The Pumpkin with a Crack in It vs The Love Thief by Maxwell Y. Kim (Author) and Hema Dubal Gami (Illustrator)
This review first appeared on Reader Views. Read the Reader Views version here.
Pumpkin feels so loved. His friends love him. His mama loves him. His papa loves him. But Pumpkin feels like something is changing–and he is right; he is going to be a big brother. When his baby sister, Nutmeg, comes home, Pumpkin is so excited to hug her, but she just screams. Mama and Papa reassure Pumpkin that he and Nutmeg will be best friends if he just gives it time. But the more time Pumpkin gives Nutmeg, the louder, crazier, and stinkier she seems to get. On top of that, Mama and Papa seem to only talk to Pumpkin about Nutmeg. Pumpkin feels forgotten. That’s when he realizes Nutmeg is a love thief. When he can’t take it anymore and acts out, Papa orders Pumpkin to his room. Instead of getting madder, Pumpkin finally just cries and tells his parents how he feels like Nutmeg has stolen all their love. As a family, can these pumpkins find a way to make room for this new addition without pushing someone out?
Feeling jealous of a new baby is extremely common. Babies require a lot of attention, so it’s easy for older siblings to feel left out. So, I see The Pumpkin with a Crack in It vs The Love Thief by Maxwell Y. Kim as a great tool for families expecting a new baby or who have recently added a new baby to the family. I feel this way for a few reasons.
The first is that The Pumpkin with a Crack in It vs The Love Thief can reassure any new older sibling that what they’re feeling is normal. It can be difficult to suddenly feel like everything that was once all yours is now shared with someone you don’t really know and who can’t understand when you speak to them.
However, The Pumpkin with a Crack in It vs The Love Thief doesn’t stop at just reassurance. The story shows that babies do grow and will be more able to enjoy their older siblings as they do. Yes, babies cry (and are stinky), but their loudness and craziness can bring so much joy. On top of that, they have love to share with their siblings as well. So, the book shows a new perspective that young kids feeling jealous may not have seen yet.
The most important part of The Pumpkin with a Crack in It VS The Love Thief, in my perspective, though, is that Pumpkin’s parents apologize. Some books with similar arcs show how the older sibling learns to accept the new baby and doesn’t focus much on the parents. While the older sibling learning lessons on their own is important, I think it means so much for children for their parents to apologize. After all, parents are humans just like kids–they make mistakes, they miss some parts of the story, and they deserve to be forgiven if they make steps to change the behavior that hurt their children.
Hema Dubal Gami’s illustrations, overall, are so full of bright and colorful joy. Anytime that joy is diminished is to reflect how one of the characters is feeling, but the beautiful colors remain, allowing readers not to be pulled down by those moments of sadness and frustration.
I also greatly appreciated that hidden throughout the pages of The Pumpkin with a Crack in It VS The Love Thief are books retitled to be punny. Once I noticed the first, I was eager to look for more as I read on. I don’t want to give them all away, but I will say my favorite was the purple book with the title Gourd of the Rings. These Easter eggs will be appreciated by adults and children who know the original titles (this will likely be a smaller number than the adults, but I think some of the referenced books are well known enough that some kids will pick up on the puns).
The Pumpkin with a Crack in It vs The Love Thief is a fun read with important messages for kids who are about to become older siblings and parents who are about to welcome another child. Those messages are enhanced by the truly joyful illustrations, allowing readers to feel, ultimately, how much love and happiness a new baby brings.
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