Darlene Halloween and the Great Chicago Fire — Peter J. Welling

In a pumpkin patch in south Chicago, a family of field mice is captured as main ingredients for a witch�s brew. When they fight back, the mayhem they cause results in the Great Chicago Fire�and the defeat of the last witch in the city. This whimsical tale featuring the varmint heroine Darlene Halloween describes how the holiday came to be named after her and offers a clever explanation for signature Halloween traditions like jack-o�-lanterns and trick-or-treating. Peter Welling�s sixth picture book for Pelican contains his signature multilayered writing and illustrations with puns and jokes embedded in the dialogue, descriptions, and drawings.