Children's Room Show me where

jE/Robbins
1 / 1 copies available
Location Call Number   Status
Children's Room jE/Robbins Checked In
Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
New Milford, Conn. : Roaring Brook Press c2006.
Language
English
Main Author
Ken Robbins (-)
Edition
1st ed
Item Description
"A Neal Porter book."
Physical Description
unpaged : col. ill
ISBN
9781596431843
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

From the irresistible, eye-grabbing front cover, a photographs of a wagon filled with pumpkins, to a close-up shot of a pumpkin stem on the back cover, Robbins' salute to this squash glimmers as brightly as a jack-o'-lantern. His spectacular color photographs juxtapose scenes framed in white borders with full-bleed close-ups. The left side of one spread, for example, shows a hand holding seeds, while the right pictures a farmer planting them. Using artfully contrasting proportions and dramatic page compositions studded with vivid orange color, Robbins creates a visual narrative of a pumpkin's life cycle--from seed to sprout to flower to fruit to holiday symbol. Instructions for making a jack-o'-lantern are included. Showing pumpkins from tiny to gigantic (one weighing more than1,000 pounds), this record of a favorite American vegetable wins a blue ribbon. --Julie Cummins Copyright 2006 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Robbins (Tools; Seeds) provides a crisp photographic account of Halloween's iconic veggie. The horizontal alignment of the pages and color photos creates stability, while a monotone voice and close-up pictures detail the planting process from vine to mulch. Robbins's serious, scientific tone draws attention to even the tamest humor ("Some are round, but some of them are kind of flattened, or squashed, you might say"), and a how-to sequence on jack-o-lantern carving makes this just right for first-timers ("Put a candle inside and light it. It will look quite nice"). Gardeners will see their know-how confirmed in this forthright version, and novices may well be inspired to experience the slimy pulp and seeds for themselves. Ages 4-8. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 2-With color photos that equal any painting for artistry of composition and sensitivity, Robbins has created a book that is certain to become an autumn favorite. Without naming the season, it launches into a description of autumn as "-that time of year when-," clearly and poetically evoking the crisp, cooler days with the leaves "-splashing their color on the ground-." The author documents the life cycle of the pumpkin with close-up, naturalistic photos and clear, simple text. He discusses the wide variety of pumpkin colors and sizes, from the palm-sized types to those weighing more than 1000 pounds. Basic instructions are included for carving a jack-o-lantern, with adult help suggested. The next year's crop, ensured by the pumpkins and their seeds left to rot in the field, is the focus of the last spread. Will Hubbell's Pumpkin Jack (Albert Whitman, 2000) covers similar ground, but is told as a story, and has colored-pencil illustrations. Reading both books makes a great lesson in comparing and contrasting, as well as in botany and in the joys of the season.-Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, Waterford, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

At Halloween, pumpkins are everywhere, but the story of pumpkins begins with seeds sown in the spring, followed by plants, flowers and finally, fruits in surprising variety. Beautifully composed and reproduced color photographs show pumpkins on the vine, in the fields, on fruit stands and being carved (by an adult) before becoming part of a Halloween celebration. The alternation of full-page close-ups with smaller pictures and relatively simple text invites close attention to both. This holiday tie-in could be useful in the fall, but misses the full story. Photographs of a female bud and male flower fail to point out the difference, and there is no mention of the pollination necessary for the plant to produce fruit. The emphasis is on pumpkins for jack-o'-lanterns, not as a food plant, although most pumpkins in the U.S. are grown for processing. A supplemental purchase. (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.