Think of the blue dog - those stupid paintings from the Clinton era, which I think that guy is still doing - and then make them cool, not creepy, and of a self-assured cat rather than a freaked-out dog, and you have a starting point for visualizing the powder-coated apehanger handlebar simple authentic genius of Pete The Cat.
DO I HYPERBOLIZE? NO I DO NOT.
Pete (the cat) is a lean blue cat with a full set of white high-tops. Out for a walk, he steps in various fruit, also mud, turning his white shoes various colors, including brown. But he doesn't let it get him down - he loves his shoes no matter what color they are. He is one laid-back kitty.
Listen, y'all - there is even a song. You can sing it any way you want to, or you can download the mp3 from Harper and sing it their way. The text is simple, repetitive, and visually cued - which are the things you really look for when you're doing a storytime. Those same characteristics are amazingly useful for reading-readiness books. After the briefest introduction, any 3- or 4-year-old will be able to page through this book and "read" it - and be proud to do so.
As if all that weren't enough, you should see the art. It is big, saturated, and accessibly sloppy, and Pete the cat is looking at you on every page with his wise, amused, sleepy eyes. I have so far storytimed this to my kids and to a couple of adults, and I plan to take it to a kindergarten class tomorrow. I am going to KILL with this fun book.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! It's brilliant -- perfect for storytime and for reading one-on-one. We sing the song all of the time too.........
Posted by: librarymeow | Saturday, May 01, 2010 at 01:26 PM