The Golf Shop
Buy used:
$23.22
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime
FREE delivery January 17 - 28 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery January 16 - 25
Used: Good | Details
Sold by 777Khost
Condition: Used: Good
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Gigantic Turnip (Barefoot Beginners) Hardcover – February 1, 1999

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 222 ratings

The mouse added just the necessary weight to the line formed by all those trying to pull up the giant turnip.
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Up-to-the-minute illustrations and graphic design serve as the new-fangled foil to the well-known Russian folktale. The text has a familiar, classic cadence; the publisher says that Tolstoy was the first to record the story, in the 19th century. The eponymous turnip, as many readers will already know, grows to colossal size and won't budge from the ground, forcing an elderly farmer couple to seek assistance from a succession of barn animals in order to pull it out. Working in a style reminiscent of Yumi Heo's for its flatness and angularity, Sharkey (Tales of Wisdom and Wonder) produces figures with beady eyes, spindly limbs and small, delineated smiles. They toil against a stark, elemental landscape that is mostly sky. The text itself takes on visual prominence, displayed centrally in large type, sometimes curving, sometimes magnified for effect. The animals (e.g., the two pot-bellied pigs, the three black cats, the four speckled hens) caper acrobatically, while the turnip itself is depicted as monumentally spherical as a planet. Two recent versions of this tale, Jan Peck and Barry Root's The Giant Carrot and Vladimir Vagin's The Enormous Carrot, build momentum right up to the ending, when all the animals share in a boisterous feast; here, the climactic moment comes earlier, when the turnip is finally dislodged. Sharkey's pacing creates a circular balance: the story begins calmly and ends calmly, with plenty of fun in between. Ages 2-5.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-There is no shortage of versions of this popular Russian folktale, including Jan Peck's recent variant, The Giant Carrot (Dial, 1998). However, this retelling is more complex, so it won't work with very young audiences. The cumulative action centers on an old man and old woman and all of the animals who try to help them uproot a gigantic turnip. In the end, it is a tiny mouse that swings the balance, and all enjoy a hearty turnip supper. Sharkey's illustrations call to mind Brian Karas's work, offering a lot of quirky visual details shown in earthy browns, greens, and yellows on scratchy solid backgrounds. The round old man has spectacles precariously perched on his nose, the old woman sports elfish shoes and striped stockings, the rounded rectangle of a cow chomps on delicate flowers, and the potbellied pigs trod on tiny hooves. The pictures are big enough for a small storytime and kids will find plenty to look at in one-to-one sharing.
Sally Bates Goodroe, Harris County Public Library, Houston, TX
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Barefoot Books (February 1, 1999)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1902283120
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1902283128
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 4 - 8 years
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ NP
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 1 - 2
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9 x 0.5 x 11.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 222 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
graf Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
222 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Customers say

Customers enjoy the beautiful and cute illustrations in this book. They find the storyline funny and enjoyable, with a new twist. The book is described as a fun and delightful read for children and grandparents alike.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

8 customers mention "Illustrations"8 positive0 negative

Customers like the illustrations. They find the pictures excellent and the book cute.

"...Classic story with a cute lesson learned at the end. Beautiful and interesting illustrations." Read more

"...The art is interesting, not my taste, but it doesn't look like every other book out there so in that way I'd say it's a win...." Read more

"...paled in comparison to the both the easy repetative text and quirky illustrations, others were not nearly as well done IMO...." Read more

"Love this story and very happy it's translated to English. Beautiful illustrations...." Read more

7 customers mention "Storyline"7 positive0 negative

Customers like the storyline. They say it's a great story, with excellent pictures and a silly storyline.

"...Classic story with a cute lesson learned at the end. Beautiful and interesting illustrations." Read more

"I was unaware this was a classic tale retold by many and thought this copy was so cute I searched out other versions...." Read more

"Love this story and very happy it's translated to English. Beautiful illustrations...." Read more

"Such a cute book with excellent pictures and a silly storyline." Read more

4 customers mention "Readability"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it a fun and delightful children's book that is enjoyed by grandparents and students.

