The Ink Splat is our monthly activity letter filled with idea sparking challenges and resources guaranteed to inspire your creativity. The book and author spotlighted in this Ink Splat is The Pumpkin Runner by Marsha Diane Arnold. We even have an author interview! Submit a response to the challenge and you may have a chance to be published online! What are you waiting for?
The Challenge: Truth or Fiction
Some stories, like The Pumpkin Runner, arise from a true incident. Marsha Diane Arnold used information about a true event and a real man to build a fictional story. Think about the exaggerated incidents in her story, like a ten-year-old running 24 miles in a day or a jeep filled with pumpkins. (You can read again the author’s note at the bottom of the last page to remember what parts of the story are true. You might also look at Warm as Wool by Scott Russell Sanders, another story inspired by a fragment of information.)
Think of a real person you admire or find an interesting article or news story. Build your own fanciful story around the real person or the true news article.
Submit your response HERE!
The Pumpkin Runner By Marsha Diane Arnold
Fall is finally here and pumpkins are beginning to pop up everywhere!…but for Joshua Summerhayes, pumpkins are a more than just a halloween decoration. The Pumpkin Runner, by Marsha Diane Arnold, tells the tale of an Australian sheep farmer who prefers running to any tractor or horse that he could use to check on his sheep. Always seen with his trusty Yellow Dog trailing behind him, Joshua Summerhayes decides to put his love for running to the test by entering a race from Melbourne to Sydney. Most people laugh when old Joshua arrives at the race, quietly nibbling on some pumpkin to keep himself energized. But soon, the crowd leans forward as he pulls into the lead, and proves that winning isn’t the only reason to run a race….
An Interview with author Marsha Diane Arnold:
1. The Pumpkin Runner is inspired by a true event. How did you find out about this event, and what drove you to write a book about it?
I decided I wanted to write The Pumpkin Runner when my friend Jim asked me to attend a workshop he was leading. To demonstrate perseverance, Jim told the story of Cliff Young, a 61-year-old farmer who entered, and won, an ultra-marathon against professional runners!
But, you may ask, where did Jim find out about this 500-mile race from Melbourne to Sydney, Australia? All Jim had was a clipping from Sports Illustrated magazine – one small paragraph about the race.
When I heard the tale of this improbable hero, I knew I wanted to share his real story through a fictional book. People laughed at this unlikely runner, but Cliff surprised them by winning the race. Then he surprised them again by sharing the $10,000 prize with all the other runners. Cliff hadn’t run for the money. He ran for the love of it. Isn’t that a tale that deserves telling?
2. What kind of research did you have to do in order to feel like you did the story of The Pumpkin Runner justice?
The book was published in 1998 and I was probably working on it in 1995. That was a long time ago to remember research! But I do remember sitting in my study, pouring through National Geographic magazines about Australia. At that time I’d never been to Australia and I wanted to get the feel just right.
When I wrote my story, I could find almost nothing about Cliff Young and the race. In a way, I had to make up a fiction story. The Australian Information Service informed me that Cliff trained for the race by running in gumboots around the farm, herding cattle. He didn’t actually run the race in gumboots and overalls, but I thought it made a good story.
My sources said Cliff Young was a potato farmer and helped his brother raise cattle. I decided to make my character, Joshua, a sheep rancher because there are lots of sheep ranchers in Australia and because I thought sheep would make great illustrations. But years after I wrote the story, I found sources that say Cliff was a sheep rancher, that he had both cattle and sheep on his farm.
Research is tricky. When I search the internet today about Cliff Young, I find lots more information. Still, some is correct. Some not. Cliff Young has passed away, but he enjoyed running all his life. He remains a folk hero in Australia.
3. The great thing about picture books is, well, the pictures! What is it like working with an illustrator to bring your story to life on the page?
Writers and illustrators don’t usually work together. My editors select my illustrators. I’ve never met most of them. Though I do correspond with a few of them through Facebook and e-mail now, I didn’t in my early career.
