a town is filled to the brim with pumpkins! how will they get rid of all the pumpkins?
1 book

This story was about a family who grows pumpkins and after all their pumpkins grow they sell all the pumpkins except for the very best ones which they would use the seeds to plant for the next year. The boys took all the left over seeds and threw them out, and that's when the wind carried the seeds to a nearby town and when spring came around pumpkins were growing all throughout the town. After the boys realized that this was all their fault they felt bad and went to the town and helped clean up all the pumpkins. The towns people were so thankful for their help and rewarded the boys with great big watermelons. The central message of this story is that everyone makes mistakes but them important thing to remember is that its okay to make mistakes as long as you own up to it and try to fix it. When we try to fix our mistakes there might be a great reward coming our way. ( )

I liked the fact that this book embodied the responsibility individuals need to take if they do something that causes something bad. The boys accidentally flung pumpkin seeds towards a town, which caused a plethora of pumpkins to cover the town, but the boys cleaned up the pumpkin mess and everyone was good in the end. The illustrations were great as well! ( )

Summary:
This story is about a boy named Jose, his four brothers, and their father. They are farmers and they grow pumpkins on the hill where they live, which overlooks a small town. One windy night the boys threw the pumpkin seeds on the ground. Since it was so windy, the seeds began to blow and blow and blow until they reached the small town. The seeds covered the rooftops and hills of the little town. Soon the pumpkins began to grow everywhere! The town was surprised and didn't understand how the pumpkin seeds were planted in their small town. The brothers knew that the pumpkin fiasco was their fault so one night they went into town and harvested all of the pumpkins while the town was sleeping. The town was so happy and thanked the boys for getting rid of their pumpkins by giving them watermelons. The town also thanked them by building a statue of the four boys in honor of their service for the small community. As you probably guessed, the four boys accidently let the new watermelon seeds slip on a windy day and oh no, where will the watermelons begin to grow?!

Personal Reaction:
I really enjoyed reading this book. I've never planted pumpkin seeds, but every summer my grandma would let me plant a watermelon in her backyard. Every day I'd go to her house to "check" on my pumpkin. I think that children can relate to the story whether they plant flowers, watermelons, or pumpkins with their family. It's a humorous tale that is enjoyable for all ages.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. I could have the students grow their own flower in small pots. We will plant, water, and grow them together as a class.
2. I would have my students write about a time in their life that they did something good and were rewarded for it.

Jose and his family grow pumpkins. The father always said “Keep the best, sell the rest.” So they gathered all the pumpkins and vines and sold them to the market. When it came time to replant pumpkins seeds, Jose and his brothers threw the seeds all over and one night it was windy. The seeds blew down the hill into a little town. They landed everywhere EVEN in the straw roofs of the little town. The town was amazed as the pumpkins grew everywhere. However, they started to question the pumpkins because they were taking over the town. The brothers felt responsible because they had just threw those seeds down and knew they blew down into the town. So one night they snuck into the town ever so quietly and cut down all the pumpkins and the vines and piled them up for the town to sell for money. The brothers were so tired they fell asleep next to the huge pile of pumpkins. The town was so grateful they put the tired brother’s on a trailer in soft hay and gave them watermelons. They also had a horse take them home. The town thanked them by building a statue of Jose and his brothers. Jose and his family kept the watermelon seed in a bowl and the father warned them not to get them mixed up in their pumpkins patches. But a few might of slipped! So they took the seeds and threw them down to that little town and no one knows if they will grow!

This story was very exciting because you want to know what happens next. My mom and I used to plant pumpkin seeds when I was a child and they do grow everywhere! Kids of all ages would be entertained by this book. I know I was!

In a classroom, I would ask my students to write what happens next after they throw the watermelon seeds down to that little town. I could also get pumpkins seeds, dirt, and Dixie cups and we would plant our very own pumpkins. I could also use the planting of pumpkin seeds in a biology lesson. ( )