Pumpkin Cat

by Anne Mortimer, Anne Mortimer (Illustrator)

Overview

Through the seasons, Cat and Mouse work together in the garden.

Together, they watch seeds that turn into plants in the spring,

and plants that turn into flowers in the summer,

and flowers that turn into pumpkins in the fall!

And when their pumpkins are finally ready, Mouse gives the best surprise of all to his friend, Cat!

Anne Mortimer’s charming story about friendship and discovery is perfect for any season.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062184399
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/15/2011
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	24
File size:	6 MB
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Anne Mortimer is the author and illustrator of Bunny's Easter Egg and Pumpkin Cat. She has illustrated many other children's books, including Santa's Snow Cat by Sue Stainton, A Pussycat's Christmas by Margaret Wise Brown, and The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear. She lives in southwest England.

Editorial Reviews

In this tender story, Mouse teaches charcoal-colored, emerald-eyed Cat how to grow a pumpkin: “Mouse found a watering can. ‘What now?’ asked Cat. ‘Time to water the seeds,’ said Mouse.” When they plant the seedlings and two crows appear, they make a scarecrow, and when the pumpkins are finally ripe Mouse cuts into one with a knife, telling Cat, “I am going to make you a surprise!” Mortimer’s naturalistic yet whimsical scenes exude old-fashioned Halloween charm. Ages 4–7. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

Mortimer’s naturalistic yet whimsical scenes exude old-fashioned Halloween charm.” — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

PreS-Gr 1—"One morning in May, Cat wondered, 'How do pumpkins grow?' 'I know,' said Mouse. 'And I will show you how.'" Mouse proceeds to guide Cat through the various steps and stages, one phase featured on each spread, until October arrives and they are rewarded with a large orange pumpkin. The steps to growing pumpkins have been featured in numerous picture books, including Zoe Hall's It's Pumpkin Time! (Scholastic, 1994) and Jeanne Titherington's Pumpkin, Pumpkin (Greenwillow, 1986); what sets this one apart are the beautifully composed watercolor illustrations. As she did in Bunny's Easter Egg (HarperCollins, 2010), Mortimer has masterfully captured the texture of her subjects—the softness of the animals' fur, the scratchiness of burlap bags, the silkiness of delicate flower petals, etc. At times the scenes are viewed in oval frames, giving the impression that one is peeking into these gentle creatures' private world. A page detailing instructions for growing pumpkins is included. A lovely addition that should be popular in any season.—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ

School Library Journal

Cat wonders how pumpkins grow, and Mouse is happy to show him, in this seasonal offering for beginning readers.

A simple explanation of the seed-to-pumpkin process sets the animals to filling a pot with soil, planting seeds, watering the plant, waiting and watching it grow, making a scarecrow, picking the pumpkin and carving a jack-o'-lantern. A more thorough exploration can be found in Gail Gibbons' Pumpkin Book (1999), with which beginning readers may already be familiar, so this brief story may be better suited to preschoolers just testing their green thumbs. In her signature style, Mortimer focuses on the cute, cuddly qualities of Cat and Mouse. Oval-framed close-ups and full-bleed spreads capture the unlikely animal friends working together. The final page is the most informative, presenting fleshed-out instructions for growing pumpkins, but ultimately there is little to harvest here.

Sweet but bland, this title could still find an audience in autumn. (Early reader. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews