Pumpkin Hill
PreSchool-Grade 2–When a plump pumpkin breaks off its vine, rolls away, and splatters into pieces, seeds scatter all over a farmer's field. Over several years, these seeds grow into a mass of roly-poly pumpkins. One day a mighty wind sends them all hurtling down the hill to town, awakening the inhabitants with a roar as loud as thunder. The golden avalanche causes total confusion, but folks don't really mind (Who could stay a grouchy grumpkin/among those jolly, bumping pumpkins?). The mayor decrees that every citizen must take one home to carve, and the rest are made into pies. That All Hallows' Eve, the whole valley is aglow with brightly lit jack-o'-lanterns and the scent of spicy, sweet pumpkin treats. Lively cartoon acrylic paintings in autumn colors capture the general chaos of the frenzied townspeople and gleeful children. Descriptive action verbs, lots of wordplay, and occasional rhymes make this book a good read-aloud, as well as fun for youngsters to read on their own.–Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.