Five Little Pumpkins

by Dan Yaccarino

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!

Genres: Halloween, Picture Books, Childrens, Holiday, Counting, Storytime, Poetry

14 pages, Board book

First published September 30, 1998

About the author

Exhibitions of his work have been held throughout the world. He is also the creator of the animated TV Series Willa's Wild Life and Oswald.

Mr. Yaccarino lives in New York City with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Jason Koivu]

* * *Read and Reviewed by Me & My Niece Emma * * *

I picked this up for Emma, because last school year I recalled helping her memorize just such a "5 Little..." (I think it was ducks) which she had to recite to her class, so I figured she could read this one to me. She gave it a go, but...meh. Not a great rhyme or ending. The Emma-o-meter for Five Little Pumpkins at first registered the excitement of recollection soon followed by a grave disappointment.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I wonder about people and the reviews being posted. Of course, Five Little Pumpkins was not a challenging book to read. It was not full of plot twists nor did it leave me wondering if there would be a equal.

Five Little Pumpkins had my daughter jumping up and down, quoting the book as she read it with me. Her excitement and pure enjoyment from the book is just fantastic.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is completely underwhelming. Taking the classic children's song and putting it with pictures should've worked. But the illustrations here are nothing special--they're basic and uninteresting--and the book itself is really short.

I doubt I'd recommend this one. I certainly wouldn't advocate spending money on it. Get it from the library if you really want to have a look.

[Katherine Cowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about five little pumpkins, sitting on a gate. The pumpkins are excited for Halloween, and your toddler will be too as you read this book with them. My two year old has the whole thing memorized, and it's fun to see her so excited about it. The rhymes are catchy and memorable, and you can even read it as a "finger play"--doing actions with your hands as you read.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that will make a great game - how many pumpkins can we count as we T/T? This book brought back lots of memories for me; so many of the memories I have of Halloween revolve around friends that I have not seen for decades. Fun book that would be a great read right before T/T with your friends!

[jacky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this for Natalie today at the bookstore. I couldn't resist the Halloween book section. I remember singing this song in elementary school and really enjoying it. The music teacher would really get into this song and I could see myself doing that with Natalie as we read this book.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great Halloween book for babies and toddlers. It is not at all scary, but it has pumpkins, witches and ghosts. A classic rhyming text with fun pictures. My 2 year old really enjoys pointing out the different facial expressions on the pumpkins.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little counting book perfect for Halloween. My son had tons of fun with this and had it memorized in no time.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable for young ones learning their numbers.

[Sammie Mays · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, cute little board book to read to the little ones around Halloween.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picture-book author/artist Dan Yaccarino takes the classic Halloween song as his text in this delightfully spooky board-book, providing wonderfully colorful artwork as an accompaniment. "Five little pumpkins / sitting on a gate. / The first one said, "Oh my, it's getting late." So it goes, until the pumpkins eventually take off rolling, adventure-bound...

There really isn't much to Five Little Pumpkins - it's a simple, brief little rhyming song, that features a counting element - but Yaccarino's presentation here is lots of fun. I enjoyed his artwork, and think that the youngest children will find this an entertaining (if brief) read-aloud. I had meant to get to this one by Halloween (it is now mid-November), but it is so popular that I had to wait in a very long hold-line in the NYPL system. If that isn't an endorsement, what is...?

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for nostalgia and memories of reading this to my daughter, a few decades back.
We may still have this, I'll have to see if I can dig it up, as pumpkin time approaches.

[Ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Five Little Pumpkins
Author: Dan Yaccarino
Illustrator: Dan Yaccarino
Genre: Picture Book/Counting Book
Themes: Halloween, Facial Expressions, Bravery
Opening line/sentence: “Five Little Pumpkins Sitting On A Gate”
Brief Book Summary: The book is about 5 pumpkins on Halloween and they describe what is happening outside, like there are witches in the air and there’s a ghost and that it is very late. They say that they want to run and have fun and then they roll away.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Yaccarino's spare illustrations and sense of humor are just what board books have been waiting for. He enlivens the "five little pumpkins / sitting on a gate" rhyme by adding a silent yet comic ghost (who floats out of a chimney, dances, and juggles pumpkins) to his expressive cast of pumpkins (who range from sad to happy to surprised). While the ghost ever-so-unobtrusively upstages the pumpkins, their combined theatrics will grab the hard-to-hold attention of board bookers.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: These smiling and not too fearsome pumpkins are sitting on a fence gate. The ghost doesn't frighten them and neither does the witch nor black cat. In the end, they just roll out of sight. It's a popular chanting rhyme that toddlers will enjoy. Yaccarino's bold pictures show a variety of expressions on these five brave little pumpkins.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: I agree with both professional reviews. I like how the book adds so many different things, while being such a short story. I agree that it is a nice play on the popular kids song, which makes it easier for kids to start to learn to read with this book.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: This book uses a popular kids song and puts it into a story. It adds pictures and a few items not in the original song. The book covers a variety of topics, such as bravery, facial expressions, and Halloween.
Consideration of Instructional Application: This book can be used to teach in many different ways. Something I would like to focus on is bravery. I want to use this book to teach kids what bravery is and what the difference between bravery and being reckless is.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The October before last, I had to spend a few days in North Carolina without my then-almost-three year old son. I wanted to bring him back something special, and, when I was out running errands, I saw this book. I love Dan Yaccarino's joyfully brilliant illustrations, and my son loved (and still loves) pumpkins, so I figured this book would be a winner. I was right.

We, of course, read it every night up until Hallowe'en. Then Thanksgiving. Then Christmas. It did get a bit of a rest during the spring and summer, but it is out again, and this time, HE reads it.

