A Note from the author
I remember my Russian grandmother telling me this story— only it was a turnip in her version, not a pumpkin. Like my parents, she believed in working hard and never giving up, no matter how unlikely success looked when you started out. And she believed that success often came when you least expected it. Like the mouse in the story, she was small but she had an immigrant’s grit and instinctive knowledge of how to hang in there and PULL! This book is one of my most popular with children because it empowers the smallest among us to make a difference. — LGB