(4) PS Illustrated by James Dean. Pete the Kitty--a younger iteration of Pete the Cat introduced in this book--has high hopes for his playdate at Grumpy Toad's house, but his host is having trouble sharing ("That truck is MINE! MINE! MINE!"). In typical Pete-book fashion, the Deans often ignore rhythm to complete a rhyme, but James Dean's art in tie-dye colors gives off a welcoming hippie vibe.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Five previously published stories ("Five Little Ducks," "Go, Pete, Go!," "Pete the Cat and the New Guy," "Robo-Pete," and "Construction Destruction") are accompanied by the series' signature brightly colored, loose-lined paintings and a handful of inspirational quotes. The tales aren't mind-blowing in plot or style, but the messages of individuality, kindness, friendship, and openness to new experiences are worthy.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) K-3 Illustrated by James Dean. As usual with ultra-mellow Pete the Cat's outings, the rhymes don't land because the authors give cadence too little consideration. Nevertheless, this story, in which Pete's cloddish dance moves keep wounding his animal friends, has humor as well as heart (via Wise Old Owl's reassuring dance-however-you-please message). James Dean's signature mixed-media art in sun-bursting colors capture the pep in Pete's step.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by James Dean. In his latest picture book, the laid-back cat has his dander (slightly) up: someone has been filching cupcakes, two at a time, that Pete and his backward-cap-sporting platypus friend Gus baked for a cupcake party. Unfortunately, the story's rhymes, which come and go, can't keep the beat. Still, James Dean's illustrations--paintings in a blazing palette with strong black outline--are reliably attention-grabbing.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Words of wisdom from luminaries such as Picasso, Einstein, and Plato are explicated by cool cat Pete, whose huge expressive eyes add to the humor of the textured pen-and-ink, watercolor, and acrylic illustrations. Pete's thought bubbles provide "groovy" (if simplistic) translations of quotations: e.g., alongside Eleanor Roosevelt's "You must do the things you think you cannot do," Pete thinks, "Nothing is impossible!"

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) K-3 Pete the Cat series. Musings on love from a wide range of subjects--Lucille Ball to Marcel Proust to Confucius--are offered by cool cat Pete, whose huge expressive eyes add humor to the textured pen-and-ink, watercolor, and acrylic illustrations. Pete's thought bubbles provide "groovy" (if unilluminating) interpretations of quotations: e.g., alongside Virgil's "Love conquers all," Pete thinks atop a mountain peak "Love makes anything possible!"

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by James Dean. After a day of surfing, cat Pete invites three animal friends to his house for a sleepover, but their various bedtime habits harsh his mellow ("This cool cat needs to go to bed!"). The ending is something of a snore, but the jazzy illustrations play to this series' conceit: Pete is a too-cool-for-school feline who's a pussycat at heart.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by James Dean. Pete, the chill black cat who rocks, is excited about new neighbor Gus, a platypus. Pete helps Gus join the gang by trying different activities that fit Gus's species-straddling physical limitations. Music, to everyone's delight, is just the thing. The text's clunky rhymes are unfortunate, but the bright, silly illustrations match the book's offbeat tone without overwhelming the theme of acceptance.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(4) K-3 Illustrated by James Dean. A pair of "COOL, BLUE, MAGIC sunglasses" help Pete the cat "see things in a whole new way." As he rolls along on his skateboard with his new attitude, he encounters three friends, each of whom needs the sunglasses' magic. The glasses break, but an owl reminds him "to look for the good in every day." The bright, sunshiny illustrations enhance the repetitive text.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn