Pete the Cat

PreS-Gr 1—A slight episode about a navy-blue cat, new white shoes, and maintaining a positive outlook. Pete the Cat strolls down the street singing, "I love my white shoes, I love my white shoes, I love my white shoes." Then he steps in (actually climbs up) a huge hill of strawberries that turn his pristine sneakers red. "Did Pete cry? Goodness, no! He kept walking along and singing his song. I love my red shoes...." He proceeds to step in a mound of blueberries and then a mud puddle, each incident changing his sneakers to a new hue (the colors never blend). Unsmiling but placid, Pete takes it all in stride. After stepping into a "bucket"—more like a tub—of water, he notices that his sneakers are not only white again, but also wet. Even though they are back to their original color, the next illustration perplexingly shows Pete walking along with each shoe sporting one of the four colors highlighted in the book. Bright, childlike illustrations show the long-limbed feline regularly altering his footwear but continuing not to watch where he's walking. The moral of the story—keep going no matter what happens to you in life—may sound like good advice, but it doesn't instill any sense of power in children; it just tells them to accept their fate. The downloadable song might help spark interest, but there's not much here to get excited about.—Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI