(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 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

(3) PS Illustrated by James Dean. A hammer, screwdriver, pliers, saw, and tape measure attend school in this rollicking rhyming book. "We may be small, but our skills are cool. / Let's go build on them at our new school!" After trial and error, the tools learn to cooperate and build something useful: a toolbox. Playful verse combines well with Dean's signature bright illustrative style, giving the tools personality and spunk.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(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 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) PS Illustrated by James Dean. "Boom Truck Tall / helps Boomer crash a wall. / They go / crash, / bang, / boom!" A series of occasionally disorienting rhymes describe the work of father trucks and their lookalike apprentice offspring. The illustrations (by Pete the Cat's creator) have a studied coarseness about them and will please kids and parents alike.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(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

(2) K-3 Illustrated by James Dean. When Santa comes down with the flu on Christmas Eve, groovy blue cat Pete saves the day in his vintage red minibus pulled by eight reindeer. A rhyming text based on "The Night Before Christmas" moves the story along briskly. Dean's casual, somewhat naive paintings show a world inhabited by cats (even Santa) except for the reindeer and Pete's bird sidekick.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2012

(4) K-3 Illustrated by James Dean. Guitar-playing cat Pete's love of buttons is reflected in the song he sings about those on his shirt, which keep popping off, leading to new verses--and new subtraction lessons. This Pete book is like the others: the lyrics don't work without their song (found on the publisher's website), but Pete is an appealing, sleepy-eyed slacker-troubadour in vivaciously colored scenes.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by James Dean. Guitar-playing Pete of Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes goes to school, introducing readers to the library, the lunchroom, the playground, etc. Without musical accompaniment the text can be numbing ("I'm reading in my school shoes, / I'm reading in my school shoes, / I'm reading in my school shoes"). The joyful art bursting with color rocks, though.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by James Dean. Pete the (optimistic) cat loves his brand-new white shoes no matter what. Even when he steps in strawberries, blueberries, and mud--turning his shoes red, blue, and brown--nothing rocks this cool cat's world: "No matter what you step in, keep walking along and singing your song." Color-rich illustrations from a variety of visual perspectives match the groovy tale's vibe.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan