Maranda Russell's Blog, page 110

"The Pumpkin Field" Picture Book Review

With fall just around the corner, you may be looking for Halloween or other seasonal stories to share with your children.  A great one to consider is Linda Nance's "The Pumpkin Field".  This picture book was both written and illustrated by Linda, and she is certainly one gifted storyteller.

So what is "The Pumpkin Field" about?  It is a catchy little rhyming story that brings out the best and spookiest parts of autumn.  From the bare, skeletal trees to the black cats, magical scarecrows and spooky witches, this story literally has it all.  And of course, there are lots of pumpkins to be found as well!

I know it can be hard to pick just the right kind of spooky, but not-too-scary book for your kids.  This one has an edge of fright, just enough to give you a little shiver, but is certainly not violent or terrifying.  Even the smallest ears will be fine listening to this little tale.

The pictures that accompany the story are well-drawn, but definitely have a handmade feel to them.  No computer generated graphics here!  However, I find this style of art quite charming and a welcome change from the overly digitized picture books that are often produced today.  Art like this has a homey feel to it, one that makes you want to curl up with a blanket in front of the fireplace and get lost in the story.

If you would like to consider adding this book to your Halloween collection, you might want to visit the book's Amazon page or Linda Nance's blog.

Picture Book Giveaway! Make sure you enter!

The folks behind the educational website, www.wedolisten.com have made a very generous offer to give away a free, autographed copy of their most recent book, Howard B. Wigglebottom Blends in Like Chameleons: A Fable About Belonging right here on my blog!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this organization, you should definitely check out their website!  They have lots of free animated storybooks, songs, games, coloring pages and ecards for kids!  They also offer lessons and posters for parents and educators about important subjects such as bullying, listening, honesty, self-esteem and much more!

To be entered into the book giveaway, simply check out their website and leave a comment on this blog post telling us what you thought!  Please include an email address in your comment so that I will be able to contact you if you are the winner!  If you don't want to give away your email address publicly, leave your Facebook or Twitter link and I will contact you that way, just make sure that your security settings will allow me to send you a message!

PS. Contest will run for a week, winner will be chosen Sunday, August 28th.

Update:  And the winner is….Sarah Butland!  Congrats Sarah!  And thanks to all of you who entered!