Crayons Rock! (Pete the Cat Series)

by James Dean, James Dean (Illustrator), Kimberly Dean

Overview

When his friends are less than impressed by the crayon portraits he draws of them, Pete the cat begins doubting his artistic abilities before reconnecting with his unfailingly creative, groovy spirit and the realization that there are no mistakes in art.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062868558
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/01/2020
Series:	James Dean's Pete the Cat Series
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	89,596
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD520L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

James Dean is the #1 New York Times bestselling creator and illustrator of Pete the Cat. He is a self-taught artist originally from Fort Payne, Alabama. He published his first book, The Misadventures of Pete the Cat, a history of his artwork, in 2006, and he illustrated his first children’s book, Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, in 2008. There are now dozens of published Pete the Cat titles, all inspired by James’s real-life rescue pet.

James Dean is the #1 New York Times bestselling creator and illustrator of Pete the Cat. He is a self-taught artist originally from Fort Payne, Alabama. He published his first book, The Misadventures of Pete the Cat, a history of his artwork, in 2006, and he illustrated his first children’s book, Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, in 2008. There are now dozens of published Pete the Cat titles, all inspired by James’s real-life rescue pet.

Kimberly Dean is an artist, yoga enthusiast, and #1 New York Times bestselling author. Before fulfilling her dream of becoming a full-time author and artist, she worked for the governor’s press office in the state of Georgia. Her dreams became a reality in 2013 with the release of her first children’s book, Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses. She has written many books since then, including the Willow and Oliver series. Kimberly lives in Georgia with her dog, Gypsy, and cat, Phoebe.

Editorial Reviews

A solid purchase where Pete is cool. — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

10/01/2020

PreS-Gr 2—Pete uses his groovy crayons to draw a variety of objects, eventually deciding to make portraits of his friends. When Pete proudly presents his drawings to Grumpy Toad and Gus, they react with negative criticism. With his trademark optimism, Pete declares "Hey, no sweat. That's alright!" and moves on to the next friend until he reaches Callie. When Callie also criticizes his work, Pete admits defeat and frowns. With a quick cut to art class, we see that Pete is now so discouraged and "afraid of making a mistake" that he won't even pick up his crayons. His previously critical friends cheer him up by saying his art is cool and unique, and encourage him to draw again. When he tries again, his friends celebrate his "rockin' masterpiece" showing them all having fun and all agree that "the best art comes from the heart." The distinctive illustrations of Pete will be satisfying to fans, even as they are sometimes disconnected from the meaning of the text. For example, when Pete "started to frown" and "put his crayons down" the crayons are not pictured anywhere in the scene. The abrupt shift to art class may take some readers by surprise who didn't notice the classic schoolhouse in the background. The moral of the story is undermined slightly by the fact that Pete's initial rejected portraits were clearly also "from the heart." VERDICT With dynamic illustrations of the rockin' crayons, Pete fans are likely to enjoy this well-intentioned story about making art your own way. A solid purchase where Pete is cool.—Amanda Foulk, Sacramento P.L.

School Library Journal