Pete the Cat: Play Ball! (Pete the Cat: I Can Read) by James Dean

Pete the Cat: Play Ball! (Pete the Cat: I Can Read) Reviews

• 
  Whitney

  Even though this is an Easy Reader, it does not excuse the lack of imagination in this book. It has none of the charm of the original Pete the Cat books, and while the message is sound (try your best and stay positive), I would skip this for your ER collection.
• 
  Allison

  I don't like Pete the Cat books, ok. I mean sure they've got a nice message ("why worry? get over it!") and my main complaint is irrational but what matters is that the kids like the books alright. this book though. pete is a terrible ball player! he strikes out, commits two errors, draws a walk, and then gets thrown out trying to score. his team wins but no thanks to him! i feel like pete actually could try harder, and he certainly needs to practice. i do like the picture of pete walking to first, so cat like, and that is cute. but basically fuck pete the cat.
• 
  Mya

  This book was more advance than other Pete the Cat books. However, I felt like it was rather long.
• 
  Lindsay

  Pete the Cat: Play Ball! is the story of the beloved Pete the Cat's baseball game. This book is perfect for a shared reading activity with emerging readers. Pete the Cat loves baseball, but really isn't very good at it. Three times in the story Pete messes up. He strikes out, he drops a fly ball, and he gets out at home plate. Each time, however, the author tells us "he is not sad. He did his best." This repetitive line is perfect for students to read along with the teacher.
  
  Students will love seeing Pete's baseball game played out through the wonderful pictures in this book. Pete teaches us that doing our best is all we can do and there is no reason to get upset if things don't go the way we want them to. This book would nicely compliment a lesson on sportsmanship. A teacher could use this book as a conversation starter prior to students participating in some sort of competitive activity. Many schools host game days or track and field days. Pete the Cat doing his best is a great reminder for students to work hard and be happy with their personal best effort.
  
  This book is targeted at young readers in grades pre-K - 2, with an Accelerated Reader Book Level rating of 1.2 (first grade, second month).
• 
  Kim

  Blech. None of the rhythm and charm of the original Pete books. Like most early readers based on outstanding picture books, these versions seem to be nothing more than a marketing exercise (I'm looking at you too, Olivia.)
  
  An extra star for the good sportsmanship message, but I'd recommend the Four Groovy Buttons or the White Shoes as better reads.
• 
  Nate's Archive

  Summary-
  Pete the Cat plays baseball today! He absolutely sucks at it. But it's OK, he had fun and tried his best.
  
  Review-
  I don't typically like stories like this, but this acceptable. It tells you a feel good "as long as you try, you win" type thing. The art is standard Pete the Cat art, which I have always been a fan of. The story like I said wasn't so strong.
• 
  midnightfaerie

  Our family loves pete the cat. My 5 yr old is taking a pete the cat class at the library next week. We can't wait! Even my 2 yr olds love these stories! And the illustrations are excellent!
• 
  Jenna Taimuty

  Title: Pete the Cat: Play Ball
  Author: James Dean
  Genre: Early Reader
  Theme(s): Cat, Sports
  Opening line/sentence: “Here comes Pete the Cat.”
  
  Brief Book Summary: In this book, Pete is playing in a baseball game. He keeps striking out and does not play the game he wants, but he is proud of himself because he tried his best.
  
  Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
  Daniel Kraus (Booklist)
  
  http://www.clcd.com.ezaccess.librarie...
  Again, much of Pete s humor comes from Dean s depiction of him as a dour, sleepy-looking fellow regardless of the emotions the text insists that he s feeling. The purposely flat, simple watercolors further this low-key, cool-cat offering.
  
  
  
  Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
  Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews)
  
  http://www.clcd.com.ezaccess.librarie...
  Cartoons nicely complement the text, but here too, no change of expression is apparent on Pete's countenance, nor on any of the players'. The early-reader format is new to this series and hasn't the lilt of Dean's earlier works, so this might not be the way to expand the franchise. No home run here.
  
  Response to Two Professional Reviews:
  I agree with the second review. I thought this book was fit for an easy reader, but it did not have any story line to teach children about it, nor was it interesting. I think Kirkus highlighted those points exactly. The wording is simple and the illustrations depict the meaning of the sentences, but nothing interesting is offered from the text.
  
  Evaluation of Literary Elements (3-4 sentences in your own words):
  The illustrations are easy to understand, complementing the text at hand. The colors are bright and cheery, but simple enough for children to understand. I think that the wording in this book was simple, but ineffective at producing feeling and visuals to the reader, as described in Tunnels’s chapters.
  
  
  Consideration of Instructional Application (3-4 sentences in your own words):
  I could use this book for sight words or vocabulary words. I could present this book to my students and then have them define certain words and then continue writing the story in their own words with pictures and such.
  
• 
  Megan Garrison

  Copyright- 2013
  Number of Pages-32
  Book format-Paperback
  Reading Level-Pre-K-K, 1-2 GR Level- J
  Genre- Fiction
  Lit. Requirement- Easy to Read Book-2
  
  This is an easy to read book about the beloved children's book character-Pete the Cat. This one is about Pete the Cat playing baseball. The teams are the Rocks and Rolls. Pete really wants to get a hit at the game. He goes up to bat and strikes out, he goes in the outfield and drops a pop fly, then bats again and gets a walk, he slides into home but is called out. All of these "bad" things happen to Pete but he is always positive and says, "That's okay". They win the game and Pete makes sure to congratulate the other team. I liked this book on sports because unlike others I have read in the past, where the main character wins and gets a home run, Pete does mess up, he does make mistakes. I think this book is great for children who play sports because it shows them that it is okay to make mistakes and not be the best but what is most important is how you handle it and that you try again. I think good sportsmanship is also good with young children and Pete shows this. This would be a great book to read to children or have beginning readers read. It is only 32 pages and uses many familiar words. All in all it is a good book and I would recommend it.
• 
  Joan

  Pete the Cat has a mitt, a bat, and a ball. What will he play?
  