Brad Sneed, the illustrator of The Pumpkin Runner, is different. I’ve met Brad on several occasions at Children’s Book Festivals and conferences. He’s one of my favorite people in the world – kind, gracious, funny, talented.
Brad worried as much as I did about being sure our story had the feel and look of Australia. Brad had never visited there either. He studied lots of photos of Australia before and during his work on the illustrations. Our research paid off. The Pumpkin Runner was selected as a Smithsonian Notable Book. It was also chosen to be in the Houghton Mifflin 4th grade reader for over ten years. But just as important is that people who live in or have visited Australia say we got it just right. I was lucky to have Brad do the illustrations for another of my books, The Bravest of Us All. It was inspired by my father’s family and my growing up in Kansas. This setting was a bit more comfortable for Brad as he lives in Kansas and knows those wheat fields and windmills really well.
4. What do you think are some important themes and/or messages in this book?
There are so many! I don’t think about themes and messages when I’m writing a story, but when I finish the story, I see them. My readers see even more! I enjoy reading stories with many layers and many meanings. I think that’s why I subconsciously write stories with many layers too.
First, there’s lots of education fun that The Pumpkin Runner leads to: geography (the setting is Australia and other towns in the world are mentioned,) sheep ranching, the history of the jeep, physical fitness and good nutrition, architecture (Brad shows the Sydney Opera House in one of his illustrations,) the metric system, cooking (preferably pumpkin!), the physics of ballooning, and flora and fauna (wattle, grove, eucalyptus, platypus.)
But the more important themes involve things like being laughed at or dealing with people who are braggers and cheaters, like Damien Dodgerelle. The story tells of “young ones” snickering and giggling at Joshua. “Yellow Dog growled, but Joshua just said, ‘Never mind now.’ ” The story shows Damien’s cheating and how Joshua never got angry. He was flexible and didn’t despair. He decided to keep on running: perseverance. Another theme is sharing. Joshua (and the real Cliff Young) divided his winnings with the other racers; and remember that Joshua includes Damien Dodgerelle in his sharing. He forgave Damien: forgiveness. Joshua shows how to be humble, honest, and forgiving, very important themes.
5. Do you have any advice for young writers?
I’ll share four things:
1. Like many other writers, I suggest reading! It’s good to read all kinds of books, but I think if you want to write wonderful stories and poems, it’s best to read the best. Read the classics, read the Caldecott and Newbery winners and honor books, read the winners of your state Children’s Choice awards. Usually, the writers of these books have a deep understanding of language and rhythm. When you read their words, their sentences, their paragraphs, the language and rhythm sounds inside you and it will hold as a standard for your own writing.
2. When you’re reading, note the characters and what you like about them and what you don’t like about them. Most books are popular because of the wonderful characters that populate them.
3. Observe and listen. When you’re aware of your surroundings, or your world, you’ll find so much to appreciate that will inspire you to write. As Young Inklings you know that writers are always listening, always looking, and always aware. There are stories out there! They’re just waiting for us.
4. And like The Pumpkin Runner – have perseverance, don’t give up, and do what you love just for the joy of it.
6. Are there any other fun facts we should know about The Pumpkin Runner?
The Pumpkin Runner is still “running” strong after 17 years in print. Although it has nothing to do with Halloween, it seems to be a popular story in October. I know of at least two schools that celebrate The Pumpkin Runner with races, games and activities. This will be the fourth year I’ve skyped with the wonderful community at Walter Jackson Elementary to help celebrate their annual Pumpkin Run day a the end of October. It’s an all day affair and the whole community takes part in the mile run. Next year they’re going for 5 miles! They run for the joy of it, just like Joshua Summerhayes.
I would also like to tell you that, if you enjoy The Pumpkin Runner, I have a new book, Lost. Found., a Junior Library Guild Selection, coming out in early November.
Thank you Marsha Diane Arnold!
The Pumpkin Runner is available at Amazon!
Stay tuned for more of Marsha Diane Arnold’s imaginative worlds and strong characters! She has five upcoming books, and can also be found speaking and giving Writing “Fun”shops for young writers!
For more about author Marsha Diane Arnold and her books visit her website here.
