5 Very Little Pumpkins

by Holly Weane, Ivana Forgo (Illustrator)

Overview

Five very little pumpkins are all heading out to play. It's October 31st—every pumpkin's favorite day! In this Halloween story, join five adorable animals dressed as little pumpkins as they trick or treat through their neighborhood, celebrating all that is fun about Halloween: great friends, costumes, neighbors and treats!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781486716739
Publisher:	Flowerpot Press
Publication date:	08/13/2019
Series:	Flowerpot Holiday
Pages:	20
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 7.75(h) x (d)
Lexile:	520L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Growing up, Holly Weane always knew she wanted to be a children's book author. She spent all her time writing silly and spooky stories inspired by her favorite holiday. Her first-ever releases, Dem Bones and 5 Very Little Pumpkins, are perfect examples of all of Holly's favorite things wrapped up into sweet stories for children to enjoy around Holly's favorite holiday.

Ivana Forgo was born in Subotica, a small town in northern Serbia. Surrounded by endless fields of wildflowers and immersed in Slavic fairytales, her imagination flourished. She studied philosophy, but ultimately was drawn to illustration and its ability to transport you to magical worlds. She brings her romantic style to the world of children’s books and draws inspiration from doing her illustrations in her flower garden.

Editorial Reviews

2019-08-26
Five animals dressed in jolly jack-o'-lantern costumes experience Halloween traditions.

In this not-too-spooky board book, an odd combo composed of a cat, a dog, a goat, an elephant, and what appears to be a dinosaur go trick-or-treating. Told in boisterous rhyme that starts out comparatively strong, the first half of the book describes the process of going house to house, knocking, and filling a treat bag with candy, making it an adequate vehicle for preparing the smallest of trick-or-treaters for the festivities. But when the story veers to a late-night trip to the pumpkin patch to gorge on candy, it models behavior that most caregivers will find less appealing or useful. At the same time, the rhyme becomes strained and uninspired: Children with "tummies that all ache" usually don't "GIGGLE, and then JIGGLE, / and then DANCE around and SHAKE." Interspersed capitalized words might help adults read aloud with emphasis, but it's overwhelming in its forced enthusiasm. The folksy art is competent, but the simple lines, busy fall-leaf-themed foreground, and blobby, uninspired cartoon animals aren't especially compelling, and there are some elements, such as menacingly leering mushrooms or evilly grinning jack-o'-lanterns, that feel too dark for such a light book. A padded, lightly embossed cover is solid enough to hold up to rough handling by small, candy-coated fingers.

Not quite a trick—but not really a treat, either. (Board book. 2-4)

Kirkus Reviews