Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Cute cat, catchy ditty, simple math will hook tiny readers.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Pete the Cat puts on his favorite shirt, which has four colorful buttons. He loves the buttons so much that he sings a simple song about them: \"My buttons, my buttons, / my four groovy buttons. / My buttons, my buttons, / My four groovy buttons.\" Then one pops off. \"How many are left?\" asks the text, and there's a bright, full-page image of the math problem \"4 - 1 = 3.\" Pete answers, \"3,\" and then sings his ditty about his three groovy buttons, and so on, down to zero, when he has no buttons left ... except his belly button.
Is It Any Good?
The repetitive text is toddler-friendly but may be a little tedious for grown-ups. And the simple math is a good lesson, but the actual subtraction problems may be lost on tiny readers. Creator James Dean's childlike art in bright primary colors, and the funny blue cat, whose blank expression is virtually unchanged on every page, will engage little kids. You can make up your own tune for Pete's song or go to the publisher's website to hear author Eric Litwin's addictive hip-hop-flavored version with kid chorus for free.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what makes Pete the Cat cool. Is it his enthusiastic, nothing-gets-him-down attitude? His unchanging expression? His bright blue fur?
Have you read other Pete the Cat books? How does this one compare?
Do you like learning about numbers in a story?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : James Dean
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Animals , Arts ( Music and Sing-Along ) , Numbers and Letters
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Harper
- Publication date : May 1, 2012
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 3 - 7
- Number of pages : 32
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate