Yes, the popularly cool and collected Pete the Cat now has books in the "I Can Read" series, for beginer readers. Excited shouting done with, the question is: are these just as much fun as the picture books, or do they suffer from riding-on-popularity-no-need-to-retain-quality syndrome?
978-006-211-0701
In this one, Pete gets hungry, and starts building a sandwich - Dagwood Bumstead style. When he is finally finished, it is too big to eat, so he invites his friends over to share it.
The short sentences of the typical junior reader work for Pete the Cat - he is, after all, a cat of few words. I missed the usual "It's all good" tagline, but the nonplussed expressions on all the characters' faces tickled me.
978-006-211-0671
Pete and his friends play a game of baseball. Pete doesn't do as well as he would like, but he doesn't feel bad, because he knows he did his best. Methinks Pete is getting a bit preachy. I didn't enjoy this one quite as much. Moral lessons are fine, but let's keep the sly humor, please.
So, my initial judgement is, 1 for 2. I'll look forward to seeing the next in the series (because this will obviously be a series), and hope this was his one and only error!
Thank-you, HarperCollins, for the review copies!
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