cover image Pumpkin Pumpkin

Pumpkin Pumpkin

Jeanne Titherington. Greenwillow Books, $16.99 (24pp) ISBN 978-0-688-05695-7

From seed to sprout to plant to flower to pumpkin, Jamie watches the extraordinary process of nature. A pumpkin grows until it's large enough to make an impressive jack-o'-lantern, and Jamie picks it. After carving it, he saves some seeds to plant in the spring, thus perpetuating the cycle. The text is set in large, bold print, facing each full-page illustration. Stages of growth are seen in relation to the boy; the tiny seed in his hand, the growing pumpkin next to his bare feet and tennis shoes, Jamie sitting on the mature pumpkin. Titherington used colored pencils for her exquisite drawings; the quality is breathtakingly soft and expressive. (2-6)