Josh's Halloween Pumpkin [Hardcover]

Kathryn Lay (Author), Katy Bratun (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008 | Grade Level: 1 and up

The whole town loves Josh's little sister, Callie. Grandpa Frank says the only reason they buy pumpkins from his farm is to win a smile from the sweetest four-year-old in the county. But no one loves Callie as much as her big brother. When she gets lost in the woods, Josh gives up his chance to be crowned Harvest Festival Pumpkin King in order to find her.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Front Flap As far as Josh can see, rows of his grandfather's pumpkins stretch out in front of him. In fact, every October, people come from all over the county to buy pumpkins from Grandpa Frank. But this year, Josh plans to keep one special pumpkin--the biggest pumpkin in the patch--for himself. With this pumpkin, he will surely be crowned the Harvest Festival Pumpkin King and get to ride in the biggest float in the parade. As he imagines the possibilities for his giant find, he tells his little sister stories about magic flying pumpkins. Josh's pumpkin is so big that it must be magic too, so they agree to keep it a secret. But when Callie gets lost in the woods before the Harvest Festival, Josh forgets all about the parade. It's getting dark and Callie will be scared. They have to find her. Josh reveals his secret pumpkin with a clever idea. The whole town unites in the effort to locate the sweetest girl in the county. Will Callie find her way out of the dark? Only the magic of Josh's pumpkin can save her. Back Flap Kathryn Lay loves the unusual. She was inspired to write this book by the giant pumpkin exhibit at the Texas State Fair. Fall being her favorite season, she wanted to write a sweet family story without the spooky aspect of most Halloween books. Lay teaches writing classes online for Coffee House for Writers. She received the 2005 Golden Spur Award for Crown Me! and has taken part in the Texas Book Festival. She is a past Texas regional advisor of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Her work has been included in Guideposts, Family Circle, Cricket, Spider, Highlights for Children, Woman's Day, US Kids, Pockets, Jack & Jill, SCBWI Bulletin, The Writer, Writer's Digest, Boys' Life, Children's Book Insider, Spellbound, Wee Ones, Hopscotch, Teen Power, Teen Life, and Children's Playmate, among others. Katy Bratun's art has appeared in more than thirty picture books as well as advertisements, greeting cards, puzzles, posters, museum banners, stickers, kids' craft projects, and game boards. She enjoys talking about the creation of picture books with children in schools and libraries. Bratun is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and belongs to the Picture Book Artists' Association.

About the Author

Kathryn Lay is a full-time writer and instructor. She has taught writing classes at www.coffeehouseforwriters.com and regularly speaks to libraries, schools, bookstores, and at writers' conferences. Her book Crown Me! has been awarded the 2004 Best Juvenile Book from the Oklahoma Writers' Federation, Inc. and the 2005 Golden Spur Award. Lay has published more than fourteen hundred articles, essays, and stories for children's and adult magazines and anthologies, including Highlights for Children, Woman's Day, Jack & Jill, U.S. Kids, Pockets, Cricket, Spider, The Writer, Writer's Digest, Boys' Life, Children's Book Insider, Spellbound, Wee Ones, Hopscotch, Teen Power, Teen Life, Children's Playmate, and the SCBWI Bulletin, among others. Lay resides in Arlington, Texas.

Katy Bratun's art has appeared in picture books, advertisements, greeting cards, puzzles, posters, museum banners, stickers, kids' craft projects, and game boards. She enjoys talking about the creation of picture books to children in school and library settings. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and belongs to the Picture Book Artists Association. She resides in Salem, Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158980595X
• ISBN-13: 978-1589805958
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,341,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kathryn Lay is the author of CROWN ME!, a humor novel for agest 8-12. It won the 2005 Texas State Reading Association's Golden Spur Award and the 2005 Trophy Award for best children's book of 2004 at the Oklahoma Writer's Federation conference. The book was republished in paperback with Scholastic as HOW TO RULE THE SCHOOL. My picture book, JOSH'S HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN is a sweet Fall story of a brother and sister on their grandfather's farm and how a giant pumpkin helps Josh rescue his sister. Katy Bratun did an incredible job with the illustrations, full of Fall and bright colors.

Kathryn has been writing for many years and has had over 1600 articles, essays and stories in magazines and anthologies for children and adults. Her short story, "The Healing Truth" was included in Bruce Coville's anthology, A GLORY OF UNICORNS.

In September of 2010 her 6 book chapter book series from ABDO publishing will be out. WENDY'S WEATHER WARRIORS focuses on kids who love to learn about weather. In each book a different weather topic is approached through an exciting story including: Tornadoes, hail, lightning, snow, flash floods and hurricanes. Each book will also include experiments and facts on these topics.

Come on over to www.kathrynlay.com to learn more about Kathryn and her writing.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Josh's Pumpkin, August 4, 2009

By 

Connie Goldsmith (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Josh's Halloween Pumpkin (Hardcover)

This sweet story features big brother Josh and little sis Callie. They love playing hide and seek in Grandpa Frank's pumpkin field where they find the biggest pumpkin ever. Callie calls it Josh's magic pumpkin, and he's determined ride it in the harvest festival, towed by Grandpa Frank's tractor. One evening when Josh is hiding his perfect pumpkin from the prospective pumpkin purchasers that visit the pumpkin patch each fall, Callie wanders off and is lost. It's night and she's afraid of the dark. But Josh has a great idea about how to find her. No witches, no spooky ghosts, this is a lovely story with a happy ending. The engaging art has a wider color palette than many Halloween books have.

By: Connie Goldsmith, children's book reviewer for California Kids, a Sacramento regional parenting publication.

5.0 out of 5 stars Appealing story for Fall, June 17, 2009

By 

C. J. Ford - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Josh's Halloween Pumpkin (Hardcover)

This is a great book for sharing with a child in the Fall. The pictures of pumpkins and autumn leaves are wonderful and the story leaves you with a very satisfying feeling. I highly recommend it.