Pete the Cat Book -
Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses
Written & Illustrated by Kimberly & James Dean

This Pete the Cat book can help children learn how to manage emotions through changing their perspective.  It's a fun way for kids, youth or even adults to see how we can change our outlook even without magic sunglasses!

The text is short and simple for very young children, and the message is profound for older kids, youth & adults.  This is a great book for any and every age!

A Summary: Pete the Cat book

It begins...

Pete the Cat did not feel happy.

Pete had never, ever, ever, ever been grumpy before.

Pete had the blue cat blues.

Pete the cat is feeling a bit down when he runs into his friend Grumpy Toad.  Instead of his usual frown though, Grumpy Toad shared his cool, blue, magic sunglasses that could make the blues go away and help him see things in a whole new way!

Pete goes along through his day sharing the secret of the magic sunglasses with his friends:  squirrel who is mad, turtle who is frustrated, and alligator who is sad.  They all learn to look at the world in a whole new way!

But then...Pete falls off his skateboard and the magic sunglasses break.  His wise friend owl tells him, "Pete, you don't need magic sunglasses to see things in a new way.  Just remember to look for the good in every day."


Book Conversations

Learning from the Text & Illustrations

  • Color recognition -  Every Pete the Cat book has brightly colored illustrations.  Children can begin with blue for Pete and then also begin learning or pointing out all the other colors used. Play a game of "I Spy...a color" in the illustrations and have kids find that color.
  • Animal recognition - Very young children can use this Pete the Cat book to identify animals such as: cat, toad/frog, squirrel, turtle, alligator, and owl.
  • Repetitive phrases & words - Just about every Pete the Cat book has phrases and words that are repeated.  After a few readings, even young children can "read" or repeat these phrases and recognize the words.
  • CVC Words for beginning readers - This Pete the Cat book has several CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words which beginning readers can practice sounding out such as: cat, did, not, mad, bad, sun, etc.
  • Sight Words - This Pete the Cat book is also an excellent source for practicing sight words in context. 

Make the Most of the Message

Emotional & Social Lessons

This Pete the Cat book says, "Pete had the blue cat blues."  Ask kids what emotions they think of when they think of "blue emotions."  Go through various colors and label different emotions.  Encourage kids to remember they can change their magic sunglasses to see brighter, happier colors and emotions when they look at the world in a whole new way.

Grumpy Toad and Pete both share the magic sunglasses with others.  Help kids understand that even though they may be little, they are big enough to help others feel better better by sharing a smile, hug, kind words, etc.

Spiritual Development

This Pete the Cat book puts an emphasis on looking for the good in the world around us such as "The birds are singing. The sky is bright. The sun is shining. I'm feeling alright!"

As we teach kids to look around for the good things God has created and given us, we can relate it to putting on our "God-glasses."  Psalm 119:68 reminds us God is good and does good.

When we stop to thank God for the good or even bad things, it changes our attitude to gratefulness.

Have kids hold their hands around their eyes like looking through glasses and encourage them to name the many good things they see or things God can use for their good.

The Bible also tells us to "keep our eyes on Jesus."  Whether we are sad, mad, frustrated, afraid, etc., when we put our thoughts on Jesus, we are reminded He loves us and is with us.


"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith."

Hebrews 12:1-2


We can look around and see good things, but the Bible also tells us to think about good things.  Our thoughts have a definite impact on our emotions.  If we are thinking about something sad, we will begin to feel sad.  If we think happy thoughts, we will begin to feel happier.  

Teach kids that this is very much like Pete putting on his magic sunglasses.  He had to choose to put them on and then look through them.  Thinking about Jesus and the things above and the good things He has for us is a choice we make.  It doesn't happen automatically.

"Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth."

Colossians 3:2


"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."

Philippians 4:8



Pete the Cat Book - Extensions

ART -  Emotion Coloring

Have kids draw emojis with different expressions and then choose a color to color each which depicts that emotion.

Or give kids a certain color crayon and ask them to draw and label an emotion.  For instance, in our Pete the Cat book when Pete felt grumpy, the illustration was blue with it raining.  Mad could be red fire.  Calm may be green trees and grass.  Happy may be a yellow sunshine with rays.

Helping children illustrate emotions will later help them identify what they are feeling and new emotions to help them see the world in a whole new way!

Facial Expression Sharing Game

Have kids sit in a circle.  The teacher or adult can begin the first round by "passing a smile."  Smile at the child on your left, then they smile to the person on their left each "passing the smile" until it reaches the end of the circle.

Discuss how each character in the Pete the Cat book He felt.  Have the next person "pass a frown" like Pete may have had around the circle as you did in the first round. The next will pass what expression squirrel may have had since he was mad.

Continue with other expressions like - frustrated, sad, worried, surprised, etc.

If it's just the two of you, share expressions back and forth like looking into a mirror.

Harper Collins Publishers offers several free educational resources to go along with Pete the Cat books including fun videos and printables.


Pete the Cat book read aloud: