Tim Preston

The Scarecrow is ugly, no doubt about it! Arms extended, steele teeth, elongated carrot nose, he is a site that does indeed scare. He is so scary that the wildlife seeking food in the field where the scarecrow is placed stay away for fear he might attack them. He is lonely and has no company. Day after day, night after night, is is alone and very lonely.

When a winter blizzard occurs that covers him in thick snow, suddenly, he becomes interesting to the wildlife and not an aboration to be afraid of. Frolicking over the snowy crow, the squirrels, birds, rabbits and fox enjoy their play time with him.

Then, when the snow is gone, they no longer are afraid of the crow. Rather, they enjoy him, and of course, he is thereafter a happy scarecrow.

This is a beautifully illustrated book with raised texture in places on the page. No doubt, a small child will be fascinated by the scarecrow nobody loved, but eventually became a thing of beauty.… (meer)

It's Halloween, and when the trick-or-treaters are finished, the Jack-o'-lanterns come out to play. After midnight they sail off porches and through the woods, flying high into the night sky. Up and up they go to unite as the Pumpkin Moon.

The Bottom Line: Bartram's big, bold artwork is the highlight of this seasonal picture book. I read a well-used copy that older children will enjoy. However, this pick might be a bit frightening for little ones.

This review also appears at the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog.… (meer)

It's October 31st - Halloween night! - and the trick-or-treaters are out in force in this graphically striking picture-book from British author/illustrator team Tim Preston and Simon Bartram. When midnight comes, and the humans are in bed, the jack-o-lanterns take flight, joining witches, ghosts and other spooky creatures in a vast procession under a pumpkin moon. Spotted by a few people, this unusual occurrence prompts headlines the next day...

Preston's text in Pumpkin Moon is minimal - just enough to describe what is going on - leaving most of the attention on Bartram's eye-popping illustrations. The cover of my edition really doesn't do justice to the interior artwork, which is so much more vibrantly colorful and surreal than the fairly sedate image on the outside of the book. The cover image on the paperback edition gives a much better impression of the contents within, and the spooky beauty of these visuals. I see that a number of other reviewers didn't care for the artwork, finding the human figures, in particular, creepy. For my part, I thought the illustrations were the best thing here, elevating a mostly humdrum narrative to something truly spooky and magical. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for fun Halloween reads with a bold visual style.… (meer)

A kindly scarecrow wants to be friends with the birds and animals that play at the edge of his wheat field, but they are afraid of him because of his clothing and "his beady eyes, his crooked nose, and his jagged metal mouth." When winter arrives, one night the snow falls and turns the scarecrow into a jolly snowman. The animals play with him, and he is happy now. But worries that when the snow melts, he will be alone again. Will his friends still like him when they see that he is really a scarecrow?… (meer)