How+Many+Seeds+in+a+Pumpkin?

"How many seeds in a pumpkin?" Mr. Tiffin asks his class as they gather around the big, medium, and small pumpkins on his desk. Robert, the biggest kid, guesses that the largest one has a million seeds; Elinor, sounding like she knows what she's talking about, guesses the medium one has 500 seeds; and Anna, who likes even numbers better than odd ones, guesses that the little one has 22. Charlie, the smallest boy in the class, doesn't have a guess. Counting pumpkin seeds is messy business, but once the slimy job is done, to everyone's surprise, the smallest pumpkin has the most seeds! As Charlie happily exclaims, "Small things have a lot going on inside of them" (Google Books).
 * Summary:**

**Author Bio:**
Margaret McNamara is a writer and an editor who has spent many years working in children's publishing. She gets many of her ideas from her own daughter's experiences at school. Margaret McNamara lives with her family in New York City, though she likesto spend as much of the summer as she can in Maine. The author says, "I chose the name 'Margaret McNamara'because it was my maternal grandmother's name. The real Margaret McNamara grew up a very long time ago in County Clare in Ireland, and was the only one in her village who could read" (Amazon).

**Other Children's Literature:**
Robin Hill Series Too Many Cooks (Ratatouille) (2007) The Pumpkin Patch (2003) Fall Leaf Project (2006) One Hundred Days (Plus One) (2003) Snow Day (2007) Eloise at the Wedding (2006) Halloween Fun (2008) Earth Day (2009) Election Day (2004) The Counting Race (2003) The Whistle on the Train (2008) George Washington's Birthday: A Mostly True Tale (Coming 10, 2012) Apple ABC (Coming Jul 28, 2012)

This particular book does not have any awards however, The Pumpkin Patch from the Robin Hill School, was awarded the Oppenheimer Toy Portfolio Best Book AwardÑGold.
 * Awards: **

**Historical Context:**
Math in literature

**Major Themes:**
Mathematics, Skip Counting, Multiplication, Bigger doesn't always mean more, Size isn't everything, Don't prejudge something by it's outside appearance.

**Citations:**
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