Play With Your Pumpkins - Hardcover

Elffers, Joost; Freymann, Saxton; Damm, Johannes Van

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1556708483 ISBN 13: 9781556708480

Publisher: Stewart Tabori & Chang, 1998

Synopsis

Presents designs for carving pumpkins using the stem as a natural nose, and offers a collection of pumpkin-based recipes

About this title

Review:

"Why must a pumpkin's face be carved on its side when there is a natural nose begging to be the center of an incredibly expressive face?" ask pumpkin artists Joost Elffers and Saxton Freymann at the beginning of their delightful mix of photography, folklore, and recipes, Play with Your Pumpkins. And indeed, the pair have turned the jack-o'-lantern on its side (literally) with the happy, sad, scary, and funny faces they carve around green stem noses. Fans of the fantastical vegetable animals in Elffers's Play with Your Food will love what he can do with a pumpkin head. In addition to the fabulous photographs in this pocket-sized treat, the pair have provided a cultural history of the pumpkin and a treatise on their approach to decorating it. Finally, Dutch food writer Johannes van Dam offers 24 recipes for sweet and savory pumpkin dishes from all over the world, including Persian Pumpkin Jam and Pumpkin Pickles from Germany, not to mention the quintessential American Pumpkin Pie, proving you can provide personality to your pumpkin both inside and out.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 2 Up-Elffers and Freymann have turned the traditional jack-o'-lantern on its head-literally. In their designs, the stem forms a natural (if quirky) nose, and with the addition of a carved mouth, some with teeth, and eyes shaped by removing part of the orange peel, fantastic critters emerge. Some are hilarious, others menacing, but all are a delightful change from the cookie-cutter faces children have grown accustomed to. No specific directions are given, just suggestions and plenty of examples. However, because they don't require hollowing out the pumpkin to remove the seeds, these creations are easy to make. Not only are the ideas creative, but so is the book design, featuring an appealing small size; blasts of background colors; and page after page of zany photographs of pumpkins, some small and stacked along the page edges, others dominating a double-page spread. The grinning pumpkin on the cover will immediately engage browsers. With adult assistance, children can attempt the impressive selection of "Succulent Pumpkin Recipes From All Over the World." Included are Flamusse (flan) from France, Pumpkin pickles from Germany, Mderbel (lamb stew) from the Middle East, and an assortment of pies from many nations. Other chapters include information on the history, myths, and legends associated with this gourd, and tips for growing it. An excellent choice for all craft collections.
Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Stewart Tabori & Chang
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 1556708483
• ISBN 13: 9781556708480
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 80