Pete the Cat Go, Pete, Go!

Pete the Cat

by James Dean

Pete the cat takes up the challenge to race turtle

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Transport, Fiction, Storytime, Fantasy

Hardcover

First published May 17, 2016

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

[Juliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modern twist on the take of the tortoise and the hare. It's very simple and everybody is happy in the end

[Aneesa · Rating 1 out of 5]

The moral of this story makes no sense! NEITHER of the racers went slow and steady!

[Louise Heywood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked it because Pete just wanted to try his best and believed in himself and won!

[Lucca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly turtle and his hare-like racing techniques.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pete the Cat loves to pedal his bicycle fast. So when Turtle shows up in his brand new red race car, he wants to race. “Who wants to have a race?” he asks.

Grumpy Toad’s motorcycle has a flat tire; Emma’s car is too old and slow. Callie’s bus is a work of art . . . and it’s not meant for racing.

Pete volunteers to race Turtle even though his bicycle has no motor. Pete just wants to try his best and have fun.

What will happen when Turtle and Pete race?

=========

This reimagining of the fable of the tortoise and the hare has a few surprises for the young reader. Turtle’s speedy race car has fins and tires that inflate into mag wheels. But Turtle, like the Tortoise, believes he cannot lose . . . he’s so far ahead of Pete that he can stop at the diner for something to eat [and dessert]; later, he will stop for lemonade and a quick nap.

Emulating the Hare, Pete simply keeps on keeping on, never giving up, and wins the race. Young readers are sure to cheer for Pete’s accomplishment as they learn that slow and steady helps them succeed. With easily-recognized, well-known, and beloved characters, the young reader already has a strong interest in the book.

Highly recommended, especially for fans of Pete the Cat.

[Lgordo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I dislike most Pete the Cat. They are carelessly written, as this book illustrates.

You might think this is a retelling of the Tortoise and the Hare, where overconfident Turtle in his race car loses to slow-and-steady Pete on his bike.

But no, because Pete makes a few stops himself, and clearly is not applying himself to the race with the assiduousness of the fabled tortoise. In fact, he really doesn't care at all whether he wins.

So, arguably, this is a story about having fun vs being competitive. Aggressive Turtle, determined to win, is the uncool one here. Relaxed Pete, who literally stops to smell the roses, is the cool one.

I'd be basically okay with this message. Not everything has to be competitive. Having fun is important. Winning isn't everything.

Except for one problem (spoiler alert): Pete wins.

So the ultimate message is "don't bother trying, just have fun, and you'll win." This surely happens at times, but it's not exactly the norm.

If you want to know what's wrong with kids these days, you have only to read this garbage book.

[Mavis’s Dad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pete the Cat appears to have a slew of stories to share and this was our first experience with him. He and Turtle go for a race - him in his bicycle and Turtle in his hot rod.

Moral: Race your bike like you live your life: Slow and steady.

Length: Leave some time to read this one; there are lots of words that tell a complete story.

Favorite Line: “Pete’s bike doesn’t have fins, but he does have a basket.”

Overall Impression: Pete is a cool cat and literally stopped to smell the roses in this book. Mavis was captivated by the simple, colorful illustrations and I laughed out loud on multiple occasions. The story is nothing new and has been told hundreds of times. Over confidence vs. persistence; taking your time vs. rushing. But this one puts a nice spin on those themes. Is racing a bicycle against a race car ridiculous? Of course it is; but who hasn’t tried to do that very thing as they ride down the street as a kid?

[Janna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story has a wonderful meaning behind it. Turtle and Pete are racing each other and turtle thinks he is the fastest and the best racer ever. Pete keep racing Turtle, but Pete takes his time and stops to take a break and keep strolling along. Little does Turtle know, but Pete is on a slow mission to beat Turtle. The meaning behind this story can really relate to some of our students. It's not about how fast you complete or do something, it's about the time and effort it takes you to complete it.

