The Pumpkin Man and the Crafty Creeper - Hardcover

Mahy, Margaret

3.54

26 ratings by Goodreads

9780688103477: The Pumpkin Man and the Crafty Creeper

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688103472 ISBN 13: 9780688103477

Publisher: Lothrop Lee & Shepard, 1991

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A bossy and demanding plant insists on going home with Mr. Parkin, who usually only tends quiet pumpkins, and from that moment his peaceful existence is changed

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From Kirkus Reviews:

Concocted with Mahy's usual incisive wit, a tall-tale concerning the sort of character that charmingly insinuates itself on the unwary, then makes life miserable with demands and threats. The lovely intruder here is a sinuous, many-headed plant whose several petulant faces resemble morning glories; her hapless victim is nice Mr. Parkin, who is passing harmlessly by with a wheelbarrow of soil intended for the more amiable pumpkins he favors when the importunate plant creeps out from under neighbor Lily Rose Willowherb's spiked gate and climbs aboard. Once home and properly potted, the plant shows its true colors, demanding entertainment--only a full orchestra can keep it from withering away. Luckily, Lily Rose comes to the rescue: she knows the plant is really ``tough as old boots'' and ``practically a weed'': it's Mr. Parkin who is ``too soft and sensitive for a plant like this,'' and she sensibly rescues him by dragging it unceremoniously home. To those attuned, the satire here cuts with rapier precision, but Mahy's use of language is so deft and good-humored that her tale will also be read as more lighthearted hyperbole. Illustrator Craig nicely extends the characterizations, adding plenty of amusing details and a concerned bird and cat. Wickedly pointed; thoroughly amusing. (Picture book. 4-10) -- Copyright �1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 1-3-- A humorous and intriguing story that is both gentle and satisfying. Mr. Parkin grows pumpkins; that's all he wants to grow. So he is surprised to find himself carting home a plaintive blue creeper that has insinuated itself into his wheelbarrow full of potting mix. The vine, a former resident of the mysterious garden of Lily Rose Willowherb, declares it was being mistreated, but by the time its horrifying tantrums have reduced Mr. Parkin to renting a full symphony orchestra to entertain it, it is clear who is being abused. The appearance of Lily Rose, who looks as exotic as her creeper, and her summary handling of the ungrateful creature are quite a relief. Mr. Parkin returns to the silence of his pumpkins, which all display gentle smiles as the crafty creeper exits stage right. Craig's watercolors are restrained but expressive. Her reserved, balding Mr. Parkin is just the sort of person who would be henpecked by a plant, and seven flower faces show a wide range of emotions, from contentment, to irritation, to a feigned swoon. They provide a fitting complement to this tongue-in-cheek cautionary tale, which will leave young readers wondering just what else might be behind Lily Rose's garden walls. --Ann Welton, University Child Development School, Seattle
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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