The Picture Book Buzz - Interview w/Kat Choppy and Review of But I'm A Pumpkin

Kat Choppy was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, where she successfully grew at least one pumpkin during her years as a feral, outdoorsy child. She now works as a children's book editor, and when her nose isn't stuck in a book, she enjoys hiking, playing in a band, and chasing the elusive dream of carving a jack-o-lantern as good as her artistic older sister's.

She lives in Eugene, Oregon with her husband and step-son, as well as a daredevil cat named Brisket, a highly destructive bunny named Milo, and two hives of honeybees whose diligence and productivity she hopes to one day match.

Kat is the author of The Power Tool Alphabet, illustrated by Jen Taylor (2025).

Her newest picture book, But I'm a Pumpkin!: A Summerween Story, was released May 12^th.

Welcome Kat,

Tell us a little about yourself. (Where/when do you write? How long have you been writing?)

I've been dreaming up stories since I was a kid! The first thing I can remember writing was a story about a troop of ants who go on a quest to a human bathroom. That was first grade, and I like to think my taste has gotten a little more sophisticated since then, but maybe not that sophisticated. You've got to stay a kid to a certain extent if you want to write for kids.

I always carry a notebook so I can jot down ideas that pop up in the course of everyday life and expand upon them later. If I had to choose the perfect writing spot, it might be a picturesque bench beside a lake in the early morning hours, but life rarely offers up the ideal conditions to realize our dreams, so I try to make the most of when and where I am. And I've done some halfway decent writing on the subway in a pinch!

It's wonderful to "meet" you, Kat. What is one of the most fun or unusual places where you’ve written a manuscript?

Probably the NYC subway as I mentioned above. I don't live there anymore, but I always liked the older cars on the F line because they rattle so loudly, the noise drowns out other distractions.

I haven't ridden a NYC subway, but I can imagine that is one heck of a rattle. What was your inspiration or spark of interest for But I'm a Pumpkin!: A Summerween Story?

I've always adored Halloween. For 364 days of the year, we wear our sad beige clothes and (mostly) leave our neighbors alone, but on this one night, the rules change: we wear quirky costumes, knock on random doors like it's a treasure hunt, and take candy from strangers! It's like stepping through the Wardrobe and discovering the magical possibility that was there all along. I've always wished that feeling of possibility could last for more than a night. So, when I learned about Summerween, I was excited to extend the Halloween magic.

I got to thinking about what distinguishes Summerween from regular Halloween. A pumpkin is the quintessential symbol of Halloween, so what would the summer equivalent be? At some point, the mental picture of a watermelon jack-o-lantern popped into my head, and the rest sprouted naturally from there.

It is kind of a weird, society-wide break of the rules. I'd never heard of Summerween, so this was very intriguing. What was the hardest or most challenging thing about writing But I'm a Pumpkin! ? And what was the most fun?

I'm a children's book editor by trade, so I'm very familiar with the revision process. But it's a new experience to have someone else editing my work, and that can be humbling, like "What do you mean it's not perfect?!" The first draft of But I'm a Pumpkin was almost entirely focused on the seed. And when my editor asked me to build up the girl's role in the story, my knee-jerk reaction was, "That's impossible!" But then I sat with it for a while and a new path revealed itself. In the end, the story was much stronger than it had been. That gave me a new perspective on the editorial process: both the magic it can produce, and the vulnerability it takes to let an outside voice help shape your vision. I think it's made me more empathetic as an editor.

Interesting, I wonder what would happen if more editors tried their hands at writing and being edited by someone else? How many revisions did the illustrations take from first draft to publication for But I'm a Pumpkin! ?

