Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
What's scarier than a grinning jack-o'-lantern? How about what happens to it after Halloween? Kuhn's upbeat prose poems are written from the perspectives of 15 scavengers, insects, and molds that aid in a gourd's decomposition, which Kuhn captures in gruesomely vivid photographs. As the pumpkin transforms from a crisp orange specimen to a blackened, sunken puddle of mush, the speakers include a mouse, "black rot" mold, and a fly ("You're gonna love hearing how I eat. I vomit on the pumpkin flesh. My vomit dissolves pumpkin nutrients so I can lap them up"). The inventive concept combines a Halloween theme with science that readers can easily replicate-if they have the stomach for it. Ages 4-12. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-4-Schwartz meticulously tracks the life cycle of a pumpkin/jack-o'-lantern as it decays and eventually gives birth to new pumpkins. The gross-out factor is high, as each of the rodents, insects, molds, fungi, etc., do their respective jobs. For example, the fly states: "You're gonna love hearing how I eat. I vomit on the pumpkin flesh. My vomit dissolves pumpkin nutrients so I can lap them up." Fifteen different organisms describe their role in the eventual demise of this jack-o'-lantern. The photography is sharp and clear, and effectively ramps up the "eww" element. A few concerns might be the occasional use of the vernacular, as in the aforementioned "gonna," and some younger children could be upset about the fate of their carefully carved pumpkins. Jack's plaintive voice is heard now and then: "Where once I smiled and winked, now fungi ring my mouth and eyes. A cheerful jack I am no more." Schwartz includes some suggestions for classroom investigations, and they would be a wonderful vehicle for scientific explorations. Those wishing for a gentler look at this process might go to Wendy Pfeffer's A Log's Life (S & S, 1997).-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ (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
Carving a pumpkin for Halloween is a beloved tradition, but all too soon, that gourd falls prey to a host of scary, gross and unbelievably fascinating creatures. Leave it to Schwartz and Kuhn (What in the Wild: Mysteries of Nature Concealed and Revealed, 2010) to combine their considerable talents again to create a page-turning title on decomposition. The author boldly chooses to give voice to the various decomposers that visit old Jack. Readers hear from animals, mold, fungi, rot, bacteria and, periodically, from the pumpkin itself. The photographs zoom in for close-ups of the characters in this slightly horrific performance. Fuzzy Penicillium, slime mold and spore cases "that look like tiny red balloons" all gruesomely impress. Readers learn more than just how slugs, flies, worms and sow bugs feast on the former jack-o'-lantern. Time and weather play their parts, too. One seed waits as "the animals came, the molds grew, the pumpkin collapsed into a heap of goo." When the spring rains come, it begins "pushing roots downward and stem upward. If all goes well, my flowers will form fruit." A glossary follows, further describing the unfamiliar terms introduced in the text, and a page devoted to "Classroom Investigations" suggests ways to engage in the scientific method and conduct experiments with pumpkins. An ecology lesson, an inspiration for readers' theater--or a compelling read all on its own. (Nonfiction. 5-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
