Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A class of children who are prone to speaking in rhyme visit the pumpkin patch in a story that counts down from 20- and presents multiple counting opportunities on each page. Throughout, Holub rhymes the characters' lines with their names (" 'Eighteen kids get on our bus,' says Russ.... 'Look! Fifteen Pumpkin Street,' reads Pete"). Smith's brightly colored paintings fill the pages with activity and objects to count: 13 diverse types of pumpkins sit in a row as the children approach the farm, and a corn maze features 10 scarecrows (in addition to the 20 students trying to find their way out). It's a lively portrait of pumpkin-picking season, whose educational value is boosted by assorted facts about pumpkins that appear on the endpapers. Ages 4-7. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Bouncy rhymes and eye-dazzling artwork depict an enjoyable jaunt to Farmer Mixenmatch's pumpkin patch, complete with a petting zoo, corn maze, tractor ride, and oodles of objects to search for. Holub and Smith's Apple Countdown (Albert Whitman, 2009) presents a similar synthesis of simple math challenges, interesting facts, and irresistible enthusiasm. (c) Copyright 2013. 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
A class visits the pumpkin patch, giving readers a chance to count down from 20. At the farm, Farmer Mixenmatch gives them the tour, which includes a petting zoo, an educational area, a corn maze and a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch. Holub's text cleverly though not always successfully rhymes each child's name within the line: " Eighteen kids get on our bus,' says Russ. / But someone's late,' says Kate. / Wait for me!' calls Kiri." Pumpkins at the tops of pages contain the numerals that match the text, allowing readers to pair them with the orange-colored, spelled-out numbers. Some of the objects proffered to count are a bit of a stretch--"Guess sixteen things we'll see," count 14 cars that arrived at the farm before the bus--but Smith's artwork keeps things easy to count, except for a challenging page that asks readers to search for 17 orange items (answers are at the bottom, upside down). Strangely, Holub includes one page with nothing to count--a sign marks "15 Pumpkin Street." Charming, multicultural round-faced characters and lots of detail encourage readers to go back through the book scouring pages for the 16 things the kids guessed they might see. Endpapers featuring a smattering of pumpkin facts round out the text. Between its autumn and field-trip themes and the fact that not many books start countdowns from 20, this may find its way to many library shelves. (Picture book. 4-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
