Pete the Cat: Five Little Ducks: An Easter And Springtime Book For Kids

Pete the Cat

by James Dean, Kimberly Dean

#1 New York Times bestseller James Dean turns it up in Pete the Cat's cool adaptation of the classic children's song "Five Little Ducks."

Fans of Pete the cat will love rocking out to this classic tune with a groovy twist.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Cats, Storytime, Counting, Fiction

32 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 24, 2017

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

James Dean is the original creator and illustrator of Pete the Cat. He is a self-taught artist originally from Fort Payne, Alabama. His passion for drawing became apparent at a young age, and as a child, you could find James drawing his favorite characters like Snoopy and Yogi Bear.

James earned his degree in electrical engineering from Auburn University and went on to work for Georgia Power for a number of years. Eventually, he was called to pursue his art full- time and began selling his work at art festivals around the Southeast. It was during this time that he began creating paintings and drawing of his cat, Pete.The little blue cat showed up as a character in James’s artwork around 1999 and has been a permanent fixture ever since.

James Dean’s art has been sold in more than ninety galleries and shops across the United States. He has devoted his paintings to Pete the Cat for fifteen years and turned his natural love for cats into his life’s work. James published his first book, The Misadventures of Pete the Cat, a history of his artwork, in 2006, and he illustrated his first self-published children’s book, Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, in 2008. There are now almost 100 published Pete the Cat titles with more coming out all the time. James is humbled every day by the success that this groovy blue cat has brought him. He says positively affecting children’s lives is his number one priority, and he is grateful to have such an amazing audience to work for.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Using the lyrics of the well-known children's song Five Little Ducks as a starting point, James Dean inserts his cool cat Pete into the story, creating a fun selection about a play-date in which the anatine participants start to disappear, one by one. Pete, who has replaced Mama Duck in the song, is sad to see them go, but happy when they return...

One of a number of these little Pete the Cat song books - previous titles include Pete the Cat: The Wheels on the Bus and Pete the Cat: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star - Pete the Cat: Five Little Ducks is a title sure to have appeal both for fans of its eponymous feline hero, and of the original song. There isn't much here that is that memorable or groundbreaking, but the artwork is colorful and fun, and the rhyming text would make for a good read-aloud.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a sucker for Pete the Cat. In this book, he plays with some ducklings, and looks adorable in his Wellington boots (wellies)!

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great flannel presentation this would make! These five little ducks can be differentiated by what they are wearing. One wears an orange sweater, another red tennis shoes, another glasses, another a green baseball hat, and one wears a red bow tie. If you, the grownup reader doesn't happen to notice this your attentive younger observer is sure to point it out. Little ones will also enjoy the duckling distractions, such as a yellow butterfly, a green frog, a blue bird, a red ladybug and a brown worm. There's so much fun here with this familiar song.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Pete the Cat version of the classic children's song "Five Little Ducks." Familiar illustrations and bouncy rhythm make this a fun read aloud.

[Peacegal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally like Pete the Cat; he's at his best when he stars in original stories, which have a goofy vibe and a hippie sensibility. However, when he's dropped into non-original content like this, Pete gets more generic and less appealing. Tiny tots will still enjoy it, but older kids will find little memorable about this one.

[Rachel Stoneking · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary:
This book has Pete the cat leading a group of five ducks to the water, they do different things on there walk. As this walk continues Pete notices that the ducks start disappearing after they do one activity. Five ducks followed him to the water but only 4 ducks jumped in then they jumped out but only 3 ducks followed him. Pete walked by a park and wanted to swing but this time only two ducks played with him. Now it started raining so Pete ran inside with only one duck then he decided to go back out once the rain stopped but he was all alone. At the end he found all five ducks playing in a puddle of water. An activity that could done is have a group of students acting out the book, there could a leader as Pete and 5 students as ducks as the teacher reads the book, one student will leave the group until there is only the leader left.

[Sharde Liggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Pete the Cat Five Little Ducks" by James Dean is a spinoff of the classic song/tale five little ducks. Pete the cat is going out in his Wellington boots on a gloomy rainy day accompanied by five little ducks. With every description beginning "5 little ducks with 1 cool cat leading the way" every activity Pete and the ducks do rather it's swimming or playing indoors one duck is left behind. When Pete is sad and thinks he's all alone the ducks come back to thank Pete by building him something special. This book is phenomenal a spin on the classic five little ducks while children are learning their subtraction, and counting numbers. The illustrations are watercolor with vivid detailing. This picture book is recommended for students k-2 and all Pete the Cat Fans.

[Kathryn (Dragon Bite Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally published on my blog, Nine Pages .

This is a spin-off of Raffi’s iconic children’s song “Five Little Ducks,” and it was a cleverer spin-off than I expected it to be. There was more variation in this text than there is in the song lyrics. Pete finds the ducklings and tempts them to play with him, but he tempts fewer and fewer ducklings as the ducklings get distracted. Mother Duck is absent. In the end all five ducklings return to play with Pete. The ducklings are differentiated by different articles of clothing that they wear, including a pair of red shoes that recall Pete’s in I Love My White Shoes.

