Sunday Book Review

Bookshelf: Harvest

‘How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow?’ and More

Children’s Books
By SARAH HARRISON SMITH

HOW BIG COULD YOUR PUMPKIN GROW?
Written and illustrated by Wendell Minor.
32 pp. Nancy Paulsen. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 2 to 6)

This tribute to pumpkins — and the glories of the American landscape — starts out in an ordinary pumpkin patch. Thinking about how big the squash can grow (so big that kids row them like boats on Lake Champlain) leads Minor to imagine what might happen if they reached even more heroic heights: vaster than the Capitol dome in Washington? colossal enough to fill the Grand Canyon? While the pie’s in the oven, savor Minor’s mighty vocabulary, silly humor and intriguing facts.

THE APPLE ORCHARD RIDDLE
By Margaret McNamara. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas.
40 pp. Schwartz & Wade. $15.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8)

What is a little red house with no windows or doors, but a star inside? Mr. Tiffin challenges his class to solve the riddle on their apple orchard visit. They all learn about the different varieties of apples and how cider is made, but it takes a daydreamy little girl to find the answer. Maybe she has a star inside too! Karas, who lives in the Hudson Valley, boosts the flavor of this sweet story with soft pencil line and rich, muted colors.

THANKSGIVING DAY THANKS
By Laura ­Malone Elliott. Illustrated by Lynn ­Munsinger.
32 pp. Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8)

Sam, a gentle black bear, and his friend Mary Ann, a clever little squirrel, may be familiar from Elliott and Munsinger’s “String of Hearts.” In this new book, they’re learning about Thanksgiving as they prepare for their classroom’s celebration. But Sam is stumped: what is he most thankful for? Elliott includes facts about the Pilgrims and their friends, the Wampanoag; Munsinger’s adorable illustrations show little animals at work on holiday crafts that readers may want to try, too.

FALL BALL
Written and illustrated by Peter McCarty.
40 pp. Holt. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8)

McCarty has a gift for bringing out the particular qualities of an ordinary day; his Caldecott Honor-winning “Hondo & Fabian” did just that for a pair of house pets. In “Fall Ball,” a paean to autumn and football, schoolchildren take the bus home and then play outside until dinner. That’s all there is to it. McCarty’s people, like his dogs, may be shaped liked sausages, but their expressions show astonished pleasure in falling leaves, pigskin and (rare, in a picture book) the big game on TV.

SOPHIE’S SQUASH
By Pat Zietlow Miller. Illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf.
40 pp. Schwartz & Wade. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 3 to 7)

Sophie won’t let her parents cook the squash they bought at the farmers’ market, because she’s decided it is the best baby doll ever. “Don’t listen, Bernice!” she cries, when her mother suggests baking her squash-girl with marshmallows. Wilsdorf’s illustrations have a satirical edge: with their wide eyes and long noses, Sophie and her parents bring a little too much intensity to everything they do. But that manic energy makes what could be just a sweet story into something far more fun.

GIVING THANKS
By Katherine Paterson. Illustrated by Pamela Dalton.
56 pp. Handprint/Chronicle. $18.99. (Picture book; ages 5 and up)

Paterson, winner of two Newbery Medals and two National Book Awards, worked with the cut-paper artist Dalton on “Brother Sun, Sister Moon” and “The Story of Christmas.” In this ecumenical Thanksgiving miscellany — suited to readers of any age — Paterson includes her own personal essays as well as poems, prayers and spiritual reflections from around the world. Dalton’s intricate silhouettes delineate the beauty of some of the growing things we are grateful for: gardens, animals and children.

Related Coverage

  1. Slide Show: Bookshelf: Harvest Nov 8, 2013

More In Children’s BooksReviews of and essays about children's books from The New York Times.
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