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Pete the Cat
Robo-Pete (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Pete the Cat) by James Dean
When Pete's friends don't want to play the same games as he does, Pete has a great idea—he'll build a robot that's just like him! But when Robo-Pete gets a little out of control, Pete realizes the best thing about his friends is that no matter what they like to play, it's always fun when they're all together.This Pete the Cat 8x8 storybook by New York Times bestselling artist James Dean comes complete with stickers!
Unknown Binding
First published October 6, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
December 4, 2024
Once again Pete the Cat serves us a deep allegory on the human condition. This one is a dire warning about the impending apocalypse and how we can prevent it.
In the opening of this story, humanity is fractured. Everyone is pursuing their selfish desires and needs, with no concern for anyone else. A baseball game requires cooperation, but nobody wants to cooperate with Pete.
Pete is no better than anyone else. When he can’t get anyone to do what he wants, Pete creates an AI robot. The robot is designed to serve his desires without requiring other people. This corresponds to our modern tendency to meet our needs through technology rather than by trying to deal with our fellow people.
In the beginning, the robot seems to obey Pete. Pete wants to play catch and it does. But it subtly shifts the power dynamic until Pete is chasing the ball for the robot.
Pete tries to rebalance the dynamic but the robot keeps winning. Eventually, the robot is dictating what they do and asking the questions, while Pete follows it's lead and does its bidding. This represents humanity losing its lead role and falling enslaved to the AI overlords.
There is a rally, though. At the playground Pete's friends learn to work together. They figure out how to work together to meet everyone needs and desires in order of importance. With this new teamwork, they retake control of the robot and force it to serve humanity so they can enjoy the robot-enabled utopia. But this time they don't fall into the trap of hyper-individualized hedonism. They come back together at the end to help the robot wash brushes. This represents a corrected version of our future: humans and robots working together to make society a better place for humanity.
In the opening of this story, humanity is fractured. Everyone is pursuing their selfish desires and needs, with no concern for anyone else. A baseball game requires cooperation, but nobody wants to cooperate with Pete.
Pete is no better than anyone else. When he can’t get anyone to do what he wants, Pete creates an AI robot. The robot is designed to serve his desires without requiring other people. This corresponds to our modern tendency to meet our needs through technology rather than by trying to deal with our fellow people.
In the beginning, the robot seems to obey Pete. Pete wants to play catch and it does. But it subtly shifts the power dynamic until Pete is chasing the ball for the robot.
Pete tries to rebalance the dynamic but the robot keeps winning. Eventually, the robot is dictating what they do and asking the questions, while Pete follows it's lead and does its bidding. This represents humanity losing its lead role and falling enslaved to the AI overlords.
There is a rally, though. At the playground Pete's friends learn to work together. They figure out how to work together to meet everyone needs and desires in order of importance. With this new teamwork, they retake control of the robot and force it to serve humanity so they can enjoy the robot-enabled utopia. But this time they don't fall into the trap of hyper-individualized hedonism. They come back together at the end to help the robot wash brushes. This represents a corrected version of our future: humans and robots working together to make society a better place for humanity.
January 29, 2016
Originally Reviewed for YA Books Central: http://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfic...
The cat came back—and he’s brought a homemade friend.
Pete just wants to play catch. But when all of his friends are too busy to play with him, he does the only reasonable thing a young cat can do. He builds a robotic copy of himself and plays with Robo Pete instead. His new companion turns out to be good at everything. Maybe a little too good…
My 7 year old son adores all things Pete The Cat, and this book was no exception. The signature simple, boxy marker illustrations are unremarkable but consistent—exactly what one would expect from this series. And the bonus page of stickers was definitely a highlight.
To this parent, the plot itself felt a little erratic and lacking in any real point or takeaway lesson. (Pete’s friends eventually finish what they were doing and come to join in the Robo Shenanigans.) Other books in the series have proven more meaningful, in this reader’s opinion. While it may not make the memorable favorite list, the price is affordable and the reading level well suited to a first grader who is still building their foundation.
The cat came back—and he’s brought a homemade friend.
Pete just wants to play catch. But when all of his friends are too busy to play with him, he does the only reasonable thing a young cat can do. He builds a robotic copy of himself and plays with Robo Pete instead. His new companion turns out to be good at everything. Maybe a little too good…
My 7 year old son adores all things Pete The Cat, and this book was no exception. The signature simple, boxy marker illustrations are unremarkable but consistent—exactly what one would expect from this series. And the bonus page of stickers was definitely a highlight.
To this parent, the plot itself felt a little erratic and lacking in any real point or takeaway lesson. (Pete’s friends eventually finish what they were doing and come to join in the Robo Shenanigans.) Other books in the series have proven more meaningful, in this reader’s opinion. While it may not make the memorable favorite list, the price is affordable and the reading level well suited to a first grader who is still building their foundation.
September 16, 2016
Typical quirky Pete the Cat story, this one about friendship. I enjoyed the robot element, but felt it could have been taken further. Pete's reaction to events was a bit ambivalent. Love Pete's quirky friends' quirky habits.
