Patient for Pumpkins by Linda L. Knoll


Patient for Pumpkins
Title : Patient for Pumpkins
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 1583947086
ISBN-10 : 9781583947081
Format Type : Hardcover
Number of Pages : 32
Publication : First published April 15, 2014

Seasonal fruits, vegetables, and other produce from local farms play an important part of a healthy, ethical diet. Encouraging children to eat local food in harmony with the seasons, Patient for Pumpkins tells the story of T.J., a boy who accompanies his father to the farmers' market and enjoys the changes in fruits and vegetables as the year progresses. Families looking to introduce the concept of seasonal availability of produce to young children will be delighted by this children's book by Linda L. Knoll, a lifelong resident of Northern California who is a professionally trained artist with a teaching credential.

In Patient for Pumpkins, young T.J. attends the farmers' market with his father, going to and from the market throughout the seasons, first savoring broccoli and berries, then onions and potatoes, then late summer tomatoes, all the while anticipating the pumpkins and asking when they'll be ready. His father reminds him of the value of patience and what a wonderful reward it will be once the pumpkins are finally available. Alongside this richly illustrated story are informative sidebars, describing and illustrating the ongoing development of the pumpkin patch back at the farm, highlighting the parts of the pumpkin plant and their various stages of growth in the months leading up to the October harvest.

When autumn arrives and the pumpkins finally make it to the farmers' market, T.J. selects his favorite to take home. A sidebar goes on to explain how the farmers plow the leftover vines back into the land for the next season's crops. A checklist of fruits and vegetables commonly available at farmers' markets is provided at the end of the book to encourage children to sample new produce and develop healthy eating habits.

Patient for Pumpkins Reviews

  • CFAITC

    Introduce your students to how pumpkins are grown and the seasonality of other fruits and vegetables that you will find throughout the year at the farmers market in this book written and illustrated by Linda L. Knoll.

    Young readers will follow T.J. and his dad on monthly trips to the farmers market. On each trip, T.J. shares which commodities are in season. Each month, T.J. asks, “But where are the pumpkins,” and T.J.’s dad replies “Be patient.” The beautiful illustrations throughout the story will help students identify different fruits and vegetables and when during the year they are available.

    A side bar on each page explains the different stages of the growing process of pumpkins—from when the farmers prepare the fields in the spring to when the pumpkins are harvested and available at the farmers market in the fall.

    Throughout the book, readers will also learn about the different parts of a pumpkin plant, like roots, tendrils, flowers, and leaves, and the different functions of each plant part. For example, the large leaves help protect the pumpkins from the hot sun.

    This book also introduces the reader to the wide variety of pumpkins that are available from short ones, to green ones, and even ones with bumps on them. T.J. selects his pumpkin and takes it home to carve.

    Linda Knoll includes a list of fruits and vegetables that you can find at the farmers market on the last page of the book. She encourages readers to check out the commodities that they have tried and encourages them to try new ones!


    http://www.learnaboutag.org/blog/?p=2058

  • Michele Knott

    Great book to use in the primary classroom that shows the life cycle of a pumpkin in a unique style - a young boy visits a farmer's market each month, anxiously awaiting the arrival of pumpkins. A cutaway located on the left side of each page shows the growth of the pumpkin as the months go by.

  • Laura

    Charlie is impatient for pumpkins at the farmers' market. A sweet and vegetable-filled story about a young boy learning about local, healthy eating.