Into the Pumpkin

A playful and at times eloquent rhyming poem invites readers to take a journey on a witch’s broom and “through a pumpkin,” where archetypal characters such as ghosts, a pumpkin head, and scarecrow are gathering: “Where shall the party/ take place for the night?/ In a spooky old castle/ with ghosts all in sight.” Using creamy oranges and ethereal whites and grays, the images are often impressionistic and sometimes frightening: wraithlike ghosts crowd the entrance to a cemetery; elsewhere, two eerie figures stand in a field next to a scarecrow. Franklin balances creepiness and fun in her atmospheric autumnal illustrations. Ages 4–8. (July)