cover image Pumpkin Time!

Pumpkin Time!

Erzsi Deàk, illus. by Doug Cushman. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, $14.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4022-9526-3

In author/agent Deàk’s kooky harvest-themed story, an overalls-clad girl named Evy doesn’t have her head in the clouds, but rather in the soil. Cushman (Pigmares) shows Evy planting seeds, dressing a scarecrow, and harvesting vegetables while rambunctious farm animals frolic throughout the year: “The day the sheep picnicked on the neighbor’s lawn... Evy didn’t see a thing. (What was Evy doing?)” Not donkeys sailing through the sky nor Halloween festivities can distract Evy from her work: “When ghosts and goblins danced door-to-door all night long” (the ensemble includes a sheep dressed as a vampire, a pig in a mummy costume, and a horse witch), Evy is carrying the harvested vegetables indoors. Hard work and commitment pay off for the avid gardener, and readers should appreciate seeing her finally enjoy the fruits of her labor—in the form of pumpkin pie—with the animals. Ages 4–8. Agent: Erzsi Deàk, Hen&ink. (July)