Rocking in My School Shoes (Pete the Cat Series)

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

Overview

Pete the Cat is back—and this time he’s rocking in his school shoes. Pete discovers the library, the lunchroom, the playground, and lots of other cool places at school. And no matter where he goes, Pete never stops moving and grooving and singing his song . . . because it’s all good.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061910241
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/26/2011
Series:	James Dean's Pete the Cat Series
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	15,614
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD430L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Eric Litwinis a guitar-strumming, song-singing, banjo-picking, tale-telling, song-writing, national-award-winning, music-producing, fun, folksy type of guy. He loves to blend song and story together and is inspired by the depth and simplicity of folk songs and folktales. Eric is a popular performer, delighting thousands of children and families every year. He has recorded two award-winning children's music CDs.

James Dean's art has sold in more than ninety galleries and shops across the United States. He has devoted his paintings to Pete the Cat for ten years and has turned his natural love for cats into his life's work. James published his first adult book, The Misadventures of Pete the Cat, a history of his artwork, in 2006. He illustrated his first self-published children's book, Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, in 2008, and the follow-up book, Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes, in 2011. James lives in Savannah, Georgia, with his wife, four cats, and one dog.

Editorial Reviews

In his previous outing, blue cat Pete proved his ability to roll with the punches when his white sneakers were accidentally stained red. Sporting the red treads for the first day of school (they match his electric guitar), Pete is again unflappable. "Pete has never been to the library before! Does Pete worry? Goodness, no! He finds his favorite book and sings his song." School setting aside, little differentiates this book from its predecessor. There's humor to be found in the deadpan expressions of Pete and his fellow cats as he sits with friends in the lunchroom, plays at recess, and solves math problems on the board. But whether the simple refrain and Pete's blasé attitude actually assuage anxious schoolgoers is another story. Pete's song is available as a download. Ages 3–7. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

Pete, the strangely popular musical cat, is back (Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, 2010), this time showing off all the things he can do in his school shoes.

"Pete is going to school, / and he sings this song: / 'I'm rocking in my school shoes, / I'm rocking in my school shoes, / I'm rocking in my school shoes.' " Readers follow the self-confident Pete through his day as he tackles each new experience. Never been to the library? "Does Pete worry? / Goodness, no!" He just reads in his school shoes. From the lunchroom to the playground, Pete eats, sings, paints, adds and writes. Repetitive refrains abound, giving children the chance to chime in, and there is also an opportunity to guess Pete's destination from clues within the text. As in Pete's first outing, there is not much here to get excited about. It seems to be all about the tune and the song that Pete sings. Luckily, the book includes a gift card with a link to a downloadable song (unheard). Dean's Pete is a hip, laid-back navy-blue cat in enormous high-top red sneakers and sometimes carries a red electric guitar. The long, skinny characters all have half-closed eyes, and all are devoid of facial expression.

As Pete would say, "It's all good," ...unless you don't know the tune—then you just won't get it. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews

PreS-K—In this sequel to Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes (HarperCollins, 2010), Pete is enjoying a day at school. He explores the library, the lunchroom, and the playground, singing happily with each new discovery. As with the first book, this feline is unflappable. He doesn't worry about noise, confusion, or the unfamiliar and takes everything in stride. The problem with this book seems to be the target audience. The repetition and the simple concepts in the first book appeal largely to the preschool set. That same structure is present here, but a school setting that features a library, a lunchroom, riding a school bus, etc., would seem to indicate a child in kindergarten, who has probably moved beyond Pete. Dean's cartoon illustrations are bright and cheerful, although Pete alternates between walking erect with two sneakers and walking on all fours wearing four. Purchase if you service a large preschool population where the first title is popular, but elementary schools can probably pass in favor of something with a little more substance.—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ

School Library Journal