December 9, 2024
I was read this book by a second grader. Maybe it was because they were so excited to read to me, but I really enjoyed Robo-Pete!
June 23, 2019
Sooooo long.
January 15, 2021
This one misses it's own point. Pete wants to play baseball, but his friends want to do other things. So he builds a robot which he programs with his own personality. At first it's fun, but soon he starts to find it annoying, and misses his friends. That self-realization should be the point of the book. But the book keeps going and Pete convinces the robot to play with his friends and instead, the moral is that it's more fun to do stuff with friends. Pete could have learned that lesson just playing by himself.
August 21, 2017
Good friendship lesson.
August 8, 2021
One late 1960s Christmas, the parents gave my brother and me a toy replica of the the robot from Lost in Space telelvision series. I had wanted the robot because the robot on the television series seemed to my childish understanding to be accommodating, friendly. With so many children running free and exerting childish groupthink in the 1960s, I just wanted someone just for me, to play with my own way.
Seems Pete had a similar idea. When Pete's friends did not to play catch, Pete assembled himself a robot friend. Like many in the 1960s, Pete understood how to read plans and use tools so that his work was completed quickly and easily. All too soon Pete finds out as I did that compliance and non-human interactions are not particularly satisfying.
So back to his friends he returns. All the friends have that same afternoon developed a new awareness--being together is the thing that is fun.
I enjoy reading the Pete the Cat books that remind me of the life in the 1960s.
Read for Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon
Seems Pete had a similar idea. When Pete's friends did not to play catch, Pete assembled himself a robot friend. Like many in the 1960s, Pete understood how to read plans and use tools so that his work was completed quickly and easily. All too soon Pete finds out as I did that compliance and non-human interactions are not particularly satisfying.
So back to his friends he returns. All the friends have that same afternoon developed a new awareness--being together is the thing that is fun.
I enjoy reading the Pete the Cat books that remind me of the life in the 1960s.
Read for Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon
February 21, 2020
I think this is a really cute story. Pete the Cat wants to hang out with his friends but they are all busy. His solution to his problem was to build a robot version of himself. This was not as great as he thought it would be. Pete the Cat ended running into his friends, as they were finishing what they were doing. I think its a cute story that can teach being patient is better than trying to replace your friends.
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April 19, 2020This story is for beginning to intermediate readers. This story is about a cat named Pete. Pete is mad that his friends don't want to play. So he decided to build a robot so that he could play whenever he wanted. When the Robot gets out of hand and gets Pete frustrated he learns the importance of friendship.
June 4, 2020
Pete the Cat wants to play with his friends, but they are all busy doing other things. Pete feels lonesome so he builds a robot that is programmed to be like him. The problem arises that his new best friend isn't as much fun because he is too good at everything. Pete realizes he can have fun with his friends by just being with them.
June 22, 2017
Pete just wants a friend to play ball with but all of his friends are busy. Pete builds a robot to play with but he has a hard time keeping up with the robot. Good book for preschool through 3rd grade.
December 5, 2018
The illustrations were colorful and cute and this one was a little wordier than some of the other Pete books. The story seemed to be trying a little too hard, hinting at a variety of different morals but in the end just sort of falling flat.
September 14, 2020
When Pete can't find a playmate who wants to do what he wants to do, he makes a robot! He soon finds out that technology is good - when it works! As usual, Pete focuses on his friends and being a good helper.
June 21, 2017
6 y/o review: I liked it because sometimes I wish I had friends to play with all the time.
July 31, 2017
It wasn't as good as the others. The kids quickly lost interest and it didn't have as resolute a message.
November 14, 2017
My son loves these books! This one I s currently his favourite ✨📚
November 28, 2017
I think it would be cool to have a robot to play with or to do my chores when i felt like playing with my friends
July 31, 2018
funny story...what to do when your friends are busy...putting your imagination into play
December 11, 2021
Written by James Dean, Pete the Cat: Robo-Pete is a science fiction children's literature that didn't win any awards; I believe it's intended for 4 to 8yrs old. When Pete's friends doesn't want to play the same games as he want, he gets upset and decides that he wants someone who will play games that he wants to play. Pete decides to make a robot and calls him "Robo-Pete". But as Robo-Pete gets out of control, Pete learns the important lesson about friendship. A rating that I'd give this book would be 5-stars because the e-book provided a problem with a possible solution, it also included nice illustrations for children to enjoy. Children learn about friendships when they begin school, which would be in Preschool. I think the meaning of friendship in preschool is just having someone to play with when you want to play, just like Pete in the story. Ultimately if your friend doesn't want to play with you then you would find someone else to play with, which is what Pete did. Two important themes from this picture book would be friendship and patience. Pete's friends didn't stop being friends with him, they just didn't want to play the same games as him, so Pete wasn't patient. Friendship is the main theme of this book because Pete made another friend when his other ones didn't want to do the same things he wanted to do. I think this book would be appealing to young readers because of the illustrations and the animals are cats.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2019
We checked out Pete the Cat: Robo-Pete because the girls usually love reading Pete the Cat books. This time, my younger daughter enjoyed the story more than her older sister. I found this story to be another fun Pete the Cat adventure.
