A Giant Puff-Ball
A Giant Puff-Ball is a short story written by Frank R. Stockton in 1893. The story follows the adventures of a young boy named Tommy and his encounter with a giant puffball mushroom that he finds growing in the woods near his home. As Tommy tries to figure out what to do with the enormous fungus, he learns valuable lessons about responsibility and the consequences of his actions. The story is a classic example of Stockton's whimsical writing style and has been enjoyed by readers for over a century.
By Frank R. Stockton · First published 1893 · Genre: Children's Literature, Fantasy, Science Fiction · 304 words
First lines
I suppose you have all seen puff-balls, which grow in the fields like mushrooms and toadstools, but I am quite sure that you never saw anything of the kind quite so large as that one in the picture. And yet that engraving was made from a drawing from the puff-ball itself. So we need not suppose that there is anything fanciful about it.
The vegetable in question is a kind of _fungi_ called the Giganti Lycoperdon, and it attains its enormous size in one night! It springs from a seed so small that you could not see it, and grows, while you are asleep, to be bigger, perhaps, than you are yourself!
What this Textopian page supports
A Giant Puff-Ball is listed on Textopian as a short story by Frank R. Stockton, dated 1893 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Frank R. Stockton
- Date: 1893 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Children's Literature, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Educational, Adventure
- Length: 304 words
- Structure: 1 section, 7 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for A Giant Puff-Ball by Frank R. Stockton
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- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters
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Similar titles
- Mr Philosopher by Robert Graves
- A Few Feathered Friends by Frank R. Stockton
- Bird Chat by Frank R. Stockton
- The Giraffe by Frank R. Stockton
- The Flower Hospital by Gelett Burgess
- My Balloon Hunt The Frenchman by Frank R. Stockton
Genres
- Children's Literature — The narrative style and subject matter are tailored to a young audience, with a focus on wonder and imagination.
- Fantasy — The story involves fantastical elements such as giant puff-balls growing overnight, which are not grounded in reality.
- Science Fiction — The plot includes speculative scientific concepts, such as the rapid growth of fungi from invisible seeds to enormous sizes.
- Educational — The text provides information about fungi and their growth, aiming to educate the reader about natural phenomena.
Tags
fantasy · adventure · humor · whimsy · imagination · mushrooms · nature · surrealism · childhood · exploration · curiosity · friendship