Pumpkinhead

by Eric A. Kimmel, Steven Haskamp (Illustrator)

Pumpkinhead lives in Pumpkintown, where everyone has a pumpkin for a head. But unlike the rest of his neighbors, Pumpkinhead wonders about the outside world. Fearlessly, he sets off on a journey into the unknown. Foolishly, he takes off his heavy head when he stops for a rest. Mischievous squirrels meddle, and before too long, Pumpkinhead makes a seriously silly mistake.

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Adventure, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 9, 2001

About the author

Eric A. Kimmel is an American author of more than 150 children's books. His works include Caldecott Honor Book Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins (illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman), Sydney Taylor Book Award winners The Chanukkah Guest and Gershon's Monster, and Simon and the Bear: A Hanukkah Tale.
Kimmel was born in Brooklyn, New York and earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from Lafayette College in 1967, a master's degree from New York University, and a PhD in Education from the University of Illinois in 1973. He taught at Indiana University at South Bend, and at Portland State University, where he is Professor Emeritus of Education.
Kimmel lives with his wife, Doris, in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pumpkinhead lived in Pumpkintown, surrounded by others who also had heads of pumpkin. One day he got to wondering whether people in other towns also had pumpkin heads, and not being able to find the answer at home - no one ever having left Pumpkintown - he set out into the wide world to find out. Unfortunately for him, some mischievous squirrels misdirected him (twice), and he and the townsfolk came to believe that everyone outside of their little burg was just like them...

As someone who has read and enjoyed many picture-books from author Eric A. Kimmel, and who also enjoys autumn-themed stories, I was sure I would enjoy Pumpkinhead. Unfortunately, that was not the case, and I found the story uninspiring and pointless. I suspect that it was meant to be taken humorously - a send-up of naive fools, perhaps - but my funny bone was not tickled in the slightest, and I found the conclusion, in which the people of Pumpkintown decide that there is no need to leave home ever again, quite sad. Again, I suspect that the story is meant to be humorous, and that the reader is meant to see this conclusion as mere foolishness, but somehow it didn't come across that well. The accompanying artwork from Steve Haskamp was colorful and cute, with all of the lovely hues of fall, but overall I didn't really enjoy this one, and don't particularly recommend it. Whether one is looking for a tale of autumn, or stories about fools, there are far better selections available.

[Sunni Berbert · Rating 2 out of 5]

(PICTURE BOOK)

Interesting drawings. Funny concept. Helps us recognize the ignorance that exists when we think all people are like us. Need to explore the world and appreciate the differences among us.

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hilarious book about a boy that literally gets his head turned around. Recommended for elementary age students because I'm not 100% sure younger kids would get that the boy went back to his original Pumpkintown.

[Colleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated this book. It promoted blind acceptance, ignorance, and foolishness. Maybe it would've been silly when the book was published in 2001 but now we all know exactly how dangerous those traits can be.

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pumpkinhead is a quirky little story with similarly quirky illustrations. Baby boy loved it so much that we even reread this one.

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Halloween Week Day 1: Hello, friends. Welcome to Halloween Week! JJ and I will be reading a new Halloween-themed book every day this week, leading up to the 31st. For today’s book, we read Pumpkinhead, written by Eric A. Kimmel and illustrated by Steve Haskamp, the story of a curious little boy from an unusual village.

Pumpkinhead lives in Pumpkinville, where everyone has a pumpkin for a head. Pumpkinhead wonders if everyone in the world has a pumpkin for a head as well, and decides to walk out of town until he finds another village. He walks for a bit, then decides to rest by a lake, taking off his head and pointing it in the direction he was walking. While he’s asleep, some mischievous squirrels turn his head around, so that when he wakes up, he walks back to his own village – only he thinks that it’s another Pumpkinville, while his friends and family think that he is a different Pumpkinhead!

Listen, I’m going to be honest: I like almost every book JJ and I read to some degree, and most of my reviews are pretty positive. But this… this was one of the weirdest children’s books I’ve ever read, and the ending was straight up horrifying. After Pumpkinhead returns to his village (he went back to the lake and the squirrels tricked him again), he reports that there is another Pumpkinville where everyone looks like them, and his parents and friends confirm this by telling him about the visitor who looked just like him (because it WAS him), and the conclusion that the town draws is that they never need to leave town ever again (!), because “we now know that everybody in the world is just like us. And if they’re not, they ought to be!”

WHAT?! So the lesson is xenophobia? Honestly, the book’s one redeeming quality is some colorful, if bizarre, illustrations. Beyond that, I am at a loss. Too long for baby bookworms, strange imagery, and a pretty awful moral. We do not recommend this one.

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pumpkinhead lives in Pumpkintown where everyone has a pumpkin for a head. He asks his family one day if everyone everywhere has pumpkins for heads. "Well, of course they do!" was his family's reply. Except his mother was not so sure. Pumpinhead heads to his local library to find out. He learns that no one has ever left Pumpkintown to come back and write about it. So he decides to leave and see if he can find another town. While traveling he stops to take a rest. He decides to take his head and face it in the direction of where he needs to go when he wakes up. The squirrels that live in the tree he is napping under decide to play a trick on him. While he's sleeping, they turn his head around to face the other way. When he wakes up he ends up walking back towards his own town. When he arrives no one recognizes him and he doesn't recognize them. So he thinks he's in a different place altogether. His townspeople don't recognize him either. So Pumpkinhead heads back the way he came. He rests under the same tree. The same squirrels play the same trick on him so he ends up back in his hometown again. Only this time he thinks he's arrived home. His townspeople tell him about the boy who came visiting and he tells them of the town he visited and no one puts the pieces together. So everyone decides that there's no point in anyone ever leaving Pumpkintown because everyone everywhere is exactly the same.

Reading this with children will take some finesse and children should understand that this book is satirical.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I could see how it could be percieved in a couple different ways but I percieved it as a book for young kids that would allow them to understand that everyone is the same no matter how they look! Pumpkinhead lived in Pumpkintown and was curious to know if everyone had a pumpkin head so he set out on a journey. While out, he got tired so he layed down to sleep and a couple squirrels played a game on him and turned his head the other way so he would go back to pumpkin town. He believed it was another town and it was really his town because he went back home. He did the same thing again going "back" home and the squirrels did it to him again sending him back to pumpkin town where he really believed that it was another town and that everyone is the same.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great illustrations, but the story might be to long for story time although the story is unique
Pumpkinhead sets out to see if the rest of the world is the same as Pumpkintown, but because of some tricky squirrels, neither he nor the rest of his town finds out.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you want to teach your kids to be ingnorant and live in a bubble (or in this books case a pumpkin head) then this is the book for you! Otherwise avoid!!!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay.

[Bonnie Harmon · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you want to teach your kids to never ask questions, to live in a bubble and be closed minded. This is the book for you. Horrible book.

[Kassie Randelzhofer]

Holiday-Halloween