Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes
by Eric Litwin
HarperCollins
$16.99
ISBN: 9780061906220
Meet this happy go-lucky cat out for a stroll in his brand new white shoes when he happens to step in a huge pile of strawberries! "What color did it turn his shoes?"
Shoe transformation occurs three more times with varying slants (and oddly enough, another mountain of fruit) but each time, "Did Pete cry?" "Goodness, no! He kept walking along and singing his song."
Pete's song, "I love my ________ shoes," repeated three times, invites audience participation along with the direct, reoccurring questions above. The rustic, colorful illustrations capture the casual, go with the flow nature of this zen cat whose expression remains the same throughout the story. The moral is clearly stated at the end: "no matter what you step in, keep walking along and singing your song... because it's all good."
Whether children will note the lesson of this big picture perspective and find beauty in their own mistakes is questionable, but also beside the point when the story is so enjoyable.
There's plenty of video inspiration for the tune of the song via an author bookstore reading, and two little ones sharing their memorized version at bedtime.
Thank you to my amazing co-worker Rebecca for sharing the book with me!
This makes ME want to read Pete's story!
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