins to shrivel up. An amazing and icky close-up photograph shows the cause of his wrinkling to be black mold. The pumpkin is also starting to grow an impressive white beard of Penicillin! Jack wonders, the smaller and more shriveled he gets, "Am I still a pumpkin?" His pumpkin days are indeed numbered, and his body eventually decomposes and fertilizes the soil. Happily, seeds are still left, and new life can begin in the garden. This is a great book about the science of post-harvest life, told through some interesting narratives from the various creatures that come across Jack. A rotting good time!

Comments

lw said…
Looks quite a lot like a distant relative of mine--the distanter, the better.
Anonymous said…
How rude!
-Your great (pumpkin) aunt

Popular posts from this blog

Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.

Funny Farm by Mark Teague 2009

There are things I liked about Mark Teague's newest book, Funny Farm , and things I didn't like. Where should I start? I'll do the "didn'ts" first. The illustrations show animals personified. Well, some of the animals are. The main characters, Edward, and his farm family relatives, all dogs, are humanized. They stand upright, do farm chores, eat at a table, wear clothes, knit (yes, with paws) and sleep in beds. Most everybody else on and around the farm, who are also animals, act like animals. They are outside, roll in mud, live in the barn, and require care from their owners. It struck me the most on the page spread where there are pigs playing in puddle in the rain and Edward, a black and white boxer, watches from inside the house. I thought "You're a dog! Go play with them!" But, alas, he can't, seeing as how he goes through his entire visit to the farm wearing a suit and red bow tie. Another picture that bothered me was the maple syrup pa...

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.