Pete the Cat

Pete the Cat is a rock star.

You've met Pete the Cat, right? The uber-cool feline creation of illustrator James Dean and writer/musician Eric Litwin? Since Pete the Cat appeared in Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes in 2010, my oh my has he become a bona fide celebrity.

Example: I visit a daycare/preschool group once a month, and after I first shared Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes with them last November, they have asked me repeatedly if I'll bring the story to read again. Every month they ask if Pete is in my story time bag, and on more than one occasion we've told the story together by heart--words and songs!--without the help of the print book. Kids love Pete the Cat.

Librarians, teachers, and parents love Pete, too, because his books are fun, catchy, and educational. Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes is all about colors and cause and effect. Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes gives kids the confidence and comfort to go off to school/preschool/etc. And the most recent book in the series, Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, tackles counting and losing things with Pete's signature mellow attitude and catchy tune. See the book trailer below to see what I mean--the concept and song are great!



I'm waiting until the school year kicks off and I start making my regular preschool and daycare story time visits to share Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons with library audiences, but I got a copy for my cousin's two-year-old daughter --and all signs indicate she's already hooked. Suffice it to say that Pete the Cat passes pretty much all tests: regardless of age, attention span, language ability, concept knowledge, or anything at all, every kiddo who's met Pete the Cat has loved him.

Grab a Pete the Cat story for a program and, as Pete himself would say: It's all good!