As an author, you don't see every step of sketch revisions, but the art came together pretty quickly over the course of a few months. I feel strongly that illustrators do their best work when you give them the free rein to find their own point of inspiration for a project. Nothing sabotages good art faster than micromanagement, so I did my best to step back and trust the process. It was very different being in the author seat vs. the editor seat because there's more of a sense of "this book is my baby," which you've got to keep in check. Ultimately, I knew I had a great team and trusted them to take my vision and augment it into something even better. I can't imagine what this book would be without the humor and creativity Heidi brought to the table, or the expert guidance of the editor and art director, Rotem Moscovitch and Sarah Hokanson.

I's so fun to see what the right team can create. Did anything amaze or surprise you when you first saw Heidi Moreno’s illustrations? What is your favorite spread?

I'm in awe of Heidi! I didn't have a preconceived idea of what the girl looked like, but when I saw her interpretation, it was like YES, THAT. And I still don't know how she managed to bring so much expression to these fruits and vegetables using such simple lines.

Text © Kat Choppy, 2026. Image © Heidi Moreno, 2026.

My favorite spread is probably the one where the pumpkin is thinking Halloweeny thoughts ("spooky, scary, ORANGE"). As a kid, I would have gobbled up all the details of that piece. But there are so many wonderful moments: our hero's aghast expression when the dad announces it's not a pumpkin, the jack-o-lantern moon, the bat stuffie. Honestly, Heidi's bats are so irresistible, I'm tempted to write a book about a bat just to get her to draw more of them.

Sounds like a good idea. Having written both fiction and nonfiction, do you find one easier than the other? Or one much harder?

I genuinely love both. The research that goes into nonfiction is time-consuming but rewarding. And I love when the facts just tell you what structure they want to be wrangled into. Fiction flows a little more naturally for me, but sometimes the sheer range of possibilities is overwhelming. It's like each new sentence is a restaurant menu with every delicious dish your imagination can conjure up; how do you choose just one?

That's a fun way to look at both of them! What's something you want your readers to know about But I'm a Pumpkin! ?

The main goal of this book is to offer a fresh, fun twist on Halloween. But on a deeper level, it's about embracing your individuality and celebrating all the quirks that make you you, even if they don't conform to everybody's ideal. I was a little weirdo as a kid, and I say that affectionately now, but at the time I was so painfully shy. I wasted years and years just doubting myself and trying to figure out the rules to be more like everyone else. Sometimes I wish I could go back and funnel all that fruitless energy into being even weirder! But in lieu of that, I'm happy to write stories that celebrate anyone who's ever felt like an odd duck.

Perfect! We all need more stories to encourage us to be our wonderful, weird, and wackily unique selves. Not a paper doll which matches all the others. Are there any new projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?

There's nothing of mine to promote, but I can't miss an opportunity to hype up the authors I edit! This fall, there's a new middle grade novel called Quetzal's Labyrinth by Karla Arenas Valenti that I can't get enough of—think Percy Jackson with a side of Aztec mythology and an enchanted labyrinth. And in spring 2026, there's a book called Lucky's Home for Lost and Hungry Dogs by Deborah Hopkinson, which is a feel-good animal adventure inspired by England's first dog shelter. Be warned, you might go into cute overload when you see the adorable interior art from Marcin Minor.

Wow, Quetzal looks intriguing and as for Lucky, how can you not melt at that face and title and not want to know more. Thank you for sharing these! Last question, what is your favorite National Park or Forest, regional park, or city park (anywhere in the world)? Or the one you’re longing to visit. Why?

The Sierra Nevada of California is probably the most beautiful place I've ever been. My sister and I did a 12-day backpack through King's Canyon and Sequoia National Parks a few years back, and they will always hold a special place in my heart. Someday, I'd like to visit Denali as well. I've never been to Alaska, but there's a wild beauty about it that I feel drawn to. Maybe typing this out will manifest a trip!

Thank you, Kat, for sharing with us a bit about yourself and your new picture book.

