If you haven’t read Ava Pennington’s post from yesterday, please do! It’s an informative and honest discussion of Halloween and how it pertains to Christians. My post today is about  how Christian authors can put a spiritual spin on this controversial holiday.

Holiday books are very popular in the children’s market, and books about Halloween are only second in sales to Christmas books. Several Christian authors (including myself) have written picture books or board books which compare carving a pumpkin to having our sins forgiven (See the prayer at the end of Ava’s article.)

The idea (which is public domain) is that we are a mess on the inside—just like an uncarved pumpkin. But Jesus can forgive our sins and make us clean on the inside—just like a carved pumpkin.

One of the verses in My Happy Pumpkin board book goes like this:

We wash it and dry it, then cut off the top.
We scoop out the seeds and the pulp and the slop.
We take all the mess and we throw it away—
into the trash—that’s where it will stay.

Two pages later the text refers to God washing away our sins and making us like new. The story ends with putting a light in the pumpkin and comparing that to letting our light shine for Jesus.Though the word Halloween does not appear in my book, carving pumpkins is obviously associated with the holiday.

My Happy Pumpkin was published in 2007 and continues to be available every fall. I am thankful for the opportunity to share the love and forgiveness of Jesus with young children, no matter what season it is.

Here’s to clean and happy pumpkins!

Crystal