Pumpkin Town!: Or, Nothing Is Better and Worse Than Pumpkins (review)

José and his four brothers labor on the family's pumpkin farm, but they make a key strategic error: they discard the extra pumpkin seeds by tossing them at the edge of the pumpkin field, where the wind carries them downhill and deposits them all over town. The next growing season brings the botanical consequence of vines winding across roofs, through trees, and over fences, with attached pumpkins weighting down structures and dropping on passersby. José and his brothers, realizing their culpability, commit a daring midnight raid on the town to sort out the problem, literally—the result is one neat pile of pumpkins and another of vines, and a grateful collection of townspeople who erect a statue to the mysterious vegetable-wrangling boys in gratitude and send them off with a thank-you present of watermelon. McKy writes a lively, folklore-touched tale that appreciates the oral pleasures of food products and the chaos of plant growth; touches of repetition and tasty pumpkin specifics add savor to the tale, and experienced listeners will start to giggle in anticipation of the "here-we-go-again" consequences as soon as the nice seedy watermelons enter the story ostensibly to tie it up. The madcap collage of Bernasconi's illustrations is perfectly suited to the tale; even the round human faces are an effectively synthesized patchwork of collaged bits, giving José and his sibs an amiable Frankenstein look that ties in neatly with the notion of creations that take an unexpected and independent direction. The glossy photographic pumpkins definitely look good enough to eat, and in their radiant, robust health they look more than a match for the townspeople. The art doesn't rest on its collage laurels, however; clever compositions and comedic touches ensure the scenes are effective narrative art. This has obvious Halloween utility, but it could also make an amusing partner for "Jack and the Beanstalk" or an entertaining opener for the ubiquitous bean-growing project.