Styling Librarian: Pete the Cat in all his glory!

January 25, 2012

How many of you have shared Pete the Cat’s philosophy?

I appreciate Eric Litwin, author of the Pete the Cat books: http://www.ericlitwin.com/, for (in my opinion) the resurgence of the word “groovy” (one of my favorite words to use with students – in addition to saying ‘criminy crickets’) and the celebration of optimism, peaceful living, and letting things go. Also, the illustrator, James Dean: http://www.petethecat.com/about/ brings Pete the Cat to life with fabulous illustrations.

My favorite quote: Did Pete cry? Goodness no!…. It’s ALL good.

I love reminding myself, my students, and my son about this philosophy when they are making a huge deal about something that isn’t necessarily important to become very concerned about. I know others who have shared Pete the Cat books and also appreciated this. The simple message will resonate. There is a new Pete the Cat book: Pete the Cat and his four groovy buttons. That one is terrific for beginning math concepts in addition to the consistent messages of the prior books. My Pete the Cat doll hangs out near my library instruction area to entertain and remind my students about the messages in the books. *Update: I’ve decided Pete the Cat will be my little mascot through my move/transition to Hong Kong so that all of my family remembers to relax and let go when things get a little tough, especially helps lately during our mass discards of books and belongings in preparation for the move. I never tire of this book series and happily will be bringing them to Hong Kong.*

I first fell for Pete the Cat books by the YouTube Videos and the audiobook versions that are linked below:

There are some fabulous resources for promoting Pete the Cat including videos- at the bottom of this page- and also free downloadable songs on the HarperCollins webpage: http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/feature/petethecat/

In the wonderful webpage: Teachers Pay Teachers, a terrific curriculum unit is set up centered around Pete the Cat with connections to literacy, art, writing, and math. It is quite a useful tool: Pete the Cat Literacy and Math Activities