The Pearl and the Pumpkin. Paul West

The pumpkins raised on the Pringle farm in Vermont are the finest in the world and highly prized by makers of pies and preserves. That's because Joe Miller, Farmer Pringle's nephew, has a secret for growing great, glorious pumpkins. On Halloween, he picks twenty-one of the biggest and best to carve into jack o' lanterns—and that's where this exuberant adventure begins.This charming Halloween fantasy ventures under the sea to recount Joe's comic exploits. In hopes of discovering the young farmer's secret, a wily Ancient Mariner sweeps Joe, along with his little cousin Pearl, below the waves, where they encounter fairies, mermaids, and the inmates of Davy Jones' locker, a rowdy crew of hungry pirates with an insatiable craving for pumpkin pie. This reprint of a hard-to-find original edition will enchant children of all ages. Scores of vivid illustrations include 16 full-page color images by W. W. Denslow, the artist of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.