Five Little Pumpkins (Harper Growing Tree) (Board book)

by Public Domain (Author), Dan Yaccarino (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
PreS?Five Little Pumpkins repeats the well-known fingerplay. In Yaccarino's illustrations, garish orange jack-o'-lanterns with stark black eyes are accompanied by a blankly staring white ghost and a black cat. Although this short poem has been a perennial favorite of the storytime set, some children may find these faces frightening rather than appealing. In Wrapping Paper Romp, Plecas depicts a cheerful, round-faced toddler in orange pajamas tearing apart a colorfully wrapped present as a cat paws at a bow. Hubbell's rhyming couplets will hold youngsters' interest as they recognize the peek-a-boo game that the main character plays with the kitten behind the purple tissue paper. Skip the pumpkins and romp with the tamer of the two.?Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.The first one said, "Oh my, it's getting late."Get ready for some wicked fun as these five pumpkins run and roll! Toddlers will want to chant along with this popular rhyme again and again. Dan Yaccarino's vibrant and bold illustrations bring these pumpkins to life with personality and style. Toddlers are sure to laugh out loud as these pumpkins roll out of sight!

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Product Details

• Reading level: Baby-Preschool
  
• Board book: 16 pages
• Publisher: HarperFestival (August 7, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0694011770
• ISBN-13: 978-0694011773
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #348,914 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a favorite fingerplay now an excellent board book!, December 9, 1999

By	Chess Heart "paxbear" (Cattauraugus County, NY) - See all my reviews

Personally, I'm glad to see that board books are finally coming into their own and receiving professional, editorial reviews! Too often, board books play a very distant 2nd fiddle to their larger (and longer) kin, the picture books.

I've read a good deal of board books in my time, and have found that while there are vast numbers of them, some are just plain poorly written or illustrated-I fancy because people feel that they're only being given to very young children, so what's the big deal?

It IS a big deal, and Mr. Yaccarino does an excellent job with this work. Based on a popular fingerplay (hold up 5 fingers and sing/say the rhyme), the book is likely to already be familiar to most infants & toddlers, especially around Halloween time. The illustrations are bold, very bright oils that capture the playful spirit of the fingerplay and the text is a big, bold, easy-to-read non-serif font that fully compliment the story (all too often, the text in board books is difficult to read or distinguish different letter shapes & patterns).

Our five little pumpkins, each with a different expression that stays constant throughout the book, begin by sitting on a gate as an impish ghost floats out of a chimney on a house in the background. The sun is setting, and it's time for some fun!

The pumpkins see witches in the air, talk with each other, and even get juggled by the ghost, who seems to be having the most fun. Children can practice mastery at color identification-"what color is the grass? "-and emotions-"can you find the sad pumpkin? "-as well as simply gain fine motor skills by handling the toddler-sized book and turning the thick pages. I work for a literacy outreach program, and highly recommend this book for both our program and for parents/caregivers who are scouting about for quality board books.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Halloween Board Book Not To Miss!, September 19, 2002

By	Jennifer Collado (Astoria, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Dan Yaccarino captures the essence of Halloween with simple, yet expressive pictures of pumpkins, ghosts and a black cat. My one year old son Ryan loves it when i read the story of the Five Little Pumpkins. He points to all the different pumpkin faces and loves their orange glow. The book wipes clean and withstands being dragged all over the house! I am a big fan of Dan Yaccarino's work, love his cartoon Oswald, so this book is a big Halloween fun delight!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DELIGHTFUL LITTLE BOARD BOOK, June 7, 2005

By	Tim Janson (Michigan) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.
The first one said, "Oh, my it's getting late!"
The second one said, "There are witches in the air."
The third one said, "But we don't care."
The fourth one said, "Let's run, let's run!"
The fifth one said, "Isn't Halloween fun?"

Then Woooooo went the wind
And OUT went the lights.
And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

My 2 1/2 year old just loves Halloween. It's only June as I write this and he's already asking if Halloween is coming soon almost on a daily basis. So when I saw this book at a yard sale I just had to pick it up. This delightful verse that has been around so long is accompanied by cute and spooky illustrations of pumpkins, ghosts, witches, and black cats. Just a delightful and sturdy little board book. Perfect for your little goblin.