Pete the Cat Saves Christmas by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean
Rating: 4 stars
I love Pete the Cat. I don't know what it is about him--his slinky coolness, his quiet head bob (not that he bobs his head in this book or the other books, but I just imagine him walking down the street, with lanky shoulders moving slowly and head bobbing to his own beat). There is just something about him that I love, and his catchy songs that bring a grin--not just a smile--to all of our faces makes me appreciate him all the more. I am thrilled that he's back! (And there are two more books that are soon to be out, easy reader books. Yay!)
Pete the Cat Saves Christmas is a twist on the traditional 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Santa is sick and considers canceling Christmas (gasp!) but they call Pete the Cat, and he comes to the rescue. He has to do it in his usual cool way, so he hitches the reindeer to his hippy minibus, all filled with toys for all the good girls and boys (or, as my dad would say: none for the girls and all for the boys). Pete thinks flying through the sky is "pretty groovy," but, like our old Golden Retriever, his expression doesn't change.
This book's refrain: "Give it your all, give it your all. At Christmas we give, so give it your all." It is less snappy and catchy than his other books, but appropriate for the season.
Pete is lauded a hero in the North Pole when he returns with his empty minibus, and he is proud of himself for accomplishing his mission. "'I did it!' said Pete. 'And although I am small, / in the spirit of Christmas I gave it my all.'"
This is a great book for fans of Pete (that'd be our family) but probably won't attract heaps more followers on its own. Those first three books are fantastic; if you've not read them just buy them all, like I did, so you always have a smile-raiser of a book on your shelf when you need one.
We are getting into the holiday spirit in our house...how about you?
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean
Rating: 5 stars
This one goes out to all the math people out there...who knew there could be a children's book on math--and a cool one at that? And one with a foot-tappin' (if you're Kiefer, body-shakin') song?
So Pete the Cat, the resident Jamiroquai of children's books, is back. And I'm pretty grateful for him. Just when our house has reached another can-we-be-more-tired level, this book arrived. We had already listened to it a few dozen times online (listen to it! you'll smile for sure!), but the actual book did not disappoint. This book ROCKS.
The story: Pete the Cat puts on his favorite shirt, one with four, round, groovy buttons (what a joy to teach my kids the definition of "groovy!" It's a new favorite word) and sings his song: "My buttons, my buttons, my four groovy buttons!"
"OH NO! Another button popped off and rolled away."
And then...
"POP! OH NO! One of the buttons popped off and rolled away.
Did Pete cry? Goodness, no!
Buttons come and buttons go.
How many buttons are left? THREE!
Pete went on singing his song..."
(Not much math...no square root...maybe that's in the next one...but just enough for a preschooler.)
The song goes on, going from three to two to one, something easy and fun enough for little ones to work on their prediction skills, which is a huge chunk of why we're supposed to be reading to these tykes to begin with. And then...they get to zero. He looks down at his open shirt and...finds his belly button! I love how he finds a way to smile after all those groovy buttons are gone. Making lemonade out of lemons. Finding the good in the not-so-good. What a lesson.
But my favorite lesson that Mr. Eric sneaks in is "buttons come and buttons go." I'm always telling the kids: "No big deal, right?" when they argue about whose turn it is to do something or if they didn't get something they wanted. Sometimes it IS a big deal when something comes, and especially when it goes, but...hopefully they won't learn this lesson anytime soon.
I think I might have a crush. On a cat. This Pete guy.
Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean
Rating: 5+ stars
This morning, I needed Pete. And Pete was there for me. He is my hero.
I've been in a funk the past few days; waking up at 4:58 for the third day in a row did not help get this morning started off well. (If Kiefer's molars don't come all the way through today, I might take him to the dentist and ask for some assistance so I can sleep in for at LEAST 15 more minutes.) But at least the little guy wakes up happy to see me, seemingly appreciative of the time he gets to spend with just me, and nobody else.
But then I heard a certain door open at 5:24 and the "Mommy-mommy-mommy I need you come here I need you Mommy-mommy-mommy" (said in cry-y, whine-y voice) started. I love Ben, but MAN I cannot relate to waking up so sad and mad at the world. I am one of those annoying people who, even while in a funk, wakes up happy.
Ben trips down the stairs, half-undressed, already crying, with his "mad face" on. My oh-so-unsympathetic response: "Choose to be happy and stay downstairs, or go back to sleep." It wasn't received well (can't imagine why).
Ben, crazy with happiness!
(At 7:36 AM, after being awake for 2 hours.)
Anyway, I'll spare you the details of the next hour and half as the boys and I woke up Lorelei (who, as always, woke up laughing as we all bounced on her to wake her up), made breakfast, and got everyone ready for their last week of school. And then I looked at the clock: 7:30. I still had an HOUR before the sitter got here and I left to take the kids to school and work out. Geez. An hour! How was I going to fill that time?!
Enter Pete the cat, my hero.
Ben has been telling me about this book for a little while, and I finally saw it at the library and grabbed it. And I read it a few nights ago. I am going to buy it, and the other two books along with it. I LOVE IT! Why? It has all of my favorite parts of a children's book:
It is simple; Ben has memorized all the words already.
It is fun to read, mostly because...
It has a SONG--wait, make that FOUR songs in it--and they can bring Ben's cheery smile back in a jiffy (and, the tune can be changed to anything else at any time, and the cheery smile comes back because he remembers Pete the cat and his favorite book when I sing it).
It has a groovy character that is cool but still nice.
It has a fantastic moral to it.
I had seen on the cover of the book the "download free song at..." and though the kids rarely use my laptop for anything, I said to Ben, who was looking around for something to do that would have probably annoyed me though it probably really shouldn't have "Hey, Ben, want to listen to something?" And he sat for 15 blessedly happy minutes listening to the book and song being read and sung to him again and again and again. Click here to listen, too. Or check out this video (it is so worth it! I double dare you to watch it and not smile.):
And my morning got a little brighter.
Maybe I should tell you about the book, in case you don't want to watch the video? Okay... Pete gets new shoes and loves them. He sings this song: "I love my white shoes, I love my white shoes, I love my white shoes!" Then he steps in strawberries that turn his shoes red, so he sings how he loves his red shoes. Then he steps in blueberries and... After each time he steps in something, he sure doesn't cry or carry on. The author, "Mr Eric," writes: "Did Pete cry? Goodness, no!" This happens a few times, until he steps in water and he has white, wet shoes.
The moral of the story? As Mr Eric the author puts it: "No matter what you step in, keep walking along and singing your song..."
Roll with it. A good lesson I've been taught lately and need to practice more. Like today.
Pete the Cat Saves Christmas is a twist on the traditional 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Santa is sick and considers canceling Christmas (gasp!) but they call Pete the Cat, and he comes to the rescue. He has to do it in his usual cool way, so he hitches the reindeer to his hippy minibus, all filled with toys for all the good girls and boys (or, as my dad would say: none for the girls and all for the boys). Pete thinks flying through the sky is "pretty groovy," but, like our old Golden Retriever, his expression doesn't change.