[Makayla Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is similar to other versions of The Five Little Ducks but with Pete's help, he adds his own twist to the story. Readers will love the idea of a blue cat hanging out with a bunch of ducks that are wearing clothes. Although the same thing continues to happen throughout the story it is told in different ways each time keeping the reader interested. The story has a fun twist at the end that really is the icing on the cake. The pictures are colorful and possibly created with crayons or watercolor. For these reasons I am rating this book 5/5 stars. I enjoyed reading this book and was pleased to read a new ending to the Five Little Ducks.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rhyme is a favorite for me when choosing children's books. I love the sing song of the narrative. This cute book about a cat and his 5 duck friends had me singing along.

My alma mater Neumann University is doing a virtual in-service day this year. Giving Alumni, parents and students a chance to give back differently. I chose Cradle to Crayons and created a book pack for 3 to 4 year old's as part of my project. The project isn't due until home coming weekend, which is a few days before my birthday. However, I figured early was better. I chose books that I may or may not have read. But I read them all before donation.

[Brooke Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pete the Cat is a fan favorite while Five Little Ducks is a classic childhood story. James Dean uses Pete the Cat to add even more fun to the original Five Little Ducks story, which I think is a smart and creative choice for the current generation of young children. I rated the book a 3/5 only because I think there are better book options to help with counting. I had never read this specific Pete the Cat book, so I wanted to give it a shot. This book would be great in a K-1 classroom, considering it only goes from number 1-5.

[Ella Ghoneim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right off the bat, the first thing the reader notices is the illustrations and colors. In my opinion these were critical to hook the young readers in as the visuals are something someone in their age group would draw, allowing them to relate and be interested. This book provides children with a fun way to grasp the concept of counting by incorporating fun rhymes, colors, and analogies. Pete and his ducks also teach the value of friendship as we follow along their journey.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this cat cool take on a classic song. The story keeps the same elements of the 5 little ducks who went swimming one day, but mixes it up with other activities: hopping, swinging and playing indoors. It all counts down to the end where the ducks have a special surprise for Pete when they come back.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

As much as I feel like Pete the Cat is the James Patterson of children's picture books, I grudgingly enjoy all of the books. This new take on the familiar Five Little Ducks is fun with great illustrations.

[WSU-CW · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading this series with younger aged kids. The pictures go with the words on the page so the child is able to understand the story without having to actually read all the words. It is simple enough that kids pick up and the patterns and predict what will happen next, but also offers a surprise ending about friendship.

[Jacqueline Hansen]

I love the animal illustrations in this book. They are really great for children and they have great detail. As a counting book, I think this one is great. it goes through a story and often incorporates numbers in to the story which is great for kids learning to count. I think having the students interact with this book would be smart, as they could count objects on the page along with the book.

[Sarah Alamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

We're so proud of you for reading Pete the Cat: Five Little Ducks! You learned something very important—never give up hope, even when things feel hard or scary. Just like Mother Duck kept calling until all her ducks came back, you can stay brave and strong during challenges. Love and patience always win! Use this wonderful lesson in your life. Keep reading wonderfully!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I missed these books while my kids were the right age. Just love this book. It has 5 little ducks and little by little there are none. At the end, they end up playing together, but it is a count down from 5.

It's all good. I love Pete the Cat!

[Rachael Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Pete the Cat! I will use this one for a story time for sure. The text lines up pretty well with the song that is so familiar but I will need to practice it to make sure that I have the rhythm down pat before using it for story time.

[Sidney Carnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is great for teachers who are introducing counting backward for their pre-k or kindergarten classroom. "Pete the Cate: Five Little Ducks" is cute and can be educational if the teacher wishes it to be.

[sweet orange books · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know the original story, but even then, I find this book quite strange. Pete is leading the way and one by one he loses ducks, who then bring him a boat? Doesn't seem like a story I would recommend.

Read and reviewed: 2018-10-13

[Nadina · Rating 4 out of 5]

So the illustrations were cute, the song/story itself was cute. It's not a bad book and could work well for story time (just not the story time I am planning). It is definitely a variation on the song, not the original song lyrics. Some of the lines are a little awkward to say with the tune, but they can all be made to work with the traditional "Five Little Ducks" tune.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute book that practices counting down. May read it again when my son gets a little older.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Heather Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

megan spring reading 2017, children's book, picture book, series, pete the cat, sing along, classic, retelling, five little ducks, prek, kindergarten, first grade, second grade,

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pete is a terrible baby-sitter

[Abigail Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good patterns for students to remember and learn to read

Great pictures

[Emily Lisowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting take on the five little ducks story. The illustrations were fun and colorful. It introduced counting and rhyming in a fun entertaining way. A good book for subtraction lessons!

[Marina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor Pete. Deserted by ducks!

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book with song lyrics. Could be read/sang to kids in storytime