Just in time for fall: Pick a Pumpkin--Patricia Toht, Author, interviewed by Julie Phend

Pick a Pumpkin

With autumn here and Halloween just around the corner, what could be more delightful than Patricia Toht’s invitation to Pick a Pumpkin in her latest picture book? The book, written in rhymed verse for readers aged 3-7 and charmingly illustrated by Jarvis, evokes the magic of choosing just the right pumpkin and transforming it into a jack-o-lantern for Halloween night.

I love the rich, sensory details in Toht’s text: from “vivid orange, ghostly white” and “lumpy chunks, sticky strings, clumpy seeds, guts and things” to “small slits sleeping, cross-eyed crazy” and “red-hot eyes and fiery grin.” Jarvis’s beautiful illustrations in autumn tones of orange and blues give the book an old-fashioned feel that perfectly suits this timeless tradition.

  

 

Patricia Toht Interview

GROG: Pick a Pumpkin is a companion book to Pick a Pine Tree. Whose idea was it to write a companion book? How closely did you follow the same structure? Did this make the writing easier or harder?

PATRICIA: Pick a Pumpkin started out as a poem about carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns. The poem eventually grew to book length. I thought that transforming a pine tree into a Christmas tree had promise, too, so I wrote Pick a Pine Tree. They follow the same structure, which definitely made it easier to write, since the basic arc was established. They were submitted to the publisher as companion books, with Pick a Pine Tree released first (2107), followed by Pick a Pumpkin this year.

GROG: Tell us about the illustrator, Jarvis, who illustrated both of these books.

PATRICIA: I’m so fond of Jarvis’s illustrations! For me, they evoke comfort and nostalgia. The color palette of Pick a Pumpkin is so rich – not only oranges, but purples, pinks, and blues – and conveys the feeling of autumn. Jarvis also has whimsical books that he’s both written and illustrated. My favorite is Mrs. Mole, I’m Home!, about a near-sighted mole.

Patricia's son Will picks a pumpkin of his own

 

He lives in England, so we haven’t met yet, but I’m hoping we will some day!
You can explore Jarvis's website here - http://www.byjarvis.com/work.

Daughter Ruth with Decorated Pumpkin

GROG: You’ve chosen to use rhymed verse in an era where writers are often told not to attempt it. What do you like about rhymed verse? Why did you choose it?

PATRICIA: I’m a poet at heart. I love lyrical language and how images can be conjured from few words. But I don’t always write in verse. It’s sounds odd, but I write in rhyme if a piece comes to me that way – it begins rhyming itself as I’m working on it! One danger of writing in verse is that sometimes the rhyme tries to drive the story – it’s tempting to add extra lines or to word things unnaturally, in order to make an end rhyme work. I once heard an editor say it’s not that editors don't like rhyme, they don’t like bad rhyme. If you want to be a rhymer, you have to really work at it by studying rhythm and meter, forms of poetry, poetic devices, etc.

GROG: How much do you edit and tinker with the wording and the rhyme?

PATRICIA: I obsessively edit and tinker! In poetry, every single word counts. I use a thesaurus and a rhyming dictionary to help me make just the right choices. And I’m so lucky to have critique partners who are amazing poets, too, and they help me whip my manuscripts into shape.

GROG: What training do you have—as a writer and a poet?

Critique group: Eileen Meyer, Heidi Roemer, Michelle Schaub

PATRICIA: I didn’t study creative writing at school, so I’ve learned along the way. Early on, I took a writing-for-children class with Esther Hershenhorn and a poetry class with Heidi Roemer, which were both very helpful. I’ve also attended SCBWI workshops, and I have a shelf of craft books I refer to often.

GROG: You’ve written a number of holiday books for children. What do you see as the advantages/disadvantages of holiday books?

PATRICIA: A definite advantage is that holiday books have a ready market. But that also comes with a disadvantage – sales are usually limited to the holiday season. I also think it can be challenging to come up with a unique concept to compete with existing holiday books.

Glass Pumpkin Festival

GROG: Do you have marketing ideas for Pick a Pumpkin that you’re willing to share? 
PATRICIA: Last year, I worked with a classroom of second graders and I gave them an early reading of Pick a Pumpkin. Their teacher is from a farming family, and she picked tiny pumpkins for each student. I would love to do something like this at book signings and school visits! I’ve also reached out to our local arboretum, which hosts a glass pumpkin festival, hoping I can share the book at their festival.

Patricia with Second-Graders

GROG: While we’re talking about holidays, what’s your favorite holiday? Why?

PATRICIA: My favorite holiday is Christmas – I love everything about it! I start playing Christmas music and baking cookies the day after Thanksgiving. Our family has its own traditions, which include the trek for a tree, annual ornaments for the kids, and stuffed stockings that may not be opened until after Christmas dinner.

GROG: Finally, GROG readers already know a lot about Patricia Toht. Tell us something we don’t already know.

PATRICIA: Many people will find this weird, but I love graveyards! When I was a young mom, I lived across the street from one, and I often took my son for walks there. It was peaceful and filled with beautiful statuary. Reading the gravestones made me wonder about people buried there. Now, when I travel, I often find a graveyard to explore in each location.

Sounds like another Halloween book might be in your future, Patricia!

Thanks for sharing with GROG readers.

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