I Love My Shoes Activity and “Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes” Book Review

by Haley Bono

As a mom, and preschool teacher, “Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes” by Eric Litwin, is always a favorite.This story is about Pete the Cat and his brand new white shoes, but, “Oh no!” He keeps stepping in things, and changing the color of his shoes.

There are so many reasons why I absolutely love this book. First of all, if you are reading this to particularly young kids, it’s a great way to reinforce learning different colors. The second reason this is such a fantastic book, is the moral of the story. This story really emphasizes that no matter “what you step in” or what life throws at you, you can keep going. It is important for children to understand that sometimes life is going to be hard, and it is up to them to continue to have a good attitude and keep trying. The last reason I love this book is that it can be read to a catchy song, just follow the link mentioned below for the youtube video. What kid doesn’t love to sing along to a fun book? Most kids love catchy songs. My two-year-old will put on different shoes, and I’ll sing the song and replace his name with “Pete the cat” and he loves it. If you’re a teacher you could sit your kids in a circle and go around singing the song with each kid in your class. I promise, they’ll love it!

There is the BEST youtube reading of this book. I have used this youtube video for so many different things. It’s short, making it the perfect transition if you teach young kids, and it’s super engaging. I often use it with my two year old, when I just need a few minutes to get something done, and it never disappoints. Click click here. for the video. You can also click click here. to purchase this book on amazon.

Here is a fun activity to go alongside “Pete the Cat I Love My White shoes.” As you do this activity encourage your little ones to think about what they might step in, and what color it would turn their shoes.

Supplies:

Free Shoe Template (there will be a free download at the end of the post), Something to color with (I recommend water color, since it is easy to clean, and gives a similar feel to the book), glue, string, scissors, something to write with.

Directions:

1. Paint/color your picture and let dry.
2. Answer the question at the bottom of the page with the color of the shoes.
3. Cut small pieces of string about ½ inch long.
4. Glue the string along the dotted lines of the shoes.

Different Variations:

• There is a template for older kids. This variation has extra space for the kids to describe what they stepped in, and what color it turned their shoes. Encourage the kids to tell a story, and get creative. Maybe they stepped on the moon, what color did it turn their shoes? Or maybe they walked over a rainbow, what color did it turn their shoes?