FICTION

Pete the Cat: Too Cool for School

by James DEAN
illus. by James Dean. 32p. HarperCollins. 2014. lib. ed. $16.99. ISBN 9780062110763; pap. $3.99. ISBN 9780062110756. LC 2013947667.
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K-Gr 2—Always a clotheshorse, Pete begins this easy-to-read story by asking, "What should I wear?" He is trying to look cool for school. Obviously, everyone he queries has a different opinion about his attire, and he takes all of their advice and fashion suggestions. Wearing different colored shirts, shorts with fish on them, cowboy boots, a striped tie, and a baseball cap, he looks silly, feels hot—and goes home. He dons his favorite clothes and "feels just right," concluding, "If you want to be cool,/just be you!" One or two simple sentences per page and large illustrations set against uncluttered white backgrounds make this suitable for the very youngest readers.—Ellie Lease, Harford County Public Library, MD
In the mood to look cool, Pete the cat "asks everyone, 'What should I wear?'" What follows is a recitation of everyone's suggestions ("polka-dots socks,"; "the shorts with fish"), all of which Pete dons and, in the end, looks silly. Deciding to make his own choices, he declares, "Now I am COOL." The dull text and uninspired illustrations provide new readers with little challenge.
Reviewed by Ellie Lease , Jul 01, 2014

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