Picture Perfect

July 1, 2010
PreS-Gr 1—- 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"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

An imperturbable blue cat walks along and sings his song regardless of what he steps in.Pete the Cat loves his white Chucks so much that he sings a repetitive ditty: "I love my white shoes, / I love my white shoes, / I love my white shoes." (In order to accompany himself, he removes the two sneakers from his front feet and picks up an electric guitar.) Presumably not looking where he is going, he steps into a "large pile" of strawberries. The bright gouache illustrations depict Pete standing atop a mountain of red fruits-on it, not really in it, but no matter. His shoes turn red; Pete thinks to himself that "everything is cool!" and sings about his red shoes. Then-"Oh no!"-he steps into a heap of blueberries. "What color did it turn his shoes?" asks the narrator. All the children who have learned basic color theory will cry, "Purple!" and feel betrayed when the page turn indicates that Pete's sneakers have in fact turned blue. A walk through some mud turns them brown, and then a stroll through a bucket of water turns them white again. (Now they go "squeak squeak squeak" as he walks.) Pete's ability to shrug off the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune without even opening his eyes all the way is a quality many parents might wish their children shared, but it makes him awfully hard to relate to.Pete may seem like an appealing role model to adults, but any child who has experienced the smirching of a new pair of shoes probably won't buy the cool he's peddling. (Picture book. 3-5) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.