I read this today with my 7 year old and he said he really enjoyed it! He thought the illustrations were pretty and loved how the pumpkins worked together to find a solution to their problem. Cute story!

The positives of this book is the artwork and the themes of problem solving and teamwork. I will always read a pumpkin story. However, this book read very clunky. The dialogue was rough and difficult to follow. And the word choices in a children’s book was very strange. Words like “harass” and “ cockamamie”. Book didn’t make sense for target age.

My young son and I were excited to dive in to one of our first autumnal books of 2025. "The Pesky Problem" boasts beautiful illustrations and perfect colours for a great fall read-aloud. The variety of characters highlights the idea of diversity and encourages relatability as both the pumpkins and crows experience conflict and collaboration throughout the story. We both agreed our favorite part of the story was the "Different Types of Pumpkins" section which revealed individual, vibrant illustrations of each pumpkin/gourd and a description of the type of pumpkin!

However, my son was immediately frowning as the pumpkins and gourds spoke rudely to one another followed by the crows doing the same! This seemed to cause a disconnect as he watched the characters dismissing ideas of others. He was upset that the crows, behaving as crows do: searching for food in a field, were being treated as the villains of the story. He practically snapped at the injustice received by Warty Pumpkin's ideas and feelings being ignored by Fairytale Pumpkin and was absolutely furious by the end that the crows went without ANY food. A great feeling as a mom to have such an empathetic kid picking up on kind and unkind behaviour, not the most delightful reading experience, however. I really appreciated the variations of behaviour more complex than simply "nice" or "mean"! Including "entitled" provided an important learning opportunity and it was a great example that he was able to grasp by concept.

This story will be a great addition to classrooms, though I believe a recommended age range for this book would be between 6-9 years, as the word choice is advanced for younger readers and the overall negative tone of the problem solving among the groups might not be the right fit for very early readers.

I was provided with an electronic copy of The Pesky Problem by Cristina Garcia by Netgalley in return for an honest review. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this title and look forward to future reads from this author.

This was a nice book about a Pumpkin patch struggling with a crow problem and working together to sort the problem out. This Book is a good and hits on the topics of teamwork and leadership. It was easy to read and enjoyable.

The Pesky Problem greets a patch of pumpkins who are tired of being pestered by a group of nasty crows. Following the lead of the eldest-Mr. Warty Goblin Pumpkin, the patch works together to ward off the crows. The illustrations are cute, and at the end there’s a section detailing the different types of pumpkins in the story. Shout out to Casper Pumpkin and Long Island Cheese Pumpkin!
Thank you to Atmosphere Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book!
The Pesky Problem released March 25th, 2025-go check it out!

A sweet book about how a group of pumpkins solves the probelm of being attacked by crows. Lively, fun, well written and illustrated, it teaches the concept of team work and, I might add, a little element of fear. A good tale and one, no doubt, that the early primary grades will enjoy, as well as the pre-readers. Sort of a modern Aesop tale, and this is all to the good. Enjoyable.

The Pesky Problem is an amazing children's book that showcases working together, listening to others and how to problem solve! The art fits with the story well and is very colorful with a lot of detail! It's a story to keep that can be read several times and for years during the fall season.

In The Pesky Problem, a diverse and colorful group of pumpkins face a mysterious issue that’s disrupting their peaceful patch. As they work together to uncover the source of the problem, they discover the power of kindness, collaboration, and seeing value in every member of their community.

This is such a charming and inclusive fall story, brought to life through vibrant, whimsical illustrations that perfectly capture the book’s heartwarming message. Not only does it encourage teamwork and problem-solving, but it also gently teaches kids that how we treat others, no matter their shape, size, or age, really matters. The variety of pumpkins featured adds a lovely layer of visual diversity, and the educational chart at the end gives kids a fun way to learn more about different pumpkin types. A delightful pick for autumn storytime that’s both meaningful and fun.