It is gathering in of the pumpkins and squashes and putting the gardens to bed. “Hallowe’en is the last of the flowers in the garden, as the chrysanthemums and calendulas bravely outlast all the tender blossoms. He only does this when the butt’ry window has been left open at night and it’s his way of showing how careless we can be.” Once or twice, when he has turned himself into a bat, he has given some of the grown-ups a few bad moments. A ghost lives in our house who wouldn’t scare a youngster if he could help it.

Mary Mason Campbell, the author of this book, writes “Hallowe’en is many autumn things, none of them very spooky. This book is now out-of-print but used copies can be found for aficionados of New England recipes and lore. What would this scene look like today? Would the boy be wearing shoes? Would the dog have a collar and dog tag? Most children I know love to carve pumpkins as much as the two children pictured showing a universal truth. Notice the wooden hayrake, the wooden water barrel, the basket full of apples. This illustration documents two young children carving a 'pumpkin moonshine' Tasha's name for what many people call Jack-o'-lanterns. The New England Butt’ry Shelf Cookbook possesses recipes and observations valuable to anyone involved in the process of day to day cooking and baking. Illustration from The New England Butt'ry Shelf Cookbook Due to the diminutive dimensions of the volumes, bookstores experienced heightened incidents of the books departing from the premises without payment. It was originally published as a very small book, and was one of a series of five referred to as the ‘calico’ books. Pumpkin Moonshine contemplates the excitement of autumn, pumpkins, adventure, and how children experience tradition. Pumpkin Moonshine is available in hardcover, board book and paperback in our online shop.

Pumpkin moonshine by tasha tudor