To find out more about Kat Choppy, or to contact her:

Website: https://katchoppy.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katchoppy/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/kidlitkat.bsky.social

Review of But I'm A Pumpkin: A Summerween Story

Whether you love Halloween or not, this is a terrific book that celebrates, with a light touch of humor, getting outside, being yourself, and holding fast to your dreams. It's also a wonderful introduction to a new holiday and a great addition to Halloween collections.

But I'm A Pumpkin: A Summerween Story

Author: Kat Choppy

Illustrator: Heidi Moreno

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (May 12, 2026)

Ages: 3-7

Fiction

Themes:

Halloween, gardening, individuality, and believing in your dreams.

Synopsis:

A little seed dreams of becoming a jack-o-lantern, but nature has other ideas in this delightful read-aloud about the origin of a "summerween" tradition—perfect for fans of Stumpkin or The Bad Seed.

A young girl waits for Halloween, telling tales and singing songs of costumes, candy, and trick-or-treaters to the sprouts in the pumpkin patch. One seed in particular has big dreams: he wants to be the biggest, scariest jack-o-lantern of all! But as time passes and new vines unfurl, he remains greener than all the other pumpkins in the patch. Even his Halloweeniest thoughts have no effect!

Will this watermelon's dreams of pumpkinhood ever come true? Will the girl be able to celebrate her favorite season with her star jack-o-lantern? And what happens when he’s picked on a hot summer’s day, months before Halloween?

Opening Lines:

The little seed couldn’t wait to be a pumpkin.

He nestled down in the dirt,

shut his eyes,

and focused reeeally hard

What I LOVED about this book:

After this interesting opening from the seed's point of view,

Text © Kat Choppy, 2026. Image © Heidi Moreno, 2026.

we get a mirrored one from the girl's point of view, with a fun little rhyme between the scenes with "grow/glow." Setting up a fun back and forth throughout the book. And immediately establishing what both the seed and the girl desperately want.

Text © Kat Choppy, 2026. Image © Heidi Moreno, 2026.

The little girl couldn’t wait for Halloween.

She visited her seeds each day,

telling tales

of the jack-o’-lanterns they’d become.

Though the reader sees the difference (in a cut-away underground image) between the Seed and the others, initially, neither the seed nor the girl notice. Kat Choppy and Heidi Moreno do a great job of capturing the enthusiasm of the seed's first leaves. And I love creating the girl's pumpkin garden in the shape of a jack-o-lantern's crooked grin, wide eyes & triangle nose, as a perfect, bold and colorful representation of her garden "was smiling with new growth."

It's so fun that Heidi Moreno took Kat Choppy's Halloween obsessed character and created a "gothic-like" girl with jet black hair, who wears predominately black, doesn't mind spiders, and carries around a pinkish-purple stuffed bat! I also love the personality she's subtly imbued upon the stuffie, seeds, and pumpkins with just a few lines and shapes. After singing the plants song and telling them stories, the girl had a field of pumpkins full of individuality and a sad green 'pumpkin.' Again, such a great job capturing the melon's shift of emotions in a way a young reader will instantly recognize and feel.

Text © Kat Choppy, 2026. Image © Heidi Moreno, 2026.

Although the girl gives it extra water and the melon thinks "Halloweeny thoughts," they can't change who the melon is. And when her dad picks the melon for the Labor Day picnic, the reader gets a glimpse of the difference in the colorful clothes of the girl's father and all the other kids and viscerally understands perhaps why the girl strongly identifies with her "special" pumpkin.

With a fun twist and a thought-provoking wordless spread, the book offers the perfect ending which wraps up both character's stories and leaves the reader with a wonderful new tradition and a great Halloween story. This is a touching, humorous book which also encourages kids to stay true to their wonderful, weird, and wackily unique selves and their dreams.

Resources:

• carve (or paint) your own pumpkin, watermelon, or both. Make your own "Summerween" party.

  
  

  

• create your own unique jack-o-lantern crafts.

• make your own pumpkin or bat origami

• if you live in a place where you can make a little garden or garden in a pot, trying growing your own watermelon and/or pumpkin.