Perfect Picture Book Friday: Maezie’s Pumpkin Patch by Lynn Martin Snowden and Illustrated by Kyle Sydney Powell

[I received a review copy of this book from the author.  No other compensation was received.]

Maezie's Pumpkin Patch

What do you do when you are 95 years old and someone destroys your pumpkin patch that you’ve been working on for the past six months?  Well, if you’re Maezie, you get upset and then you decide that you’re not going to let it defeat you. This beautiful and inspiring story about how a community rallies with Maezie to rebuild an even more magnificent pumpkin patch will delight and inspire you and your little ones.

Title: Maezie’s Pumpkin Patch

Author:  Lynn Martin Snowden
Illustrator:  Kyle Sydney Powell
Petunia Publications, 2014, Narrative Nonfiction ISBN:  978-0991492909

Suitable For Ages: 3 – 8+

Themes/Topics:

Community, Gardening, Triumph Over Adversity

Opening:   

“It was one month until the pumpkin contest, and Maezie was working hard in her patch making sure all of her pumpkins were the biggest they could be.  This year she was dreaming of a winner.”

Brief Synopsis:

Maezie loves to garden and works hard to grow prize-winning pumpkins.  Unfortunately, Maezie comes out one morning to find that her pumpkin patch has been vandalized.  All of her pumpkins are either stolen, smashed, or broken.  The community rallies behind Maezie and with time, patience, help, and personal resolve  — Maezie and her neighbors grow an even more magnificent pumpkin patch.

Links To Resources:

Why I Like Maezie’s Pumpkin Patch and Why You Should Read It:

  • It’s an encouraging and real story about perseverance after adversity.
  • It emphasizes that success takes a long time.  This is an important reminder and lesson for everyone.  (It takes an entire year for Maezie’s pumpkin patch to be regrown after the vandalism.)
  • This is one of the few stories I’ve read that portrays how much time and patience bouncing back and success can take.
  • It led to a great conversation about time with my son.  It was a lot of me asking him “Do you remember when we…?” and then telling him that it was six months ago or three months ago.  “That’s how long Maezie had been working on her garden.”
  • The story is told in an engaging and realistic way.  The narrative is clear and speaks to children and adults in a warm and intelligent tone.
  • It definitely addresses Maezie’s heartbreak of having her pumpkins smashed, but it doesn’t dwell on it.  Yes, something bad happened, but Maezie’s resolution is very refreshing in how she just doesn’t let it defeat her.
  • The acrylic and pen drawings are beautiful.  The illustrations do a wonderful job of setting the tone of the story and emanating Maezie’s essence.  There are some fun and subtle illustrations that add a touch of magic and whimsy.
  • Maezie is 95 years old and still out gardening and growing pumpkins!  It’s inspirational!  I want to be growing prize-winning pumpkins when I am 95!
  • At the end of the book are Maezie’s Pumpkin Growing Tips along with Maezie’s favorite types of pumpkins.

Where to Get it:

Author/Illustrator Websites:

More Reviews of this Book:

Where Obtained:  I received a review copy from one of the authors. No other compensation was received.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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I’m sharing this post with Perfect Picture Book Fridays over at Susanna Leonard Hill’s fantastic blog!  Her website is an incredible resource for picture book reviews and all things children’s books.  I’m always impressed with what I find on her site.  Please take a moment and check out lots of other picture book reviews.

17 comments

    • The Picture Book Review

      I didn’t realize how rare it is to see waiting and endurance as a factor for success until I read this book. With all the talk these days about grit and persistence — I think we’ll probably see more. I’m at least going to be on the look out now. It had quite a positive effect on my son.

      Thank you for reading! I really appreciate the comment. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  5. Patricia Tilton

    I love pumpkin patches. This is a inspiring story about an gardener and a great story about community. I have a 93-year-old neighbor who spends here spring/summer/fall days in her goregous gardens. Amazes me! She’s an artist, so you can imagine her garden.

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  8. Sue Heavenrich

    I love that Maezie is 95 and still trying to grow the biggest pumpkin. Most of our local pumpkin contests are for the kids… and they can grow some huge pumpkins. Big Max, Connecticut Field. My favorites, though, are the small New England pie pumpkins that are the perfect size for… a pie.

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  9. Uniek Kaswarganti

    Hello… I’m from Indonesia and I can’t imagine about pumpkin contest since in my place no event like this.
    But I got your point about this book story and what the important message on it. Yes, it simplify our job to tell the kids about lessons of life. Children will easily get points with creative picture book like this and both of us (parents & kids) will enjoy the time while reading the book.

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