The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. Likely to be popular with young Pete the Cat fans and parents seeking a gentle introduction to preschool.Ī lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes. Pete’s preschool experience, while not particularly realistic, is a highly positive one refreshingly, there is no trace of the separation anxiety or anxiousness found in many first-day-of-school books. Kimberly Dean’s text is uninspired, but it’s in sync with the upbeat tone of the series. At a couple of moments (when he eats his banana and declares it tasty and when he sings along) his customarily expressionless face actually breaks into a smile. The day ends with Pete declaring: “Preschool is awesome! Pete loves everything!” James Dean’s big-eyed cats populate the simply drawn scenes that look as though they were painted in preschool-esque fashion with thick swaths of tempera. Lopez, and fellow feline classmates while keeping his signature cool. At school, Pete meets his stylish teacher, Mrs. The younger incarnation of Pete the Cat packs his backpack that he picked out from the store himself, gets a snack from his mom, and rides the school bus with his big brother, Bob (who isn’t much bigger than Pete, sizewise). The popular character enjoys storytime, painting, and a snack on the very first day of preschool.
The final spread unfortunately breaks the poetic pattern of the earlier text, transitioning from the question about vocalization to “Who sleeps all winter? ZZZZZZ ZZZZZZ.” The change feels like a bit of a jolt from the original rhythm, but overall it is a well-designed book that stands out for its gorgeous illustrations.Ī visually enticing book based on a simple and entertaining concept.
Mroziewicz’s use of onomatopoeia makes this an enjoyable and effective read-aloud for younger children. The animals chosen are either already familiar to most children or readily found in many children’s books. Lift the flaps to find out which creatures are making each sound.Įach double-page spread of this triangular book opens into a diamond shape, featuring a question about an animal sound written in large, bold, black letters on solidly colored flaps: “Who TRUUUMPETS? // Who says GROEach illustration is colorful and heavily detailed, providing readers with visually rich, patterned paintings that invite close looks.
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