Runaway Pumpkins

Roll into pumpkin season this autumn with a fall favorite perfect for storytime.

A field trip to the pumpkin patch almost ends in disaster in this rollicking tale of resourcefulness and resilience.

The old adage of "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade" is reborn with pumpkins! When a bumpy road and a faulty bus storage lock release a load of handpicked pumpkins back into the wild, the students on a field trip are left with a single pumpkin. Pluckily, they decide to take what they have and do what they can. Together they decorate the only surviving pumpkin for their harvest fair.

But good fortune comes knocking the next day when a group of kind neighbors arrives at the school. They found the smashed pumpkins and turned them into celebratory seasonal fare, perfect for sharing: yummy soup, cake, pie, and even fries!

Teresa Bateman has written many popular books for children, including Fiona's Luck and Fluffy: Scourge of the Sea. She works as a children's librarian and based Runaway Pumpkins on an actual pumpkin disaster at her school.

Stephanie Fizer Coleman is an illustrator and designer of whimsical art and stationery. She has illustrated several adult coloring books as well as the picture book Five Flying Penguins. She lives in West Virginia. www.stephaniefizercoleman.com