PPBF: Pete the Cat's Groovy Guide to Life

Today's PPBF is the birthday present my friend Carol gave me that has quickly become a new favorite featuring the finicky feline, Pete.


Title: Pete the Cat's Groovy Guide to Life
By: Kimberly & James Dean
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date: April 7, 2015
Suitable for: ages 4-8 (and up)
Genre: Inspirational
Theme: inspirational quotes, motivation, reframes 
Brief synopsis: In this collection of thoughts for "living an awesome life," Pete the cat reframes age-old maxims to give them a 21st-century, every-day flavor. 
Opening page: Life takes courage; be brave. ~Pete
Resources: Check out the book's trailer from You Tube



Read a review at Engage Their Minds {here}
and thoughts from San Francisco Book Reviews {here}.

Why I like this book:  I can't wait to share this book with my older learners. One of my favorite paraphrases goes like this:

Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work. ~Thomas Edison
Amazing things happen when you work hard! ~Pete

One adage Carol and I didn't completely understand is this,

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way. ~Mark Twain

but I do like Pete's version of it:

Dude, don't even think about it. ~Pete 

I so see this in a creation station in our counseling classes.
Students can read the famous quotes and Pete's translation,
then they can share their favorite quote and write or illustrate how they interpret what the original words mean. Like this:



Lead with your heart. ~Pete (or student's name) 

Can you feel the reflection potential in this tool?

For today's other PPBF picks, go to Susanna's blog;
her selection today is especially sweet.

This is our final PPBF for the summer, so I'm using it as an opportunity to unplug until after the 4th of July or so. Please be safe, enjoy the long summer days, and have fun relaxing, restoring, rejuvenating, and refreshing.





11 comments

  1. I love inspirational books for children. They are contemplative and help children search beneath the surface for what it means to them. I can see you using this with student. Great activities.

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    1. Hi Pat, and welcome to the Corner. You will absolutely eat this one up. No question; it's the cat's meow! (couldn't refuse ...)

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  2. You won't completely understand "holding a cat by the tail" until you try it. Like I did a million years ago. Not good:)). Thanks for sharing the book!

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    1. I'm gonna trust you on this one, Barb, and not try it. Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Oh, I didn't know about this one. It looks perfect. Thank you!

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    1. This gem will be perfect for your firsties, Tammy. I hope you love it as much as I do.

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  4. Definitely need to find this one! Thanks for posting, Barbara!

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  5. I enjoy collecting famous sayings! Will be on the lookout for this one, Barbara!

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  6. A new Pete book - love this quirky cat!

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  7. This looks like a fun way to revisit wisdom-sayings. And Pete is a cool dude and can put them into cool dude lingo. What fun! Can't wait to read it.

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  8. I've read several of the Pete books. He's a great character. I'll check it out. Thanks.

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I really enjoy hearing from my readers; thanks for sharing your reflections with us!