Five Little Pumpkins is a very old poem that we used every year at the library's Hallowe'en parties. With Dan Yaccarino's quirky-charming illustrations, the poem become alive and fresh, making this book a Hallowe'en classic for many years. I am quite partial to the ghosts. And cats.

If you are lucky enough to find this book this year -- it was published in 1998 -- pick it up and pass it on to your favorite kid.

[Marjorie Estavillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five Little Pumpkins by Dan Yaccarino, was one of my favorite Halloween books growing up. I remember my teacher read it to me when I was in Kindergarten, at our Halloween party. I was amazed by the rhyming in the book, and was repeating the story all day. My teacher would have us count to five as we would read the book, and by the end of the class we were all reading the story together. This book has great Halloween activities that can go along with reading it. Each student can make their own pumpkin and the entire class can set them on a fence. After doing this they can create a story, and decide what each of their pumpkins would say. This is a wonderful Halloween book, great for the classroom. I would recommend this book for younger children in pre- school or Kindergarten!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five Little Pumpkins by Dan Yaccarino is a board book format retelling of the popular rhyme, song and fingerplay.

Yaccarino's colorful illustrations are bright and highlight the jack-o-lanterns and a ghost. I love the juggling picture. My favorite images are cover, gate, witches, don't care, light's out, and rolling.

I used this rhyme regularly for stoeytimes in the fall. This version is nicely accessible for babies, toddlers and preshcoolers. a bit of personality is shown by the pumpkins and the ghost. The large font makes this a good choice for beginning readers. Recommended for preschool and public library collections.

For ages 2 to 6, pumpkins, Halloween, ghosts, and fans of Dan Yaccarino.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cute board book illustrates the classic Halloween fingerplay "Five Little Pumpkins," featuring Dan Yaccarino's signature bright colors and bold lines.

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.
The first one said, "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 and run and run."
The fifth one said, "I'm ready for some fun!"
Then oooohh went the wind.
And out went the lights.
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Five Little Pumpkins
Illustrator: Dan Yaccarino

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Year of Publication: 1998

Grade level: K-1
Genre: Picture Book
Topics: Pumpkins; Halloween

Summary: This is a classic Halloween poem: five little pumpkins with jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, and witches.

Interactions Between Text and Illustrations: There are colorful images to support the text.

Curricular Uses: Read aloud or guided reading
Literary Elements: Personification

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this Halloween board book! It's fun, it rhymes, and it has awesome illustrations. It's also short enough to hold Caleb's attention. This will definitely be a re-read for us every Halloween season because it's so festive. I look forward to reading it at least a few more times this fall. Thanks to my new blogging friend, Sarah, for this awesome gift she sent Caleb in a book swap.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rhythm that my toddler and I are hearing at library storytimes and in Raffi songs alike, this brief board book is a non-threatening/scary introduction to a Halloween tale of 5 little pumpkin friends.

[Tyler Piers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid read for the Pumpkin enthusiasts out there. Fun fact there is a group in North Las Vegas called the 5 Pumpkins. They moonlight at a local dive bar called scoundrels where they fake gambling for free drinks. Rough crowd but they aren’t about that life. God Bless!

[Bailey Eason]

feels like cheating, but also was made to read this over and over and over again so deserve credit.

Per the nephew it is a Christmas and Halloween book. One of these facts is true

[Mortisha Cassavetes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonder book with a story we all know and love around Halloween Time. Illustrations are bright and spooky. I highly recommend it to kids of all ages.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know I read a similar book when I was somewhat younger and so it seems like it is familiar but at the same time the illustrations doesn't remind me of that other "memory" book. As for this particular book it was cute, definitely geared towards the younger crowds and not following the same plot of the rhyme if the rhyme I am thinking of is the right one.

The actually writing is easy to read and follow along while helping to maintain a rhyming essence that is sure to help yank the attention of children. After a read or two a child may be able to be encouraged to repeat back some of the book to the parent or even be able to read it on their own with help of course from a loving hand.

The illustrations are definitely cute and keep the Halloween experience without introducing them to the fear factor, which is surely a plus in our time and age. And although there were a few places where it didn't seem like the picture should have made sense with the rhyme it still added its own charm to the story.

Truly a good book for Halloween to enjoy with your little one. If the season is their first then the characters allow for a great introduction to some of the important elements of this traditional day and a great way to get started in describing what some of the characters are.

[Kelly Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because it was fun when I read it.Also it fun to read it to fun because you can make the reaction as reading this book with kid. This also have basic skill of math counting for children to learn and express their gross motor skill while they doing the action. It is a good book and fun pumpkin book to read during the Halloween season.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

good

[Mia Mihalic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember reading a version of this book when I was younger, especially around halloween time. I believe there are different versions of this book for different holidays, which is very creative on the author's part. I think this is a great book for Kindergarten-2nd grade students because looking at the illustrations they are visually able to see what a specific amount of pumpkins look like, helping them with their counting skills. I also love how simplistic the story line is and its a super fun way to engage students during the Halloween time.

[Altea Bolger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awards: N/A

Grade level(s): Pre-K-Kindergarten

Summary: There are five pumpkins all on a gate. One by one they say how late it is getting and then the lights goes out.

Review:  This a fun little song book to read before Halloween.

In-class uses: This book could develop fluency, phonemic awareness, and it is good theme book for a lesson.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little book about five pumpkins getting ready for Halloween. I read this while waiting at the hospital. Really simple; easy to understand for young ones. Illustrations are cute, but not vibrant and “high quality” like many expect today. Overall a good board book for young children.

[Evianrei · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another variation (probably need to see where the original is from) of the Five Little Pumpkins story. My 2 and a half year old son likes this book a lot because he loves pumpkins. Short, quick, to the point. Cute visuals.