Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate. The first one said, oh my, it is getting late. Every child already knows the chant, and James Dean hands it to Pete, who stands cool and dark blue behind a fence of five jack o lanterns while a green witch scoots past the moon overhead.

The pumpkins do the acting. One wears a pirate eyepatch with a bird perched on its stem, one has square teeth, one grins so wide its tendrils curl, and the skull sign at the end of the fence sets the tone without ever tipping over into frightening. It is Halloween pitched exactly right for a four year old: all costume, no fright, and a rhythm a whole room can chant together.

A sturdy paper over board hardcover for readers four to eight, built for the rereading a seasonal favorite gets. Pete the Cat Falling for Autumn takes the shelf straight after it, and Pete the Cat: Sir Pete the Brave and Pete the Cat: Pete at the Beach arrive alongside both.