In this book, Pete wants to play baseball, but all of his friends have other things they are busy doing. So Pete decides to build Robo-Pete. Thinking that he will want to do all the fun things that Pete wants to do. And he does, but things don't go the way Pete was hoping.
The story is entertaining and funny at times. Kids can see how things don't always work out the way they were thinking or hoping that it would. Definitely recommend reading this book if you have read and enjoyed other Pete the Cat books.
This review, as well as, Cutie Pie and Cutie Pie #2's thoughts can be found on my blog: My Bookish Itinerary
In this book, Pete wants to play baseball, but all of his friends have other things they are busy doing. So Pete decides to build Robo-Pete. Thinking that he will want to do all the fun things that Pete wants to do. And he does, but things don't go the way Pete was hoping.
The story is entertaining and funny at times. Kids can see how things don't always work out the way they were thinking or hoping that it would. Definitely recommend reading this book if you have read and enjoyed other Pete the Cat books.
This review, as well as, Cutie Pie and Cutie Pie #2's thoughts can be found on my blog: My Bookish Itinerary
August 28, 2025
Our groovy friend Pete the Cat designs a robot to be his friend when all his other pals are busy.
Moral: There’s nothing better than real life friends.
Length: It’s Pete the Cat long, so it holds a kid’s interests JUST long enough to get through the story.
Favorite Line: “I am a robot. I am indestructible!”
Overall impression: Here, Pete the Cat warns us about AI, the robots taking over, and the importance of community. This robot he creates seems like a really good idea, but it starts to control Pete’s life. Fortunately for us, Pete realizes he can put the robot to work (putting painters everywhere out of work, I’m sure) while he engages with his friends. Pete the Cat learns independent free thinking children of God are more fun than chat bots and robotic frauds.
Moral: There’s nothing better than real life friends.
Length: It’s Pete the Cat long, so it holds a kid’s interests JUST long enough to get through the story.
Favorite Line: “I am a robot. I am indestructible!”
Overall impression: Here, Pete the Cat warns us about AI, the robots taking over, and the importance of community. This robot he creates seems like a really good idea, but it starts to control Pete’s life. Fortunately for us, Pete realizes he can put the robot to work (putting painters everywhere out of work, I’m sure) while he engages with his friends. Pete the Cat learns independent free thinking children of God are more fun than chat bots and robotic frauds.
December 2, 2020
When Pete’s friends don’t want to play catch with him, Pete decides to make a double of himself in the form of robot called Robo-Pete that will always play whatever Pete wants to play. Unfortunately Pete gets exactly what he asks for in Robo-Pete who will only do things after Pete suggests them and always plays all of those things better than Pete himself does! This story is a good lesson about friendship and how it doesn’t matter what we are doing if we can just enjoy each other’s company. A very short but sweet picturebook.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2018
When Pete the Cat friends don't want to do what he wants to do, Pete the Cat builds a robot to play with him. It's a great idea until Robo-Pete gets a little out of control, and Pete the Cat discovers his real life friends are better to be with no matter what they are doing, and true friendship is what really matters.
August 28, 2024
The first half, where Pete and Robo-Pete are trying to get things done, is very interesting and cute. The last few pages literally make no sense. I feel like if the author had added literally 2 or 4 more pages, it would've made a fantastic complete story. Still, cute, and anyone reading Pete the Cat already loves robots.
May 24, 2025
Robo-Pete is a huge hit with my 2-year-old. I like how Pete's world can suddenly contain fantasy or, in this case, sci-fi.
Pete's friends are all too busy to play with him, so he builds a robot programmed to like whatever Pete likes. Then Pete realizes he likes helping his friends, and Robo-Pete speeds up tasks like painting a fence.
Pete's friends are all too busy to play with him, so he builds a robot programmed to like whatever Pete likes. Then Pete realizes he likes helping his friends, and Robo-Pete speeds up tasks like painting a fence.
November 5, 2020
Okay, this whole series, while fun in it's funky style, is just so.... stupid. There's really no purpose to the story and I feel like the plots just ramble. I know it's "only a kid's book" but they can still be higher quality than this.
August 19, 2021
It doesn’t matter what’s you do as long as you with Friends
My daughter said “It doesn’t matter what’s you do as long as you with Friends”. That’s it’s wonderful to learn from Pete the cat
My daughter said “It doesn’t matter what’s you do as long as you with Friends”. That’s it’s wonderful to learn from Pete the cat
January 12, 2022
super cute for teaching about friendship
Love this to teach about being a good friend. It’s not about doing what you want but it’s about being together and having fun together . The kid loves it.
Love this to teach about being a good friend. It’s not about doing what you want but it’s about being together and having fun together . The kid loves it.
November 29, 2024
Modern Fantasy
Grade Level: K-1
A fun book! Robo-Pete showed me how important it is to have friends who are different than you, and that compromising within friendships is sometimes a good idea. The illustrations are vey fun and grabbed my attention right away!
Grade Level: K-1
A fun book! Robo-Pete showed me how important it is to have friends who are different than you, and that compromising within friendships is sometimes a good idea. The illustrations are vey fun and grabbed my attention right away!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews