October 2012: Harvest-Time and Pumpkins (Master List and General Discussion)

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

In October, the Picture Book Club will celebrate Harvest-Time (and Pumpkins!)

This is our Master List and General Discussion. Please enjoy browsing over the many interesting harvest- and pumpkin-themed picture books that were nominated, and feel welcome to post reviews if you read any of them.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

A few to start with...

Harvest-Time:

We Gather Together: Celebrating the Harvest Season (elementary)

Autumn Story (??? everyone who loves Jill Barklem's work, though the story might be a tad long for the very little ones)

Ducking for Apples (good for the little ones)

Scarecrow (4-8)

The Apple Pie That Papa Baked (4-10)

One Red Apple (4-8)

Pumpkins:
Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden (elementary)

Patty's Pumpkin Patch (4-8)

Pumpkin Town! Or, Nothing Is Better and Worse Than Pumpkins (5-10)

Too Many Pumpkins (4-8)

Duck & Goose Find A Pumpkin (board book, for wee ones)

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Please note that like Abigail, my age suggestions were gleaned from Amazon.

HARVEST

Harvest (4+)
Applesauce Season (4+)
Apple Picking Time (5+)
Plant a Little Seed (3+)
The Fall Gathering: Woodland Adventures (3-6)
A Pioneer Thanksgiving: A Story of Harvest Celebrations in 1841 (8+)
Red Are the Apples (4+)
The Sacred Harvest: Ojibway Wild Rice Gathering (8+)
Fall Harvest (4+)
Apple Harvest (4+)

PUMPKINS

Pumpkins: A Story for a Field (4+)
The Pumpkin Book (6+)
The Runaway Pumpkin (3+)
From Seed to Pumpkin (3+)
The Bumpy Little Pumpkin (4+)
Pick a Pumpkin, Mrs. Millie! (3+)
Pumpkin Moonshine (4+)
Pumpkin Day, Pumpkin Night (4+)
Apples and Pumpkins (4+)
The Pumpkin Blanket (5+)

[Dolly]

Here are a few:

The Very Best Pumpkin

The Problem with Pumpkins: A Hip & Hop Story

The Perfect Pumpkin Pie

Strega Nona's Harvest Strega Nona books are always a hit at our house

[Amy]

Blueberries for Sal What season are blueberries? I don't even know..... LOL But I don't see why it only has to be autumn harvest.Biggest Pumpkin Ever

[Amy]

How about Frederick?

The search feature is not bringing it up for me but it is about that little mouse who writes poetry while the other mice do the farmwork.

Oh, and how aboutThe Tale of Peter Rabbit Wasn't there harvesting in that book? Or just plain gardening...? LOL　I do not remember.

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Kirei wrote: "How about Frederick?

The search feature is not bringing it up for me but it is about that little mouse who writes poetry while the other mice do the farmwork.

Oh, and how aboutThe Tale of Peter..."

That's a good idea, Frédéric.

[Emily]

HARVEST-TIME:

1. Apple Picking Time, Michele Slawson
2. Autumn Harvest, Alvin Tresselt
3. I Know It's Autumn, Eileen Spinelli
4. Possum's Harvest Moon, Anne Hunter
5. 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving, Dav Pilkey (maybe a bit of a stretch, but a result of the harvest, right? :) )
6. Raccoons and Ripe Corn, Jim Arnosky
7. Count Down to Fall, Frank Hawk

PUMPKINS

8. The Pumpkin Book, Gail Gibbons
9. Five Little Pumpkins, Dan Yaccarino
10. Pumpkins, Mary Lyn Ray

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Thanks to all for the great nominations! I am already feeling very happy and autumn-y just reading the titles ;-)

Now is your opportunity to VOTE for the books that you would like to read in October. Please vote by posting your top five choices in a comment below. Please choose your books from our official nominations (messages 2-9 above).

Voting will be accepted through September 19th. Thank you! :-)

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

The Fall Gathering: Woodland Adventures
The Sacred Harvest: Ojibway Wild Rice Gathering
A Pioneer Thanksgiving: A Story of Harvest Celebrations in 1841
Pumpkins: A Story for a Field
How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?

[Dolly]

my votes:

Too Many Pumpkins
Raccoons and Ripe Corn
Pumpkins: A Story for a Field
We Gather Together: Celebrating the Harvest Season
Pumpkin Town! Or, Nothing Is Better and Worse Than Pumpkins

[Tricia]

Too many to choose from! Oh, my! Here goes:

Pumpkin Moonshine

Raccoons and Ripe Corn

A Pioneer Thanksgiving: A Story of Harvest Celebrations in 1841

How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?

Autumn Story

[Emily]

My votes!

1. Pumpkins (A Story for a Field), Mary Lyn Ray
2. 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving, Dav Pilkey
3. Raccoons and Ripe Corn, Jim Arnosky
4. Scarecrow, Cynthia Rylant
5. We Gather Together, Wendy Pfeffer

[Chrislin]

These are all wonderful. I like the books that teach history. Then I do love a funny pumpkin story. I pick all of these.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Chrislin wrote: "These are all wonderful. I like the books that teach history. Then I do love a funny pumpkin story. I pick all of these."

I'm glad you'll be happy with any of our official selections :-)

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

The votes are in (I tallied my preferences in, too, since we had so few votes this time) and here are the winners:

Pumpkins: A Story for a Field

We Gather Together: Celebrating the Harvest Season

How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?

Raccoons and Ripe Corn

Autumn Story

Sixth/Alternate:
A Pioneer Thanksgiving: A Story of Harvest Celebrations in 1841 (this one looks marvelous but a bit long for a picture book; 48 pages with "chapters" and it includes crafts as well as the story. Just FYI for those seeking only shorter picture-books.)

I hope all our interested members are able to get copies of these and will join us for our discussion come October! :-) I'm already seeing really cute pumpkins in the stores and am trying to hold out buying any for decorating until then, LOL!

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

I just read Pumpkin Cat by Anne Mortimer and it would be a good choice for the Pumpkin theme. The illustrations are the star of this picture book featuring a wise mouse teaching and showing a black cat how to grow a pumpkin. Most of the text is sparse--I thought perhaps more suited for a board book, "Mouse found a watering cat. 'What now?' asked Cat. 'Time to water the seeds,' said Mouse. So they did." Yet some of it is more involved, "In a few weeks, there were lots of big, prickly leaves and big, yellow, papery flowers covered in pollen." It's not quite simple enough for a board book, but a bit too bland for an engaging picture book. Still, the illustrations are adorable and it's a nice introduction to how to grow a pumpkin. The final illustration is really cute and makes this a great addition to a Halloween picture book line-up, too.

I also think Pumpkin Cat is really adorable. It's a great choice for the board book group for autumn/harvest.

[Emily]

Kathryn wrote: "The votes are in (I tallied my preferences in, too, since we had so few votes this time) and here are the winners:

Pumpkins: A Story for a Field

We Gather Together: Celebrating the Harvest Season..."

I hope all our interested members are able to get copies of these and will join us for our discussion come October! :-) I'm already seeing really cute pumpkins in the stores and am trying to hold out buying any for decorating until then, LOL!

I actually bought my first pumpkin about a week ago. :"> I just couldn't resist!

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Emily wrote: "I actually bought my first pumpkin about a week ago. :"> I just couldn't resist! "

LOL! My husband was so sweet he bought me a mini pumpkin last week. It was my first autumn decoration of the year. I love pumpkins!!! ;->

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Plant a Little Seed

What a little gem Plant a Little Seed is! With a deceptively simple, poetic text and gorgeous, evocative illustrations, author/illustrator Bonnie Christensen delightfully and realistically shows the joys, the pleasures of gardening (planting seeds, waiting for the seeds to sprout, and finally, harvesting and enjoying nature's bounty). While the poetic narrative is uncomplicated enough to be enjoyed by toddlers, I believe that slightly older children (especially children interested in gardens and gardening) would also find pleasure reading Plant a Little Seed (or having it read to them). The detailed supplemental information is an added bonus (I particularly like the fact that Bonnie Christensen mentions the importance of insects for pollination, that worms keep the soil soft and aerated, that many insects are beneficial and actually eat common garden pests).

The accompanying illustrations have an almost jewel or stained glass like quality to them, and not only do they wonderfully and expressively compliment and mirror the text, they also provide information not found within the narrative proper (I love the fact that the two friends planting seeds and gardening are a girl and a boy, and that they are depicted as being ethnically diverse). And that these two facts are only demonstrated by and through the illustrations (that the text itself makes no mention of either the gender or the ethnicity of the two friends, that it is simply a story of two friends planting seeds, two friends tending their garden) is both lovely and encouraging; it shows ethnic diversity and ethnic diverse friendships as something natural, as natural, as beautiful as plants, as gardens, as sunshine and rain, as nature itself.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Gundula wrote: "Plant a Little Seed

What a little gem Plant a Little Seed is! With a deceptively simple, poetic text and gorgeous, evocative illustrations, author/illustrator Bonnie Christensen delightfully and r..."

Thanks! Sounds great!