"Let It Grow!" invites readers on a delightful journey into the world of pumpkin seeds and their remarkable transformations.

In this charming tale, a young boy discovers a tiny but special pumpkin seed, setting off a series of heartwarming adventures as he nurtures it to grow into a magnificent pumpkin. Fraser's narrative beautifully captures the essence of patience and the wonders of gardening, providing young readers with a delightful lesson in the joys of watching things grow.

The illustrations throughout the book are absolutely gorgeous, perfectly complementing the text and capturing the magic of the pumpkin's journey from seed to harvest. My young listener was thoroughly engaged and captivated by the captivating imagery, eagerly anticipating each stage of the pumpkin's growth.

While the story includes a nod to Halloween, it goes beyond the holiday theme to focus on the rewards of patience and the myriad uses of pumpkins beyond carving Jack-o'-lanterns. From pumpkin racing to informational pages about pumpkins, this book offers a delightful exploration of the versatile vegetable.

Overall, "Let It Grow!" is a cozy and educational read that celebrates the beauty of nature and the joy of gardening. While I thoroughly enjoyed the book's focus on patience and the various uses of pumpkins, I also appreciated its underlying message of appreciating the simple wonders of life.

What a cute read! I could imagine class activities to do the entire time I was reading this! Not to mention, I had no idea they raced pumpkins as boats. I think students would get a kick out of that fun fact, and it would add some pizazz to a lesson. Loved the illustrations, as well!

Thank you to NetGalley for granting this ARC, super cute and fast read. The illustrations were adorable and the story was cute.

This is a great little book to get kids excited about gardening. The story follows a little boy with a pumpkin seed that grows and grows, thanks to his patience. Children will learn about the growth cycle of the pumpkins and the importance of not rushing the process, all of which has been gorgeously illustrated throughout the book.

Our pre-school class liked this story. It was really fun using this book to show kids how a seed can become a pumpkin and used it in connection with the children growing little plants of their own in the classroom.

This is a great little kids book that would be a wonderful storytime Fall theme read. I think kids of all ages will definitely love this.

This book was really cute. My son enjoyed the pictures and the story was enjoyable as well. Will definitely look to add this to our hard copy collection.
Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The illustrator used a beautiful palette and the drawings were unusually artistic for the age range. I appreciated the attention to detail and was drawn into it's story and message. The book provides a snippet of what it means to grow in a very particular context. There is no characterization of the actors in the book, nor is there any plot. Since this book was aimed to the people already familiar with the context of growing giant pumpkins, I would assume that it offered more to those readers. I could recommend this book only as a companion piece to the events mentioned, not as a standalone piece of work for children.

Wonderful book to read with young children to encourage their love of nature and growing things.
Follows a young child as he comes to realize how important waiting is as he learns about the growing cycle of a giant pumpkin. Fun and informative.

Pub Date 15 Aug 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

This is a children's book that I read to my twin boys. This is a cute and fun book great for younger kids (Pre-k to about 1st grade). I have to say both my boys loved this book. The pictures was so good, and I loved the fact it talks about letting a seed grow/pumpkin. I will have to buy this book as soon as it comes out. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Capstone Editions) or author (Mary Ann Fraser) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

As someone who loves pumpkins and gardening I enjoyed this book! The main takeaway that I think will be helpful for young children is that patience pays off. The book begins with a small seed that could be eaten or plucked from the ground at any time. Our narrator decides to be patient and let it keep growing and growing and growing. Eventually we see a huge pumpkin! Even once the pumpkin is finally harvested that doesn’t mean it’s life is over - the pumpkin can be hollowed out, used as a boat, and then all of its seeds can be planted next year.

I loved the illustrations in this book and appreciated learning all of the pumpkin facts and also about the Pumpkin Regatta. I didn’t know that was a thing! This is the perfect book for children who need help with their patience and also those who are interested in gardening.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book! It is all about what you can do with a pumpkin seed and letting it grow up and using the seed and pumpkin in so many creative ways.

The illustrations throughout were gorgeous and went along well with the text throughout. My young listener really enjoyed the book as well and was very interested in seeing how the pumpkin could change next.

The story focuses on patience and planting/ gardening. There is a Halloween reference, which makes me excited for the coming holiday, but it really focused on all the other things that happen when you are patient with your pumpkins. They even showcase pumpkin racing... which I had no idea was even a thing. The book even includes some informational pages about them.

Overall this book was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed how it focused on waiting and letting the pumpkins get bigger and bigger and all their uses. Although I love Halloween and Jack-o-lanterns, I also really enjoy pumpkins and their beauty and this book really does a good job at showcasing that.

This story is so sweet and a great introduction to gardening for children. It also has an added historical context and taught me something new— I didn’t know that pumpkins were used as boats and raced. This was an interesting twist that I wasn’t expecting. The prose is lovely and the illustrations are too. I love seeing characters of color in children’s books. This will be a great story to introduce to my children when we start our garden in the spring.

A lovely picture book about an interesting topic, growth! Reviewing the life cycle of a seed from planting to plant and beyond, Let it Grow leads us to a pumpkin boat race which many readers may have no idea take place. As we follow our little farmer (who happens to be a person of color, great for little persons hoping to see characters that look like them!) he teaches us how a pumpkin grows and just how much fun you can have with one- especially a giant one!

Great book to teach kids to let things grow, we don’t pull them up as soon as there is a leaf etc.

Good to use around Halloween as they planted pumpkin seeds and it includes some pumpkin facts.

Such a cute book. I love the story in this book is based on fact. This book will be perfect for the garden club at school. The kids will get a kick out of this book! Can't wait to read it to them.

I love the illustrations in this book. I liked the view of the process of growing something from a seed and where it can end up. A lovely picture book sure to be popular.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This is the kind of storybook I would love reading to the kids again and again.

Because it talks about new plants and planting more!

The cover doesn't do justice to the contents inside. I feel the illustration of the cover a bit dull compared to the rest of the art work.

Such a delightful read. Let's plant more vegetables!

You will love the extra facts and the photograph towards the end.

Thank you, author/artist and the publisher for the advance reading copy.

I am so grateful I read this one. Who knew growing and racing in giant pumpkins was a thing? Windsor Pumpkin Regatta sounds super fun! Well, if you're like me, and you didn't you're not alone. And I bet the kiddos would have a BALL learning about this one. It could even give them some ideas on how to spend their time. Not necessarily to grow big pumpkins, but to be resourceful with what nature gave us.

And oh yes, this is what the story is about; resourcefulness. About appreciating nature, about being patient, being persistent and about letting things grow.

I love that it had pumpkin facts in the back, as well as the explanation that I have given at the beginning of this review! Awesome!

Delightful and fun. A great read along book that even the adult will get something out of. Recommended for the autumn season.