This Month’s Book:
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes is one of Make Way for Books’ favorites! This book features simple, rhythmic language that children love to sing along with. It is a perfect book to read again and again. And we love the moral of Pete’s story: “No matter what you step in, keep walking along and singing your song…because it’s all good.” This “don’t sweat the small stuff” message is a great one for children to take in. Plus, no one’s groovier than Pete!
Activity: Talk to your child about the story! Here are some questions that you can ask your child after your read.
1. How would you feel if you stepped in a pile of strawberries, blueberries, or mud?
2. How do you think the large pile of strawberries/blueberries got there?
3. Which parts of the story did you like? Did you have a favorite part?
Invite your child to join in Pete’s song. Soon, she’ll know it by heart.
Activity: Use a shaker and shake along with the rhythm of the song. This could be a maraca or just an empty bottle filled with beans or stones.
Tip 1: Encourage your child to study the illustrations. Look for things that are the same color as Pete’s shoes, like coffee or rain. Look for the little yellow bird. He pops up on a lot of the pages!
Tip 2: After you read this book, your child will probably want to hear it again! Pete the Cat is a great book to read repetitively. After a while, your child may be able to “read” it along with you.
Activity 1: Color and cut out the Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes “Paper Pete” and use it to tell the story! Put on Pete’s red shoes when he steps in strawberries. Put on his wet shoes when he steps in water.
Activity 2: After you read, use “Paper Pete” to retell the story with your child. See how much he can remember about the order of the story. What came first, the blueberries or the mud?
Activity 3: Let your child draw her own Pete the Cat pictures. Ask lots of questions about what she drew and don’t forget to send her masterpieces to Make Way for Books to be entered into our raffle!
Join the Conversation!
Send us a few lines about your child’s favorite part of the book, a Pete the Cat picture that your child drew, a video of you sharing the book together, or any other memory of your Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes experience. You’ll be entered into a raffle to win next month’s C2C Book Club title!
Share your photos and videos with us on Twitter and Instagram and be sure to tag Make Way for Books. For example, you could write:
@mwfbaz We loved when Pete the Cat stepped in the large pile of strawberries so we drew this picture! #storytime