The Best Sukkot Pumpkin Ever

by Laya Steinberg, Colleen Madden (Illustrator)

Overview

It's almost Sukkot, and Micah and his family are heading to Farmer Jared's pumpkin patch. Micah wants to find the very best pumpkin to decorate his family's sukkah, but Farmer Jared says his pumpkins can also go to a soup kitchen, to feed people who need a good meal. What will Micah decide to do with the best Sukkot pumpkin ever?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781512408652
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/2017
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.10(d)
Lexile:	AD600L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Laya Steinberg, author of two other award-winning picture books, teaches art and design to high school students, tends a community garden, and works in her basement pottery studio. She lives near Boston, Massachusetts, with family.

Colleen Madden has illustrated many children's books. When she's not drawing and daydreaming, she's out chasing chipmunks on a trail, learning how to make socks, and eating lots and lots of sushi. She lives near Philadelphia.

Editorial Reviews

"Micah and his family arrive at Farmer Jared’s pumpkin patch in search of the perfect pumpkin for their
family’s sukkah (a temporary shelter erected for the week-long Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot). Jared
explains that many of the pumpkins he grows will be donated to a local soup kitchen, and Dad reminds his
son that tikkun olam (helping others) is an important tenant of their faith. Micah has a hard time deciding
which pumpkins to donate and which one to keep, but eventually he settles on a few small seeds from a
mushy pumpkin in the compost pile, knowing that they will grow into perfect pumpkins next year.
Madden’s colorful, cartoon-style artwork effectively conveys the story’s message and features accurate
details. While most young children will likely not be as selfless as Micah, he does leave the farm feeling
good about his choice. Appended with a note about Sukkot and a list of tikkun olam activities for families,
this will find a niche in religious schools."—Booklist

From the Publisher

2017-06-27
Many families from Micah's synagogue are picking pumpkins for a soup kitchen. Micah asks his mother, "What's a soup kitchen?" She explains, and his dad adds the definition of tikkun olam, the Jewish concept of doing good deeds, or "repairing the world." As a reward for their good work, each child will receive a pumpkin. Micah wants to find a large one for Sukkot, the Jewish harvest festival. After picking pumpkins all day, he finally gets ready to choose, but when he finds a gigantic one, he remembers the soup kitchen. Farmer Jared gently tells him that the big pumpkins are not good for cooking but can be used to make "a wonderful decoration." The boy finds "a perfect little pumpkin" and dreams of his Sukkot meal but realizes that his family has enough food and other people need the perfect pumpkin more than he does. He adds it to the donations and accidentally steps on a rotten pumpkin. As the farmer explains that this pumpkin will serve as compost, Micah discovers the best pumpkin of all—the seeds to grow his own—"for next year." Micah and his family are white, but there are Asian and black synagogue members. There are few details about the celebration, but the colorful paintings are humorous and show the sukkah with its harvest decorations. A simple Sukkot story that focuses on the concept of helping those in need. (afterword, activities) (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews