Darlene Halloween and the Great Chicago Fire

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.

＂Both kids and adults can enjoy children’s author/illustrator Peter J. Welling’s explorations into the fun and fancy tales behind seldom-celebrated holidays with each quirky page.＂
--Herald Bulletin (Anderson, IN)

Peter J. Welling is the kind of person who tries to find the humor in everything. An avid artist, Welling got the idea to write children’s books from paper lunch bags he drew for his sons when they were schoolchildren. Here’s how he puts it: ＂I am a drawer. Now I hear I might be a renderer. Renderer might be better, though, because [my] brother said drawers go in bureaus.＂

Welling’s skill as a storyteller came into focus at the age of eleven when he would entertain neighborhood children with stories he created. He continued telling tales through his young adulthood. Following military service, he earned a bachelor’s degree in English at Indiana University South Bend. He then put the stories of several decades down on paper. He received the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2003 and the Indiana University Continuing Studies Teaching Excellence Award in 2005.

Some of Welling’s books are based loosely on myth, legend, or history and involve a US holiday and residents or descendants of a foreign land. He creates a new spin on an old tale, inserting historical anachronisms in the art. He also includes a brief glossary of the appropriate language, whether Gaelic, Celtic, French, Russian, or Dutch.

In his spare time, this father of four volunteered at his youngest son’s school, where he won the Parent Volunteer of the Year Award twice. With five grandchildren, he visits their schools from time to time for storytelling and writing lessons. A member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, he has had several ＂moral stories＂ published and has illustrated several books for other authors.