Pete and Cat

Title: Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes and 
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes  
Author: Eric Litwin   
Illustrator: James Dean  
Publisher: Harper   
Publication Date: August 2011 and March 2010    
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book   
Summary: In Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, we meet Pete the Cat who struts his stuff in his white shoes...until he accidently steps in different things that changes their color. It's okay though because it's all good!
In Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes, Pete the Cat is back but this time he's rocking his school shoes as he goes to school for the first time. He does lots of new things at school but he's never worried because it's all good!
What I Think: I love Pete the Cat! I can't wait to get back to school and read it with students. I've read it at some to Peanut and Little Bean. We listened to the song from the Harper Collins website and were dancing and grooving. Peanut had a blast predicting what was going to come next in the story and then singing along with me as we jammed to his cat song.
The illustrations are so fun. Pete the Cat is just one cool guy. He always looks calm. It's good for kids to remember that things will work out and it's okay to relax and take things as they happen. I've been reminding Peanut lately when he gets frustrated because he can't do something that he should stay calm and ask for help. I think Pete the Cat has helped as he has prepared to start preschool tomorrow. (Ah! Preschool! That means kindergarten next year...it's all good though!)
The teacher side of me was thinking about my early readers when I read both of these books. These are books that are repetitive and I think early readers could easily catch on after one reading and then read them easily on their own. The best part is that everyone will love Pete the Cat whether they are a strong or struggling reader so I'm guessing it will be a hit that all students will want a chance to read. Last year I had a student who was practicing inflected endings and there are numerous chances for an early reader to practice the -ing ending in both of these books. In terms of strategies, this book is a blast when it comes to predicting.
This year I've decided I'm going to bring on the silly like you wouldn't believe when I'm teaching. I always having fun with my students but I've noticed how giggles escalate here at home with some extra silliness so I'm going to emphasize that at school when it comes to reading and spreading the love of books.  Thanks, Pete the Cat...you've made my year of silly already off to a great start!
Read Together: Pre-K - 4 
Read Alone: PreK - 4 
Read With: Cats' Night Out (Paula Wiseman Books) by Caroline Stutson, Chester and Chester's Back! by Melanie Watt, The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss, Skippyjon Jones and other Skippyjon books by Judy Schachner
Snatch of Text:

"Pete is sitting at his desk when his teacher says,

'Come on, Pete

down that hall

to a room with books

on every wall.'

Where is Pete going?

The Library!"

Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Predictions, Making Connections 
Writing Strategies to Practice: Personal Narrative, Persuasive
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you had to do something new and how you felt - did you worry or were you relaxed like Pete?  What kind of shoes should Pete wear next...or where should Pete go in his shoes? Write a letter to Pete to convince him what shoes to wear or where to go!
Topics Covered: Change, Feelings, Attitude, Integration - Music, School 
Translated to Spanish: No