Pete the Cat

PreS-K—In this sequel to Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes (HarperCollins, 2010), Pete is enjoying a day at school. He explores the library, the lunchroom, and the playground, singing happily with each new discovery. As with the first book, this feline is unflappable. He doesn't worry about noise, confusion, or the unfamiliar and takes everything in stride. The problem with this book seems to be the target audience. The repetition and the simple concepts in the first book appeal largely to the preschool set. That same structure is present here, but a school setting that features a library, a lunchroom, riding a school bus, etc., would seem to indicate a child in kindergarten, who has probably moved beyond Pete. Dean's cartoon illustrations are bright and cheerful, although Pete alternates between walking erect with two sneakers and walking on all fours wearing four. Purchase if you service a large preschool population where the first title is popular, but elementary schools can probably pass in favor of something with a little more substance.—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