Newtown Author Publishes 'Gold Pumpkins For The Cure' Children's Book

NEWTOWN BOROUGH, PA ? Author Shari Faden Donahue, the owner of the Zebra-Striped Whale on South State Street, has released her newest children's book just in time for Halloween.

Titled "Gold Pumpkins For The Cure," Donahue's picture book is inspired by the nonprofit Little Hero Foundation and its "Gold Pumpkins For The Cure" campaign to raise money for pediatric cancer research and innovative treatments.

Within its pages, 12 whimsical images of gold pumpkins created by Bucks County artist Kimberly Orr jump off the pages through an empowering verse written by Donahue.

Donahue had seen Orr's work last October when Orr was transforming a South State Street window into a Halloween scene not far from the Zebra-Striped Whale.

Inspired by the talent she saw being created on that store window, she asked Orr if she could create a series of pumpkin images that she could use in her children's book.

A month later, said Donahue, Orr had created 12 gold pumpkins for Donahue. The next step for Donahue was to create the narrative for each page of the book.

Some of the Gold Pumpkin images artist Kimberly Orr created for the book.

The result of their collaboration is a captivating picture book with a narrative fostering literacy skills and creativity, and illustrated with delightful images of a lion, a scarecrow, a clown, a baseball, a turtle, a three-eyed alien, a bug-eyed pumpkin with its tongue hanging out, and others, all with a gold pumpkin theme.

"It's an upbeat way to spread the word and make people aware that funding is needed for cancer research, especially for young children," said Donahue.

It's also meant to promote the "Gold Pumpkins For the Cure" campaign, which encourages people around the world to decorate pumpkins in various gold-themed ways to support and bring attention to pediatric cancer

"'Gold Pumpkins for the Cure' is a fun, exciting way for young students to get involved and make a difference in the lives of other children in need," said Donahue.

The book ends with the phrase, "I can be a superhero and save the world once more. You can do anything when you're a pumpkin for the cure."

Donahue is donating 100 percent of the proceeds from book sales to the Little Hero Foundation and to the "Gold Pumpkins For The Cure" campaign.

One of the whimsical gold pumpkins created by Kimberly Orr for the book.

The Little Hero Foundation is near and dear to Donahue's heart. It was founded by her daughter, Maxx Barry, a Council Rock graduate who grew up in Newtown and now lives in Delaware County.

At five and a half months old, Barry's son, Ben, was diagnosed with a form of pediatric liver cancer. Fortunately for Ben, surgery was able to cure little Ben and he's now living a healthy, happy childhood.

That isn't the case for every child diagnosed with pediatric cancer, so Barry established the Little Hero Foundation to raise money for pediatric cancer research. She also started "Gold Pumpkins for A Cure," which has taken off around the globe.

Participants simply decorate pumpkins in various gold-themed ways to support and bring attention to pediatric cancer. And for every golden pumpkin that's decorated, Little Hero Foundation donates $1 to children?s cancer research and innovative treatments up to $10,000.

For the last four years they have been donating $10,000 at a minimum to pediatric cancer research for the pumpkins that have been uploaded to the Little Hero Foundation website where a constant stream of posted images can be seen.

"It's easy. You just decorate your pumpkin, take a snapshot of it and upload it to Gold Pumpkins for a Cure," said Donahue.

Donahue's book is available for sale at the Zebra-Striped Whale at 12 South State Street, at the Newtown Bookshop at the Village at Newtown South (near the Newtown Farmers Market) and at the Newtown Library Company, 114 East Centre Avenue.

In addition, Donahue is offering her book for free to any kindergarten, first and second grade school teacher who would like to organize a Gold Pumpkins for the Cure classroom project or reach the book to the class. Teachers can reach out to Donahue through the Little Hero Foundation.

Through Thanksgiving, the Gold Pumpkins depicted in the book will be on display during regular hours at the Newtown Library Company on Centre Avenue.