Little Brother Pumpkin Head

by Lucia Panzieri, Samantha Enria, Grace Maccarone

A boy has a little brother on the way. His mother is eating much pumpkin—pumpkin soup, pumpkin dumplings, pumpkin ravioli and pumpkin pie. At first the boy is happy to think that this pumpkin diet will give his new baby brother red hair, which the boy is very fond of. Then the boy has a nightmare where his brother has a pumpkin head with nothing inside but seeds and pulp!
So the boy devises a rescue plan—to fill his brother’s head with the names of plants and animals and important people, to tell the baby stories and teach him important things.

Genres: Picture Books, Family

32 pages, Hardcover

Published July 30, 2016

Reviews

[Colette]

Cute.

[Emily]

New baby, big bro, talks about the time the mom is pregnant which is good

[Kathy]

An interesting take on dealing with a prospective younger sibling.

[KaitandMaddie]

A good book for kids who are about to have a new siblings.

[Michelle Gray]

Themes: new baby, being a big brother

[Trish]

This is a cute book from a kid's point of view about mom having a baby.

[Barbara]

A new addition to the family is something that is eagerly anticipated by the narrator. But he becomes concerned when his mother starts behaving a bit strangely and eating pumpkin all the time. After a nightmare in which he dreams that his brother is born with a large pumpkin head filled with pumpkin innards, he begins writing and recording stories and sounds so that there will be something else inside that head. Once the baby is born, he and his brother bond since the narrator is sure that his younger sibling knows all the effort he has extended to make sure his brother is okay. Still, he cannot resist occasionally calling him by an affectionate nickname, which readers will surely be able to guess. Artwork created with digital tools enhance readers' enjoyment of this picture book originally published in Italy. As I read, I had to stop and think what it might be like if babies really were possessed the characteristics of the foods their mother devoured while she was pregnant, making this one that might be ideal for lingering. It certainly made me smile.

[Denise Cushing]

This sweet Italian import is the story of a little boy who is concerned that his mother’s food cravings will transfer to his little brother. When mom goes crazy for everything pumpkin in the Fall, the little boy is convinced that his brother will be born with a “pumpkin head”, full of seeds and no brain. He decides to help make his brother smart by teaching him the names for all the flora and fauna and important people he encounters in his daily journeys. The illustrations are touching as we see the boy recording his voice in a tape recorder and also him talking to his mother’s swollen belly. A great book to help ease a young child’s fears about a new baby.

[Teresa Bateman]

A young boy is expecting a new baby brother, but he has some concerns. His mother is acting weird, especially in the amount of pumpkin-based foods she eats. What if the baby is born with a pumpkin head? He develops a plan to widen his yet-to-be-born brother's horizons. Samantha Enria's curvy bright illustrations accompany the first person text as months go by until the new baby arrives. This is an Italian import, which may explain why the text is so wordy and carries an adult voice instead of that of a young boy. This is rather off-putting, but the illustrations save the day.

[Mrs Mommy Booknerd http://mrsmommybooknerd.blogspot.com]

This is such a funny and sweet story about children and how they think quite literally about things. So when a young boy sees his mother acting a bit strange while she is pregnant he gets nervous. She is eating all sorts of pumpkin items and fear starts to overtake him as he is afraid his new baby brother will be a pumpkin head. So in his effort to protect his sibling he sets out to teach the baby all he knows. A sweet and tender story about the power of love. 4 stars

[Cindy Dobrez]

A fun take on the new sibling story with adorable illustrations. Being one who read aloud to my children before they were born I love that the big brother decides to share important information with his unborn sibling so that it won't be born with a pumpkin head full of nothing but seeds (his mother is craving pumpkin flavored everything).

[Edward Sullivan]

A boy worries that his soon to be born little brother will have an empty-headed pumpkin head.

[Molly Cluff (Library!)]

I read this thinking it would be a halloweeny book, but nope! It was a new baby book. A cute older brother is determined to protect his unborn brother and introduce him to the sights and sounds of everything.