The Huckabuck Family has harvested way too many popcorn kernels that causes their farm to be filled with popcorn. After pony pony exposes a silver buckle out of a yellow squash, her family's luck turns sour. A fire begins in the barn and causes the farm to be consumed by popcorn which causes the family to abandon the farm. The family relocates to another city and once pony pony finds another silver buckle in a squash, their luck turns to good fortune. The book's theme is about superstition; how one's luck influences their future. ( )

Super cute short story that was pulled from the Rootabaga Stories and made into a book for children with fabulous illustrations! This was a joy to read (and a little odd). The Huckabuck family grew corn for popping. Maybe they were the Reddenbocker family, I don't know. The first name of each member of the family is repeated because if daughter "Pony" doesn't answer when called she might answer to "Pony Pony." Interesting concept. But, here's the thing about the Huckabuck family, besides the double name thing, one year they had a fire and all the popping corn popped and there was too much popcorn. They had to leave town for three years! Hence the title of the book, they raised popcorn in Nebraska, quit because they grew too much and then came back when they thought all the popcorn was gone. ( )

I found this book to be very interesting. This would be a good read for a child that was about third or fourth grade. This book talks about a few different states and cities the family moves to because their luck changed over a belt buckle. This book had a few tier two words that would be good for a vocabulary lesson, although the book could be a little long for some ages. The book also talks about different jobs and shows how the little girl is always proud of her father no matter what. At the end of the story, the family's luck changes when they find another buckle and they go back to their farm and raise veggies instead of popcorn.

Genre: Fantasy/Realistic Fiction

Art Media: Watercolor and pen ( )

Illustrator: David Small

A great story to read to children in autumn. This book can be incorporated into a lesson about pilgrims, farming, etc. This book shows how well a family can work together, a good topic to educate children about. ( )