Pete The Cat: I Love My White Shoes

Written by Eric Litwin and illustrated by James Dean (Harper Collins)

Ages: 3 – 7

Pete the Cat goes walking down the street wearing his brand-new white shoes. Along the way, his shoes change from white to red to blue to brown to WET as he steps in piles of strawberries, blueberries, and other big messes!

But no matter what color his shoes are, Pete keeps movin’ and groovin’ and singing his song…because it’s all good. The repetitive refrains are great for early readers and help children to interact with the story. You can download the free groovin’ song.

“Did he cry? Goodness no!”

“I love my white shoes,

I love my White shoes…”

The book became even more of a hit after this cute YouTube video of two little girls reading the book went viral.

The first four books authored by Eric Litwin are Pete The Cat: Rocking My School Shoes, Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons and Pete the Cat Saves Christmas.  Pete the Cat: Rocking My School Shoes is great for children who feel anxious with the noise and overwhelm of a big busy school environment.

Meet the creators

Eric Litwin is a New York Times best selling and award winning author who brings early literacy, music, and positivity together. He is the original author of the Pete the Cat series as well as the author of The Nuts, Groovy Joe, and The Poop Song. Eric is also the co-author of The Power of Joyful Reading: Help Your Young Readers Soar to Success, a popular professional development book for teachers. Eric’s books promote optimism and get the reader engaged. He is a popular performer, delighting children and families every year with his school and community concerts.  Read an interview here that explains why Pete the Cat is such a good book for children with special needs. 

James Dean is a New York Times bestselling creator and illustrator.  He is a self-taught artist  and he is the original creator and illustrator of Pete the Cat. His first book was The Misadventures of Pete the Cat and he then published Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, in 2008 with Eric Litwin. There are now dozens of published Pete the Cat titles, all inspired by James’s real-life rescue pet.

After the first four books were published, Kimberley Dean partnered with her husband to write the follow up books.  

There are now over 80 Pete the Cat books, and some have been made into I Can Read readers. The phonics books can be bought here. There’s even a TV series and soft toys. There’s some debate over whether the slew of Pete The Cat books that came after the original partnership of singer and author Eric Litwin and artist James Dean ended, are as quirky and original. Dean’s wife, Kimberley Dean, took over as author. You be the judge.