"...is one I used many times in the media center and was always enjoyed byt the students." Read more

"A truly delightful child's book. I bought this book for my father who is 85 years old and has recently started growing turnips in his garden...." Read more

"A great read for grandparents...." Read more

"Loved this book..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2016
    My 3 year old loves this book, we ordered one for a friend as well. She never gets tired of it. This was one of our local library's picks and my daughter loved it so much we bought it for home. Classic story with a cute lesson learned at the end. Beautiful and interesting illustrations.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2021
    My 2yo got this for his b-day because his Dad's nostalgia for this folktale. He asks to read it over all of the other books he got, over...and over...and over.......haha ಥ‿ಥ It reads a bit stilted for my liking, but it's also not a grammatical nightmare (yes there are VERY bad 2nd hand books we've gotten that are barely English.....????? How??) The art is interesting, not my taste, but it doesn't look like every other book out there so in that way I'd say it's a win.

    If you have never heard of it (which I hadn't) it's about an old couple with lots of animals. They grow a garden and one turnip is so large the old man can't pull it out by himself, so he gets his wife. They pull together but can't get it out so they get the cow...then try again. Then they get the 2 pigs and so on until all of them have pulled together and still can't get it, and they seem about ready to give up. The wife then lures the hungry mouse from the kitchen and they all pull together. It finally comes out and they all eat turnip stew.

    I guess the moral is working together and that the "smallest" and most motivated person can make a difference to the entire society. Idk, that's what I get out of it, but maybe I'm an idiot, lol.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2020
    My 4.5 year old loves this book. He sat through it with interest & anticipation. I recommend this for your collection!
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2009
    I was unaware this was a classic tale retold by many and thought this copy was so cute I searched out other versions. All others paled in comparison to the both the easy repetative text and quirky illustrations, others were not nearly as well done IMO. DD asked for this one to be re-read so many times it became a companion to our home library.

    The story is of an old husband and wife who plant a garden and tend it through the seasons. At harvest time one turnip has grown soooo large they can't pull it out of the ground. They utilize the help of all the farm animals one by one to heave and tug but still it won't come up. The wife thinks of a creative solution that does the trick and everyone enjoys the "fruit" of their labors in the end :).
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2022
    Love this story and very happy it's translated to English. Beautiful illustrations. One star off because the font is sometimes just black regular print on white background.

    That being said, for how special it is, and economical, I've already bought this for like, 5 kids.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2020
    Such a cute book with excellent pictures and a silly storyline.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2013
    My granddaughters loved this book, and so did I. The illustrations are endearing. I only wonder where the artist found an orange turnip!
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2018
    I bought this book to do an activity about skip counting (legs, arms), but also it works for social studies about helping.
    One person found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • sal
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 28, 2024
    My boy loves this book. Bigger than i expected. Good read with nice art work
  • Cliente Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Libro che non può mancare
    Reviewed in Italy on February 7, 2022
    Non lo ho trovato in lingua italiana perché fuori stampa ma ci tenevo ad averlo e lo ho preso in lingua inglese. Bellissimo!! C'e possibilità anche di sentire la lettura in lingua inglese seguendo il link in fondo al libro. Favoloso direi!!!
  • Vero s.v.
    1.0 out of 5 stars Informacion erronea
    Reviewed in Spain on November 16, 2020
    No trae cd. En el titulo pone que viene con cd y nos ha llegado solo el libro.
    Is only the book, the cd isn,t
  • Sophie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Très belle histoire
    Reviewed in France on October 31, 2018
    Très belle histoire très facile à comprendre même par des enfants qui ne parlent pas bien anglais. Les phrases répétitives permettent à l'enfant de bien suivre l'histoire.
  • Amazon カスタマー
    5.0 out of 5 stars かわいい、おもしろいお話が心を癒してくれます、
    Reviewed in Japan on April 24, 2021
    かわいい絵とゆかいなお話の本なので
    自分用に買いました。本は説明どうりすごく良い状態でした!