Big Pumpkin

A little bat uses brains over brawn in this not-so-scary Halloween picture book. The witch has grown the biggest pumpkin ever, and now she wants to make herself a pumpkin pie for Halloween. But the pumpkin is so big she can't get it off the vine. It’s so big the ghost can’t move it, either. Neither can the vampire, nor the mummy. It looks as if there’ll be no pumpkin pie for Halloween, until along comes the bat with an idea to save the day. How can the tiny bat succeed where bigger and strong spooky creatures have failed? You'll be surprised!

Every year, giant pumpkin contests take place at fairs across the country—the 2012 record-holder weighed over a ton! The latest craze is to carve the most enormous pumpkins into racing boats. But what’s next? Why not think really big? Award-winning artist Wendell Minor does just that as he imagines larger-than-life pumpkins decorating some of America’s favorite places—as immense as the Capitol dome, Mount Rushmore, the Brooklyn Bridge, even the Grand Canyon! This celebration of famous landmarks and landscapes plays with concepts of size and scale and is full of fun facts.

Two mice, each without the other's knowledge, help a pumpkin grow into the biggest ever--but for very different purposes!

Twelve-year-old Rose Brutigan has grown seven inches in the last eight months. She’s always been different from her twin brother, Thomas, but now she towers over him in too many ways. The gap in their interests continues to widen as well. Musically talented Rose is focused on winning the upcoming Bach Cello Suites Competition, while happy-go-lucky Thomas has taken up the challenge of growing a giant pumpkin in the yard of their elderly neighbor, Mr. Pickering. But when a serious accident changes the course of the summer, Rose is forced to grow and change in ways she never could have imagined. Along the way there’s tap dancing and classic musicals, mail-order worms and neighborhood-sourced compost, fresh-squeezed lemonade, the Minnesota State Fair — and an eclectic cast of local characters that readers will fall in love with.

When two cats compete in a pumpkin contest, they both win a new friend in this charming story about pumpkins, Halloween, and cats! Mimi and Clara are neighbors. Both cats want to win this fall’s Great Pumpkin Contest. As the competition draws near, Mimi’s pumpkin grows larger...and larger...and LARGER. And soon the pumpkin—and her worries—are bigger than she imagined. Can Clara help Mimi find her way? With adorable artwork from author and illustrator Angie Rozelaar of Planet Cat Studio, The Great Pumpkin Contest is a perfect Halloween story, and a reassuring reminder that even in a competition, friendship always comes first.

"It's Halloween, and Peppa wants to take her pumpkin to school! But the pumpkin is so giant, how will she get it there?"--Back cover

Invites readers to search for hidden pumpkins within the background scenes.