Jeb Scarecrow's Pumpkin Patch

This otherwise promising tale of a dedicated young scarecrow and his beloved pumpkin patch lacks only polish. As the harvest approaches, Jeb Scarecrow's pumpkins are flourishing. Much to his dismay, however, ``those pesky, seed-guzzling, fruit-pecking crows'' aim to throw themselves a wing-ding the week before Halloween, with his glorious crop as the main course. ``Dawgone it, what am I going to do?'' asks Jeb, then enlists Mommo and Daddo's help in an anti-crow surprise in the spooky spirit of the season. First-time author Dillon makes painterly use of tertiary color schemes: intense hues like yellow-green and red-orange glow against night colors of deep blue. She displays insight into scarecrow fashion, too. Jeb's mother looks like a fortune teller in dangly earrings and flapping scarves, while Jeb's father is the country-gentleman type with a tie and a beige summer hat. Unfortunately, it's difficult to empathize with the ghostly scarecrow family, who have disturbingly odd, moonlike faces, and the birds here are poorly drawn. Flaws notwithstanding, Dillon's illustrations are singular and noteworthy. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)