As I continue with TV Free Friday posts, I’ll be featuring some of our favorite books with which we curl up and read with the Tomato.
One of our favorite new series is Pete the Cat by Erik Litman and James Dean. Currently, we have the first three books and the newest in the series, Pete the Cat Saves Christmas was released at the end of September. Pete the Cat is a laid back little cat whose tales help children to navigate how to be brave and face life with a positive attitude. I was very excited to see that 2013 will be greeted with the release of Pete the Cat I Can Read books.
In addition to having a great message, the books are lyrical and you can find mp3 files of the books on Harper Collins Childrens website. We have spent hours singing the songs in the house and the car and reading these stories. Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons has also led to us to exploring early subtraction concepts and learning to read numbers as Pete continues to have his buttons pop off and roll away.
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| 3Dinosaurs.com |
Other great learning opportunities with Pete the Cat can be found at 3Dinosaurs.com. If you haven’t been over to Cassie Osbourne’s site yet, you are in for a treat. She puts together printable packs for toddlers and preschoolers that work on visual skills, small motor skills, pattern recognition, color activities, and reading and math skills. They are amazing and in the past week, she released a Pete the Cat Activity pack. We have been making our way through the Tots set and enjoying every minute.
My final suggestion for Pete the Cat fans is to grab the plush toy. My father-in-law bought him for Tomato and he became a fast friend for her. We act out the stories and play a lot of hide and seek.
Today, Tomato turned the game around and had Pete come to find us. It’s been a ton of fun and we are looking forward to reading the new stories and seeing where Pete takes us.
What are some of your favorite stories to read over and over with your children?
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks like a lot of fun! Love the TV Free Friday idea! What a great way to really bond with your kids and show them that you can entertain yourself in ways other than with the TV!
Both of my girls, ages 8 and 4, LOVE these books. They have universal appeal, and Pete is one cool cat. I have enjoyed reading them to my kindergarten classes, and they work amazing well in the group setting. There is nothing like a book that encourages group participation!
these are some nice ideas. i like the cat there!
I love that you’re doing this series!
Pete the Cat looks cute. I’ll look for him at the library.
Adorable! We love reading Dr. Seuss, the “How Does a Dinosaur…” series, anything Sandra Boynton.
Great post theme…