Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

May 1, 2014
The Pete the Cat cash machine grinds out another nursery-rhyme-based picture book (Old MacDonald Had a Farm, 2014).Here, the heavy-lidded cat contemplates (kind of) a twinkling star. The book's chief value is in reproducing all five stanzas of the traditional rhyme, presumably to give artist Dean enough material to fill another 32 pages. The aesthetics that have informed the franchise throughout are scrupulously maintained, resulting in the odd, if predictable, disconnect between the celebratory text and the couldn't-care-less protagonist. The verse "How I wonder what you are!" is paired with an image of Pete letting his stoner stare rest on readers, ignoring the telescope that is trained on the twinkling star: He couldn't look further from wonderment. In a delightful departure from his approach in Old MacDonald, Dean seems to be trying to impose a narrative in which Pete ends his day of play to go home, eat supper with his equally bored-looking family, bathe and go to bed. Unfortunately, inconsistency in the color of the sky-it's often painted noonday blue and at the beginning discordantly shifts from dusky blue to sunset yellow-unmoors readers, and the illustrations often have nothing to do with the text. Pete is at his most appealing when asleep and dreaming of flying a spaceship to the star, one of the only moments in the book when text, tone and visuals truly align.For fans only. (Picture book. 4-8)

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June 27, 2011
In his previous outing, blue cat Pete proved his ability to roll with the punches when his white sneakers were accidentally stained red. Sporting the red treads for the first day of school (they match his electric guitar), Pete is again unflappable. "Pete has never been to the library before! Does Pete worry? Goodness, no! He finds his favorite book and sings his song." School setting aside, little differentiates this book from its predecessor. There's humor to be found in the deadpan expressions of Pete and his fellow cats as he sits with friends in the lunchroom, plays at recess, and solves math problems on the board. But whether the simple refrain and Pete's blasé attitude actually assuage anxious schoolgoers is another story. Pete's song is available as a download. Ages 3â7.

October 14, 2013
Appropriately enough, Pete’s latest includes some valentines for readers: a large foldout poster, a sheet of stickers, and 12 punch-out cards. In the accompanying story, Pete starts out as a skeptic: “Valentine’s Day is not cool,” he tells his friend Callie. She responds that it’s her favorite holiday, and Pete needs no more convincing than that—as soon as he gets home, he starts making homemade cards. By book’s end, Pete has distributed valentines throughout his community; he forgets about Callie, but she’s understanding: “Hanging out with you... that’s way better than any card.” Just like Pete skateboards his way through town, he slides through these minor Valentine’s Day dramas effortlessly. Ages 4–8.

February 17, 2014
Pete the cat’s yellow, dead-eyed stare is always good for a laugh, and it’s even better when he’s wearing big white bunny ears, a buck-toothed rabbit snout, and a puffy white tail. It’s all in a day’s work for Pete after he agrees to lend the Easter Bunny a hand (“Find the eggs. Paint the eggs. Hide the eggs,” reads the note Pete discovers in his otherwise empty Easter basket). The story itself is quite thin—after painting the eggs, Pete quickly hides them and receives a “#1 Helper” ribbon from the Easter Bunny himself for his efforts (“Helping others can be lots of fun!” reads the tacked-on closing message). Readers are more likely to be drawn in by all the extras tucked into the pages, which include stickers, a foldout poster, and a dozen perforated Easter cards that can be removed and given away. Ages 4–8.