“Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes” is a great book for those ages 3 and up for:
- Learning colors
- Answering who, what, where questions
- Making simple guesses
- Learning to deal with frustration
Tips for more fully enjoying and experiencing the book:
- While reading, stop to talk about what you see and connect it to your life. “I wonder where Pete is going?” or “Have you seen a cat like Pete before?”
- Try to find the bird on each page it appears and talk about where it is—under the umbrella, on top of the blueberries.
- Make up your own tune for the song and after a few times, pause to see if your child will help sing.
- Each time his shoes turn a different color, try to name four other things you’ve seen that are that color.
- Don’t try to do all these things the first time you read the book—plan to read it several times over a few weeks and focus on a different area each time. For example, the first time focus on colors; the second could be practicing using location words (under, on, next to); the third could connect the different activities to things your child has experienced, etc.
Children learn so much by seeing the same book over and over again, so don’t be afraid of repetition!
By Barbara Bryant, Speech Language Pathologist, Children’s Therapy
