Pumpkins don't suddenly appear fully grown. No, they are sown in spring, tended in summer and, finally, grow into hefty orbs.
Readers follow a pumpkin patch's life and get a lesson in their ABCs to boot.
Above each letter are bright acrylic paintings of the ever-changing garden. The jaunty rhyming text is simple and cheery. The werewolves' master barber, a lonely troll, a bogeyman and daring acro-bats are among the creepy creatures inhabiting the 17 imaginative poems. The shivery oil and gouache paintings have all of Mr. Sis' signatures from precise crosshatching to layers of symbols. An elegant treat for those who want just a slight fright.