The Pumpkin Sea tells a story about a father and son in search of the perfect pumpkin. Set at a fall pumpkin festival in northwest Illinois, the boy encounters many obstacles during the search.No matter how many problems the child faces, he continues to strive forward in search of his "prized" pumpkin. As in life, the boy learns a valuable lesson: Patience and persistence pay off. Even in a pumpkin patch, never give up.First-time author ROBERT N. DOHR lives in Illinois. "My son and I were at a pumpkin patch and I shot a roll of film. After developing the roll, I realized that I had photographed an entire story. At this point, I added words to the pictures and gave the original book to my mother as a Christmas gift." Dohr worked with artist Glenn Dewyea, his college roommate while at Illinois State University, to describe the direction he wanted for the book's illustrations. Dewyea took the author's photographs and used watercolors to create this vibrantly colored picture book. The author is working on his next books.