Rotten Pumpkin A Rotten Tale in 15 Voices [Hardcover]

Compost won't mean the same thing after readers have seen the amazing transformation of Jack from grinning pumpkin to mold-mottled wreckage to hopeful green shoot. The story of decomposition is vividly told so that science comes to life (and death). Part story, part science, and a whole lot of fun. Features a teacher guide in the back of the book, and additional material (including instructions on how to put on a Rotten Pumpkin play in your school) are on the Creston and Author websites.

This is a new kind of holiday book — a Halloween book for November instead of October. It's a Halloween story with the theme of decomposition, a science book about the recycling of life, a photography book with pictures so detailed, fascinating and . . . well . . . gross, that it will captivate and engage even the most book-phobic of children. Written in the first person from the voices of all the characters involved (the pumpkin and its many visitors including mice, birds, insects, fungi, worms, slime molds, etc.), the narrative documents the fate of a familiar fruit as it rots into nothingness. . . and everything.

David Schwartzis the author of over 50 math and science books, including many popular titles such asHow Much is a Million?,G is for GoogolandIf You Hopped Like a Frog. His math and science presentations have delighted students in over 1,000 schools in almost every state and many foreign countries. With Dwight Kuhn, David producedWhere in the Wild? Camouflaged Creatures Concealed and Revealed, which won the SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Literature and the Animal Behavior Society's Outstanding Children's Book Award. He lives in Oakland, CA.Dwight Kuhnhas illustrated more than 140 children's books on nature and biology with his brilliant photographs. His images have also appeared in major magazines and textbooks. Dwight was one of ten photographers featured in Susan RayfiellÓt