 The
Biggest Pumpkin Ever
By
Steven Kroll
Illustrated By Jeni Bassett
Review
by:
Deborah
Beebe
This
heartwarming seasonal tale is set in a tiny town of mice; it reflects the
qualities of nurturing, growth and friendship.
One day Clayton,
a cozy house mouse, discovers a tiny green pumpkin in the garden. Gazing at
the green growth, Clayton dreams of it growing really, really big. He
ventures on to the excitement of winning the town pumpkin contest with his
prized pumpkin!
Later, that very
same day, Desmond, a charming field mouse, comes upon the very same tiny
green pumpkin, that had been discovered by Clayton in the garden earlier
that day. As Desmond looks at his discovery he thinks perhaps it could grow
into the biggest jack - o - lantern in the neighborhood!
By day
Clayton begins to care for the little pumpkin with extra water and
fertilizer to ensure for a large pumpkin in the fall. By night, Desmond
nurtures the tiny pumpkin with manure and plenty of water. The pumpkin soon
begins to grow, and grow, and GROW........ By day, Clayton’s family comes
to admire the rapidly growing pumpkin with great anticipation and delight!
By night, Desmond’s family gathers around the great pumpkin in awe of
it’s growth in such a short amount of time.
As the
summer passes and becomes early fall, Clayton knows that the pumpkin will
soon be turning to a yellowish - green color and then to a wonderful pumpkin
orange. Clayton also pictures the pumpkin to soon be bigger that his house!
Soon the nights
begin to cool down in mouse town. Clayton, concerned about an early frost
decides to cover the pumpkin with blankets to keep it protected. Standing on
a mouse ladder, humming a little mouse tune, Clayton begins to cover his
beloved pumpkin. Now, Desmond, also foreseeing the signs of an early frost,
fills his mouse wagon with all of the blankets he can find. While singing a
little mouse song, he begins the task of covering the
gigantic pumpkin.
A short time later,
Clayton hears a noise and stops
his humming, at the same time Desmond hears a noise and stops his singing.
As each of the mice tip - toe toward the direction of the sound they
heard......... BUMP......the two mice bump heads and fall to the ground!
Laughing,
they discover their shared love of the huge pumpkin that they had each cared
for since the beginning of summer. Clayton and Desmond decide to share in
the excitement of their magnificent pumpkin.
Did
Clayton and Desmond succeed in getting their pumpkin to town for the pumpkin
contest?
To enjoy
the charming illustrations that lead to the glowing conclusion of this
story, read it to your favorite 3 to 6 year olds this Halloween season.
Buy
Now
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