The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin

by Margaret Wise Brown, Richard Egielski (Illustrator)

Overview

From beloved children’s book author Margaret Wise Brown and Caldecott Medalist Richard Egielski comes an enchanting Halloween tale!

A fat little, round little, yellow little pumpkin dreams of growing up to be fierce and frightening, just like the scarecrow in the field. Then one day in autumn, when he has grown big and fat, the fierce yellow pumpkin gets the chance to become terrific and terrible.

With rich, warm illustrations and inimitable words from the author of Goodnight Moon, The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin is sure to delight for generations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780064435345
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/01/2006
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,045,480
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Margaret Wise Brown, cherished for her unique ability to convey a child’s experience and perspective of the world, transformed the landscape of children’s literature with such beloved classics as Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. Other perennial favorites by Ms. Brown include My World; Christmas in the Barn; The Dead Bird; North, South, East, West; and Good Day, Good Night.

Richard Egielski is the Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator of Hey, Al and many other books for children, including the Tub People series by Pam Conrad. He is also the author and illustrator of Buz and Jazper, both New York Times Best Illustrated Books, Three Magic Balls, and The Gingerbread Boy. Mr. Egielski lives in Milford, New Jersey, with his wife and son.

Date of Birth:

May 23, 1910

Date of Death:

November 13, 1952

Place of Birth:

Brooklyn, N.Y.

Place of Death:

Nice, France

Education:

B.A., Hollins College, 1932; Bank Street College of Education

Website:

http://www.margaretwisebrown.com

Editorial Reviews

"There was once a small pumpkin in a great big field, a very small green pumpkin the size of an apple. The fierce sun burned down on the little pumpkin, and he grew and grew. And pretty soon, there was a fat little, round little, yellow little pumpkin in a great big field." Long lost, this Halloween story by the author of Goodnight Moon is now published for the first time. This edition features glorious illustrations by Caldecott Medal winner Richard Egielski.

Wittily illustrated by the great Richard Egielski.— Elizabeth Ward

The Washington Post

Margaret Wise Brown's story of a pumpkin that admires the scarecrow on the other side of the field is observant, imaginative and more than a bit quaint. — Susan Marie Swanson

The New York Times

A pumpkin's dream comes true when three children make him as spooky as a scarecrow. "Egielski suspensefully keeps the pumpkin's face hidden until a wordless double spread reveals its candlelit glory," said PW in a starred review. Ages 3-6. (Aug.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 3-In melodic, flowing prose, readers are introduced to a "fat little, round little, yellow little pumpkin in a great big field." Here the artist paints a huge, searing white sun rising behind the yellow-green pumpkin to contrast beautifully with him and make his eventual growth into a big, orange pumpkin vivid and dramatic. This little pumpkin dreams of making a "fierce, ferocious gobble-gobble face" to scare away the field mice "like the scarecrow does." The intense sun-gold skies match the mood here wonderfully. Somber grays and taupes on the next several pages provide visual contrast and slow down the pace so that children can take in more of the details. The little pumpkin feels a "crisp tingle that tickled [his] sides." After three children take him home and use a small saw knife to make his mouth "zigzag up and zigzag down," he says, "Ho, ho, ho!/He, he, he!/Mice will run/when they see me." The youngsters dance gleefully about him singing a song to the "terrific, terrible pumpkin." With Brown's rhythmic text and patterned language and Egielski's illustrations highlighting the moods she evokes, this title is a real treat for Halloween storytimes. Also, it's a surefire hit for creative drama activities because of all the action and emotion in the story.-James K. Irwin, Poplar Creek Main Library, Steamwood, IL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

In a previously unpublished tale from Brown (whose newly unearthed early work is filling the shelves lately), a "fat little, round little, yellow little pumpkin" enviously regards a one-eyed scarecrow while growing into a "fiery orange-yellow pumpkin. The color of the sun"-whereupon three children carry it off to make it into a jack-o-lantern. Along with a trio of field mice, children can follow the pumpkin's development as seasons change in Egielski's ground-level scenes, then jump in surprise at coming face-to-face, in a spread-filling close-up, with a "terrific, terrible pumpkin," bearing a new zigzag grin: "Ho, ho, ho! / He, he, he! / Mice will run / when they see me!" The mice do indeed scamper off, but young audiences are more likely to stay put, ready for a repeat encounter with this long-buried episode. (Picture book. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews