Flannel Friday-Pete the Cat

I have had a giant piece of blue felt sitting on my desk for the longest time. This week I decided that it would make the perfect Pete the Cat.  If you haven't seen this series, I highly recommend it.

This is Pete the Cat.  I made him standing up because I would like to use the same felt cat for all of his stories.  He is all felt with puffy painted details.

Pete the Cat's first book is Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes.

Here is Pete the Cat with his white shoes.  The shoes are all made out of an AccuCut shoe die.  As Pete the Cat is walking along, he steps in a large pile of strawberries, which turn his shoes red.

Next, Pete the Cat steps in a large pile of blueberries, which turn his shoes blue.

Then Pete the Cat steps in a large puddle of mud, which turns his shoes brown.

Finally, he steps in a bucket of water and washes off the brown, the blue, and the red.  His shoes are white again, but wet.

In his second book, Pete the Cat goes to school in Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes.  This is a good book to use with lower elementary kids or at a back to school story time.  While it hasn't happened yet, I need to make Pete the Cat a backpack, a guitar, a cool pair of high tops, a book, a milk carton, and a swing.

Pete the Cat's third book is coming out in May 2012 and is called Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons.  I was fortunate enough to hear the book read by Eric Litwin at a conference this spring and came up with flannel parts for the story.

In this installment, Pete the Cat loses the buttons off of his shirt one by one.  

Eric Litwin, the author of the Pete the Cat series, uses a lot of music and rhymes in his text, which make them perfect for sharing with kids.  I would also recommend checking out his cds (under Mr. Eric or The Learning Groove).