  Today is the big baseball game. The Rocks are playing the Rolls and Pete hopes the Rocks will win. But when it is Pete’s turn to bat, he misses the ball.
  
  Pete is not sad because he knows he did his best. Now he will help the other players on his team.
  Will they win the game?
  
  =========
  
  This book should be a must-read for all young readers. In it, Pete does not always succeed as he comes up to bat, runs the bases, or tries to catch fly balls. But every time, the story remind the young reader that Pete is not sad. He does not feel sad when he doesn’t play perfectly because he knows he did his best. This “not feeling sad when things don’t go perfectly” message is an important lesson for children to learn and the “doing your best” is perfectly illustrated in this story.
  
  This I Can Read book uses basic language, word repetition, and illustrations to help young emergent readers find success in reading. As with all My First books in this series, this is a book designed for shared reading with the young reader and an adult.
  
  Delightful illustrations, a well-known and beloved character young readers will instantly recognize, and a clever story all work together to make this a perfect early reader selection.
  
  Highly recommended, especially for fans of Pete the Cat.
  
• 
  Justine Money

  Pete the Cat: Play Ball! is written and illustrated by James Dean. In this story, familiar character, Pete is playing a game of baseball. Readers follow Pete through the game. One thing after another keeps going wrong for Pete! But, despite nothing going his way, Pete keeps a positive attitude and is a good sport.
  This book would be suitable in a lower elementary classroom. If the teacher has read other Pete the Cat books, students will be familiar with the character and more likely to engage with the story. This story would be an excellent addition to an SEL lesson about playing games with peers. Even though the game is not going his way, he maintains his positive attitude. He cheers for his friends and says good job, even to players on the other team. This book is a great example of how we can play games for enjoyment and not get too upset if we do not win.
  
• 
  Briley Saunders

  Pete the Cat is the star of this book and is here to play baseball! It does not have the same charm as the original Pete the Cat series does in my opinion but it is still cute and has a good message of good sportsmanship!
  
  This is a great book to use for kids who are working their way up to chapter books! I think it is cute and the kids would like it because it has Pete the Cat in it.
  
  I think after reading this book I could tie in a baseball math game with my class that would involve teams! We would discuss the importance of good teamwork (which ties in to the good sportsmanship and teamwork skills) before we played the game!
• 
  April

  Pete the Cat is a sensation in the children's lit world. He's the most popular cat since the Cat in the Hat. After finishing morning work, one of my kindergarten friends brought this book to me and asked if I would read it, so I did. In this installment, Pete and his baseball team are playing their first game. Pete is not the best baseball player, but he always tries his best, he cheers for his teammates, and he keeps on trying. It's a sweet book with a great message about trying your best and never giving up. The illustrations are cute, and as I mentioned, the character is beloved. I recommend it for classroom book shelves, beginning readers, and parents and children to read together.
• 
  Meldau-Cummings Fam

  Pete has the stuff to play baseball his baseball clothing, mitt/glove, baseball and his bat. His team the Rocks is playing the Rolls. When Pete never does well even though he tries his best how will he handle it. Read the book to see...
  
  I like that even though Pete does not do well he always tries again and never gives up.
  I did not like that Pete's team or the other team did not have a coach.
• 
  Tiffany Klier

  After reading this book about twenty times with my youngest boy, I have come to appreciate the simplicity of the story. Like other “I can read,” books, this one also teaches other skills. This one is good for teaching teamwork and how to enjoy playing something, even if you strike out or drop a ball. I’m sure I’ll be reading this again for a few more months.
• 
  Becky B

  Pete is playing baseball. Not everything is going well. How will Pete respond?
  
  Pete is a fantastic role model for little athletes. He cheers on his teammates. He accepts less than stellar results knowing he tried his best, and he doesn't let perfectionism get ahold. One of the best examples I've seen in kids lit of how to play sports and have a healthy mental perspective.
• 
  Kimberly Austin

  Pete wants to have the best game ever, but he has the worst game ever. Does this make Pete sad? Goodness no, he is happy he helped his team win the big game. Good book for preschool through 3rd grade.
• 
  Leigh Ann

  Another fun story from James Dean, this one encourages good sportsmanship. It covers basics of baseball and how it is a fun game to play. Pete learns throughout the story that even though we make mistakes that it is okay as long as we tried our best.
• 
  Lindsey

  Pretty meh for a beginning reader. Too long. A little too hard for where we are in reading. The story is ok, and Cal seemed to like it while we were reading it, but it's not the first one he reaches for.
• 
  Sheila

  Pete is playing baseball and playing the best he can. He runs, he hits, he catches (kinda). He roots with the best.
  
  A fun story for the beginning reader. Pete just tickles me. He is so nonchalant about things. I love him.
• 
  Sarah

  In his baseball game, Pete does his best but things don't go exactly right. This is a great beginner reader to model sportsmanship and a good attitude. Some of the best sports life lessons finally found in a sports book! Way to go, Pete!
• 
  Lu

  Not an amazing story or illustrations buuuuut it teaches a little bit about how the game of baseball is played and Pete fails a lot but the message is that he doesn’t get sad because he knows he did his best.
• 
  Bennett Burgess

  i like the book's megis -
  do your best