Posted by Halloween at our house is loud. Costumes everywhere, candy negotiations, somebody always losing a shoe. I love all of it.
But every year I thought about the other side of the night. The kid who loves the magic but not the mayhem. The one who would rather read about the adventure than run straight into it.
That kid is Theo. And he is the hero of my new book, The Pumpkin Moon Parade.
The story
One October night in the town of Willow Hollow, distant drums pull Theo out his front door. He is quiet. He is shy. He loves books. And he follows that sound straight into a parade marching under a giant pumpkin moon.
He meets the Hollow Drummers, who teach him that bravery is not so loud, it comes from within. The Vine Dancers, who find the joy in all they do. The Candle Carriers, carrying the reminder that a single light, no matter how small, can shine so bright.
And then the Pumpkin King himself offers Theo one true wish.
The wish
Theo could wish for anything. Anything at all.
He wishes for his sister.
She is stuck at home while he is out marching under the pumpkin moon, so he spends his one wish on her: that she could run and roam and play. At dawn, the parade vanishes. His sister runs outside laughing, feeling well.
I will not pretend I did not get a little choked up writing that part.
Why I wrote it
I wrote this book in rhyming verse, built to be read out loud. The drums build, the rhymes roll, and right when the kids are leaning in, the room goes quiet. It lands in one sitting, which any parent doing bedtime will appreciate.
And here is the thing I am proudest of: there is not a single scare in it. Glowing lanterns, dancing vines, drummers in the dark, a giant pumpkin moon lighting the way. All the wonder of Halloween, none of the nightmares. If your little one hides during the scary parts, this one is for them.
It is for the quiet kids. For the siblings who spend their wishes on each other. For the night-before-Halloween tradition your family starts this year.
The Pumpkin Moon Parade is live on Amazon, paperback, $9.99, for ages 4 to 8.
Get it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPFX8RH6
Happy Halloween, from our porch light to yours.
