The Pumpkin Man and the Crafty Creeper (Picture Puffin) - Softcover

Margaret Mahy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140543708 ISBN 13: 9780140543704

Publisher: Puffin UK, 1992

Synopsis

Mr. Parkin is a pumpkin man. He tenderly nurtures his squashes and grows nothing else. So he's rather taken aback when a sprawling vine asks him to take it home. He's even more surprised when the crafty creeper demands entertainment--music and dancing and poetry. Mr. Parkin thought his was saving a wilting violet. Now it's Mr. Parkin who needs to be saved. A zany, clever comedy for young readers. Full-color illustrations.

About this title

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.

About this edition

• Publisher: Puffin UK
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0140543708
• ISBN 13: 9780140543704
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32