For a lesson, you can have your students use the words PETE THE CAT and have them create as many words as they can in 5 minutes using only those letters. This will help students who need a break from everyday school work to focus on something else. This also gets their minds thinking a bit!

[R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is essentially a variation of the story of the Tortoise and the Hare only it's the cat and the turtle instead. Instead of running a race, Turtle has a new race car he wants to use in a race and Pete is the only one willing to indulge him, despite only having his bike to race with. Turtle is convinced that this means he is guaranteed to win. Both take breaks along he way for various things, though Turtle's are longer and more indulgent, believing as he does that he's guaranteed victory. As a result, he doesn't pay attention in the end, and Pete's slow and steady pace while he enjoys the path puts him in the lead. Cute adaptation of a classic story.

[Heather Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter loves me reading Pete's story.

This is the second Pete story I am buying because my daughter loves it. I was surprised she knows Pete and was able to tell me the story. I had read it to her only twice so I got this one for her. Halfway through reading I realized she was falling asleep so I stopped reading. Only to hear her ask "you finish the story already?" Will buy more in thus collection for her.

[Slayermel · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the children in my class brought this book in from home for us to read.
It's a bit of a retelling of the tortoise and the hair, except using our new favourite character Pete the cat.
Pete just pedals along with no stress in the world, while tortoise zooms ahead in his car.
The children really enjoyed it, and we had a bit of a laugh.
The story opened up lots of room for discussion.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

My children love these little books. They thoroughly enjoy each and every story, as if they are all unique and individual without any cause for similarity among them. Even though sometimes, they might seem tedious and repetitive to me as a parent, I do enjoy being able to read short-stories to my children that are clean and respective.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a kind of retelling of Tortoise and the Hare. Not quite as good as an Eric Litwin book but it has a good message. Winning is not everything. Try your best and have fun...and don't forget to stop and smell the roses!

[Tami · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. oh I loved it. it was super funny. but it was not funny enough for me to laugh. (said in song)🎂🍓🍉🥞🍎🍌🍏🥕🇨🇦I am 4 years old. Hope. this book was good and it was funny but it didn't get hope so excited.

[Bernadette Capets · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointed

This book is not set up in a normal format to read. The pages appear to be photocopied from the book, making it small and difficult to read. I bought it to read to my granddaughter but I can not even read it.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one of those concepts that seems so obvious you wonder why no one thought of it sooner; the tortoise and the hare with vehicles. Turtle in his racecar races Pete on his bike. Pete doesn't expect to win. Turtle gets overconfident and takes breaks, so Pete wins.

[Kathleen Meacham · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute!!

[Danielle Forlaw · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like the book because it is a great book. Because he gets his own bike, and I like toads race car.

[SB · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. Not one of our favorites from Pete the Cat, but will definitely read again.

[Carly MJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Pete the Cat; however, this is the same old story about how slow and steady wins the race.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not my favorite Pete the Cat, but it's serviceable.

[Bianca Orellana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, flip-flopped retelling of the classic Tortoise and the Hare story. This was a fun read!

[IUS F19 Hannah Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be good for kindergarten through third grade.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I just want to try my best and have fun." Pete the Cat is a little bit annoying with his happy attitude but, all the same, there is something endearing about this book.

[Dina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A typical Pete the Cat book!

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This lacks the originality and pizazz of the first ones of the series. "Slow and steady wins the race" has been done many times.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pete the Cat (on his bike) plays the role of the tortoise and the tortoise (in his race car) plays the role of the hare in this updated retelling of the Aesop Fable.

[Bethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another cute Pete the Cat book that turned out differently than I thought it would. I was expecting a version of that old classic Go Dog Go. Usual friendly Pete theme.

[Chelsea Eichelberger]

Very cute story to keep young readers involved.

[Hensley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only a two because I didn't realize that the book was an audiobook, and it did not go over so well with a 3 yr old.