When Pumpkins Fly
by Margaret Lawrence
4 out of 5 stars

Sanikiluaq is a remote town that gets all its supplies through cargo planes. At Halloween, the plane flies in pumpkins for the school children! Each class gets to carve a pumpkin, and they draw names to see who gets to take it home for their front porch. They light candles inside each pumpkin. The children don their costumes and get bags full of candy trick-or-treating at each house. Then the whole community gathers for a Halloween dance. But when they go to bed, the children wonder if the tunnaat spirits will come out and steal the pumpkins. Or will the pumpkins freeze when the candles burn out?

I liked this snippet of life in an Artic Inuit town. You can really feel the delight of the children as they enjoy the holiday! There is a blend of modern traditions with old folklore that makes this book special. However, the tunnaat spirits going in and out of houses might be too scary for young children.

The illustrations are brightly colored and beautifully designed. However, some of the artwork looks like it was done digitally, and other bits were done in pencil. The art styles vary and I found that strange. It would have looked better to use one style throughout the book instead of mixing them. There is this one airplane drawn in pencil at the beginning that especially stood out in an odd way. The art could have been more cohesive. As it is, it is distracting.

This book captures the fun atmosphere of Halloween without being too creepy or scary. The whole story is cute and fun!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.