Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes

James Dean is an artist who has been painting Pete the Cat in Atlanta, Georgia (and around the country) for a decade. Eric Litwin is a former classroom teacher who is now winning awards for his special combination of music and storytelling. Together, they created this incredible book. In it, Pete the Cat has shoes he loves. These shoes get abused. Does Pete cry about this, though? Goodness no! He keeps walking along, and singing his song. The story uses repetitive phrasing, simple words and call and response to make a wonderful experience for both reader and listener, along with lush and unique artwork. Concepts conveyed are very basic colors (white, red, blue, brown), listening skills (the listener has to pay attention to know when to answer the color that Pete's shoes turn and when to say "goodness no!") and that little things aren't catastrophes. For me? I love this book. I get bored reading the same book again and again to my children. I rarely get bored reading Pete. I'm always discovering new little bits that James Dead added into the illustrations, and singing along with the story can be quite joyous. My kids? My [3 year old] daughter loves this story. She gets excited for the call and response portions, and she pays attention to the (admittedly very simple) story because of this. My [3 year old] son is a whole other level, though. He has special needs, and this book speaks loudly and comfortingly to him. He will sit and reread it by himself for an hour or more. I don't know if it's the repetition, the music, the illustrations, the concepts, or just a beautiful combination that engages him, but engage it does. His preschool teacher also reports that his entire classroom of special needs children feel exactly the same. We can't get enough of Pete the Cat in this house, and have spread the love to many others. Order this, and then follow up with Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes , and after May 2012, snatch up a copy of Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons (or preorder it now, we did). Also essential? Merrymakers Pete the Cat Doll Don't be afraid to hit the net for Pete, either. There are some wonderful prints and original artwork available on the artists own website, music and storytelling available from the author, and videos that have been shared on large video sharing sites (ahem) of Litwin and Dean performing the stories and other works.

I brought this book in for my daughter when I was the mystery reader and it was a total hit. The kids loved the rhythm of the story and the fun little message about going with the flow. The illustrations are bright and playful and the whole room was engaged from the first page. It is one of those books that is easy to read aloud and the kids love repeating the lines. Such a great choice for classroom reading or for adding to a home library.

My grandson loves this book! Great Birthday gift!

My son loves Pete the Cat and loves this book. The book size is great too.

Book is in great shape and the story is fun for young kids who you read to or for new readers; also a suprise for adults at the end/very funny.

This book looks great displayed next to my stuffed Pete the Cat in my classroom! Students of all ages, and abilities, love this book!

I absolutely adore Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes! Although I’m in my 30s, I bought this book for myself after being introduced to Pete through my twins. The first time I encountered him was in a kids' meal, and I was immediately hooked by the fun story and catchy song. Pete's laid-back attitude and positive message about rolling with life’s changes resonate with me, even as an adult. The illustrations are bright and engaging, making it a joy to read every time. It's the perfect mix of fun and meaningful lessons, and I highly recommend it for both kids and adults!

Came in perfect condition

Vraiment parfait pour aborder l'anglais dans une classe de maternelle (je l'utilise en Grande Section). Le personnage est drôle, attachant, vraiment intéressant, la musique très entrainante, les enfants accrochent vraiment bien. Et l'histoire est très très bien conçue : elle évolue dans l'interaction entre le narrateur et les auditeurs qui participent à un jeu de question réponses (là c'est autour des couleurs). C'est très motivant pour les enfants. A recommander chaudement aux enseignants en maternelle qui voudraient "oser" l'anglais: vous allez faire mouche avec ce dispositif!

Minha filha amou

I saw the author and illustrator reading this book on YouTube when my son was a tiny baby loved watching it. Although it's aimed at slightly older children I bought this for my toddler around his first birthday and, a year and a half later, he is still fairly obsessed with this book. We regularly read it several times a day. I can now recite the story without the book. The pictures are great, the story is lovely and it's a good way to reinforce knowledge of some colours. I also love the moral of the story encouraging children to take slight bumps in the road in their stride. I recently read this book at a parent and toddler group to all the children. They loved it so much I had to bring it back again. And again. By the third rendition of the song all of the adults were joining in. Some of the wee ones sing "I love my red shoes" to me whenever they see me now, and several families from the group have bought the book. One wee lass gleefully goes everywhere looking for people with red shoes! I would happily recommend it to anyone who either has or works with younger children.

Best book ever.

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