Positive Messages We All Need from Pete the Cat

I don’t know who loves Pete the Cat more … my preschool-age granddaughter or all the adults in my family! Pete the Cat has become a well-loved part of our household. The Pete the Cat plush doll sits in our living room, and my husband moves him around. Zoey and the rest of us have fun seeing where Grandpa put Pete the Cat today!

And we all love the Pete the Cat books. They’re as much fun for adults as they are for kids.

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Pete the Cat Books and Their Morals

I love the story behind Pete the Cat. James Dean is the “man behind the cat.” You’ll often find the combined work of musical folk artist Eric Litwin (author of the original 4 Pete the Cat books) and illustrators James and Kimberly Dean. It’s an amazing collaboration with inspiration for a huge variety of ages.

There are too many Pete the Cat books to cover here. Some are “I Can Read” books. Others are variations of children’s songs. Others are just fun stories. I want to share some of the main Pete the Cat books (ones that come in hardcover with dust jackets). These are some of my favorite stories with great messages for everyone.

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes is the original Pete the Cat book and the one my family first fell in love with. Be sure to listen to the “Sing along with Pete the Cat” version of this book. This is available at the bottom of the linked page. For the first few times (and more) of reading this book, I turned the pages and sang along with the song. It’s awesome!

“The moral of Pete’s story is:

No matter what you step in,

keep walking along and singing your song ……

because it’s all good.”

Bonus for young children – a fun way to reinforce colors!

You’ll have more fun with shoes in Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes! This book is great at advocating courage and a positive attitude going into new experiences. I wouldn’t recommend it for homeschoolers, since Pete’s attitude about school is that “school is cool.” Again, be sure to listen to the “Sing along with Pete the Cat” version of this book. Pete doesn’t worry as he starts school and has new experiences. He just sings and “rocks in his school shoes” throughout the day. At the end of the day, he sings and says:

“I was rocking in my school shoes,

I was rocking in my school shoes,

I was rocking in my school shoes.

And I will do it again tomorrow!

Pete the Cat: Too Cool for School is another Pete the Cat book (an “I Can Read” book) that gives a wonderful message to kids in school. In it, Pete learns: “If you want to be cool, just be you!”

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons is another favorite. Be sure to listen to the “Sing along with Pete the Cat” version of this book. It’s a fun story where Pete has his buttons pop off one by one. But he just sings a fun song each time until he’s only left with his belly button. Of course, he still has a song and says, “It’s all good!”

“I guess it simply goes to show that stuff will come and stuff will go.

But do we cry?

Goodness, NO!

We keep on singing.”

Note: You can always talk with your kids about how it’s okay to cry if they feel sad. But it’s nice for them to know the sad feelings will go away.

Bonus for kids: a fun way to focus on subtraction concepts and equations, even for preschoolers!

 

I adore Pete the Cat Saves Christmas! This has a fun Santa story and catchy song with a great message about giving:

“Give it your all, give it your all.

At Christmas we give,

so give it your all.”

Don’t miss the “Sing along with Pete the Cat” version of this book! This is a fun new tradition for us at Christmas. We already used this book as part of our Christmas food and toy drive in 2015 and 2016.

At first, I wasn’t sure I wanted to get Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes, since I like to promote healthy eating. But when I read the book in Barnes and Noble, I had to get it because the message is wonderful:

“Pete said, ‘But wait! Grumpy Toad made a mistake. This is true. Let’s give him a second chance. That’s what friends do!'”

Bonus for kids: Subtraction and skip counting!

Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses is a fun way to encourage optimism. After lots of adventures with the “cool, blue, magic sunglasses,” Wise Old Owl tells Pete: “‘Pete, you don’t need magic sunglasses to see things in a new way. Just remember to look for the good in every day.”

Pete learns:

“TOO COOL! 

The birds are singing.

The sky is bright.

The sun is shining.

We’re feeling alright!”

 

Pete the Cat and the Cool Cat Boogie  encourages everyone to be themselves. Wise Old Owl says: “Pete, it doesn’t matter how you move as long as you are being you!”

And Pete decides: “You are right!!! I never want to miss a chance to dance! When you hear a groovy beat and you feel happy in your feet, just dance, DANCE, DANCE, DANCE.”

Pete the Cat and the New Guy is a wonderful book about kindness, problem solving, and inclusion when the new guy, Gus the Platypus, is very different from Pete and his other friends.

“Pete said,

‘Don’t be sad,

don’t be blue.

There is something 

everyone can do!'”

Pete the Cat Books for Quote Lovers

Quote books are a little more difficult for preschoolers to understand, but I think they’re wonderful for elementary age on up.

If you love quotes, you’ll love Pete’s messages in Pete the Cat’s Groovy Guide to Life. The book is filled with inspiration.

Pete’s messages are based on famous quotes, such as:

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work.” -Thomas Edison” (Amazing things happen when you work hard.” Pete)

“Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.” -Oscar Wilde (“If you want to be cool, just be you!” Pete)

Another great book for quote lovers. Pete’s messages are based on famous love quotes in the book Pete the Cat: Valentine’s Day Is Cool.

Here are two examples of the quotes and Pete’s messages:

“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one come to you without leaving happier.” -Mother Teresa (“Be the reason someone smiles today.” Pete)

“The first duty of love is to listen.” -Paul Tillich (“A cool friend is a good listener.” Pete)

Do you have a favorite Pete the Cat book and/or quote?

 

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