Ready for Pumpkins

Hercules, a classroom guinea pig, has a revelation when he watches the first graders grow plants from seeds. He wants to grow things, too! And during summer vacation (spent with the teacher's dad), he gets his chance. With the help of a friendly rabbit, Herky prepares the soil, carefully plants pumpkin seeds, and waits. And waits, and waits. One of the most important things he learns about gardening is patience. It's very hard to go back to school when fall comes--especially because his pumpkins aren't quite ready yet. But in October, the teacher's dad arrives with a big pumpkin for her class--that just mysteriously grew in his yard! And Herky begins dreaming about next year's garden . . .

Kate Duke has created a funny and charming book that shows not just how seeds grow into plants, but also how you need patience to see a long project through.

"Guinea pigs are something of a specialty for Duke (The Guinea Pig ABC; One Guinea Pig Is Not Enough), and her newest one, Hercules, is a real charmer ('You can call me Herky!' he announces in a speech bubble on the opening page). While most classroom guinea pig stories take place during the school year, Duke is more interested in Herky's extracurricular hobby: growing pumpkins. On 'vacation' in the country (a student's parent's farm) over the summer, Herky enlists the help of a rabbit named Daisy in putting together a pumpkin patch (never mind that Daisy's idea of help is to munch leaves and say, 'Good job!'). Duke's story brims with humor of both the classroom and animal-buddy varieties, and her featherlight paintings capture every ounce of Herky's enthusiasm, impatience, and eventual satisfaction. Ages 5 — 8." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

KATE DUKE has been creating wonderful picture books for more than 25 years. Her best loved tales often include guinea pigs or mice, like Aunt Isabel Tells a Good One, and Guinea Pig ABC. Ms. Duke lives in New Haven, Connecticut.