Pete the Cat is a fictional cartoon cat and the protagonist in an ongoing children’s book series created by American illustrator and painter James Dean. The books, published by Harper Collins, have sold over 7 million copies and spent 230 weeks on The New York Times’ best-seller list.
The first books in the series, beginning with Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes features text and music by Eric Litwin (also known as "Mr. Eric"), an American storyteller and musician from Atlanta, Georgia, and illustrations by James Dean, who had created the character previously. It was self-published in 2008, along with a CD audio recording, and published by HarperCollins in 2010. I Love My White Shoes is the first of the series of books, which includes over 40 more books written by author/illustrator James Dean and his wife Kimberly Dean, all centered on the character of Pete the Cat.
Content
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes is the story of a cat whose white shoes get mucked up by various substances he steps in, but "Pete never loses his cool." Written as a song, its refrain is "IÂ love my white shoes", changing to "IÂ love my blue shoes", "IÂ love my red shoes", and so on.
The book was self-published in 2008 and sold 7,000 copies in 10 months before it was picked up by HarperCollins â€" alerted by a YouTube meme in which two little girls read the book â€" and distributed throughout the United States and Canada. It rose to number 8 on the New York Times Best Seller list for picture books.
Author and illustrator
Eric Litwin (also known as "Mr. Eric") is an American storyteller and musician from Atlanta, Georgia.
James Dean is an American artist and author who currently lives in Savannah, Georgia.
The book uses a character first devised by James Dean, who drew up Pete in 1999 and in 2006 self-published The Misadventures of Pete the Cat. Litwin wrote a story about and a song for the cat, and the two began a partnership.
The collaboration between Dean and Litwin was severed in 2011. James Dean and wife Kimberly Dean continue to write and illustrate the Pete the Cat series, which now includes over 40 books. Pete the Cat, the upcoming animated TV series, based on James and Kimberly's children's books produced by Alcon, Appian Way and Phineas and Ferb co-creator Swampy Marsh, was preceded by a New Years special on December 26, 2017 on Amazon. The cartoon includes the voices of Elvis Costello and Diana Krall.
Honors
In 2010, the Georgia Center for the Book released a list titled, "25 Books All Young Georgians Should Read," which included Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes.
Adaptations
In 2017, an animated holiday special, Pete the Cat: A Groovy New Year, was produced to be aired on Amazon Prime. Jacob Tremblay starred as the title character, with other characters voiced by Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Atticus Shaffer, KT Tunstall, and Don Was.
See also
- List of fictional cats and other felines
References
External links
- Pete the Cat search results at WorldCat
- Writer Eric Litwin
- YouTube meme (September 5, 2008)
- Petethecat.com
- James Dean at Library of Congress Authorities, with 19 catalog records
- Kim Dean at Library of Congress Authorities, with 7 catalog records