Given the choice between an overt moral story vs silly humor for teaching friendship, I’ll pick the latter every time. Michael Rex’s Eat Pete! certainly fit the bill there!
The monster faces a major dilemma. While he does think playing with cars and blocks looks fun, he would also really like to just go ahead and eat Pete. Which he actually does, only to find that those games just aren’t the same.
Young readers will appreciate how much story is told in the pictures, especially the hilarious illustrations of the monster daydreaming about just going ahead and eating Pete already. I felt like Rex nailed the pacing of this story, maximizing the anticipation that readers will experience.
Eat Pete’s book birthday is tomorrow, and I’m pleased to have been invited on its book tour! To celebrate, I’d like to share a few more funny reads featuring friendships that get off to a bit of a rocky start.
#1: Sophie’s Squash Go to School by Pat Zietlow Miller & Anne Wilsdorf
#2: We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
#3: My Teacher is a Monster by Peter Brown
#4: A Visitor for Bear by Bonnie Becker & Kady MacDonald Denton
#5: School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex
As you’ve probably noticed, these books also make for great read-alouds at the start of the school year! What are others you enjoy with your students?
featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto