Pete the Cat is a fictional cartoon cat and the protagonist in an ongoing children’s book series created by American illustrator and painter James Dean. The books, published by Harper Collins, have sold over 7 million copies and spent 230 weeks on The New York Times’ best-seller list.
Books
Pete the Cat | I love My White Shoes - Animation to the I love My White Shoes song. Free printable color activity to go with the cartoon: http://prekautism.com/pete-white-shoes/
Pete the Cat is featured in over 50 books, many of which have been translated into 15 languages. Pete the Cat is based on a real cat that Dean adopted from an animal shelter's tent at an arts festival. Dean first drew Pete the Cat in 1999, and later began painting and drawing Pete the Cat for art festivals.
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes and a corresponding CD audio recording were first self-published in 2008 and sold 7,000 copies in 10 months before it was picked up by HarperCollins â€" alerted by a YouTube meme in which two little girls read the book â€" and distributed throughout the United States and Canada. It rose to number 8 on the New York Times Best Seller list for picture books.
Pete has a "self-esteem boosting" and "whimsical" persona, combining a laid-back attitude with positivity and acceptance. He likes to surf and skateboard, often calling something "groovy," and repeating his catchphrase, "It's all good." The books center on lessons of kindness, adaptability and individuality and feature Pete having adventures, meeting new friends and learning new things.
Along with the picture books and story books, select Pete the Cate stories are part of the "I Can Read" series. The Pete the Cat collection also includes sing-along and activity books. Songs and short videos often accompany the books, which can be found on the Pete the Cat website.
Author and illustrator
James Dean is an American artist and author who currently lives in Savannah, Georgia.
The first three books in the series, beginning with Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes feature text and music by Eric Litwin (also known as "Mr. Eric"), an American storyteller and musician from Atlanta, Georgia, and illustrations by James Dean, who had created the character previously. Subsequent books were co-written by James and his wife, Kimberly Dean, beginning with Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses.
The book uses a character first devised by James Dean, who drew up Pete in 1999 and in 2006 self-published The Misadventures of Pete the Cat. Litwin wrote a story about and a song for the cat, and the two began a partnership, although the collaboration between Dean and Litwin ended in 2011.
Honors
The book series won 14 literacy awards between 2010 and 2013, including the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award in 2013 for Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons.
In 2010, the Georgia Center for the Book released a list titled, "25 Books All Young Georgians Should Read," which included Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes.
Adaptations and licensing
Pete the Cat stories have been adapted into a live-action musical, directed by Tony Award-nominee Dan Knechtges. Theatreworks USA, a not-for-profit theater company, produced the musical.
Pete the Cat also appeared in a puppet show that ran from April 4 to May 28, 2017 at Atlanta's Center for Puppetry Arts. The plot for the show was developed by polling Atlanta school children about their favorite Pete the Cat books.
Pete the Cat, an animated TV series based on the books, debuted on Amazon Prime in 2017, produced by Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, the creator of Phineas and Ferb, as well as Alcon and Appian Way. Elvis Costello and Diana Krall voice Pete's father and mother. The series was preceded by an animated holiday special, Pete the Cat: A Groovy New Year, that aired December 26, 2017.
The book Pete the Cat: Valentine's Day is Cool was included in McDonald's Happy Meals for a week in February of 2016.
Pete the Cat's likeness is featured on plush toys, clothing, games, paper products and more.
See also
- List of fictional cats and other felines
References
External links
- Pete the Cat search results at WorldCat
- Writer Eric Litwin
- YouTube meme (September 5, 2008)
- Petethecat.com
- James Dean at Library of Congress Authorities, with 19 catalog records
- Kim Dean at Library of Congress Authorities, with 7 catalog records