about the book
No doubt you’ve heard of Pete the Cat, a chill, music-loving feline who loves to hang with his friends. While jamming with his buddies one day, Pete discovers that a new neighbor has moved in next door. Pete can’t wait to meet him! (After all, more friends mean more fun.)
After riding by his house for a day or two, Pete finally gets a chance to meet him. Pete introduces the new guy, Gus, the platypus, to the gang and quickly sets about helping him to fit in by trying different activities.
Will Gus discover a way to fit in with the neighborhood gang?
about the authors
Kimberly and James Dean are husband and wife, an author/illustrator team best known for their Pete the Cat series of books. In addition to creating books, they are both visual artists who quit their jobs in the 1990s to create art full-time.
Pete the Cat was created by James out of his natural love of cats and his secret desire to be an artist. He pursued electrical engineering in college because he did not want to struggle financially like his family did when he was growing up. He started painting early in the mornings before work as a creative outlet. He quit work to paint full-time in 1997, giving himself a year to be successful. James created a series of paintings based on an adopted cat, Pete, which ended up selling in galleries across the United States. He has devoted his artwork to Pete for over ten years. Unfortunately, Pete, his real cat, ran away from home shortly after he started painting him, never to return.
Kimberly worked for the Georgia governor’s press office before she quit in 1998 to pursue working in clay sculpture. Kimberly and James have side by side studios in their home in Savannah, Georgia. They live with five cats and a pug named Emma.
They began working as a team on Pete the Cat children’s’ books in 2004. “I created Pete the Cat for adults,” James says, “I think part of the reason why Pete the Cat works in children’s’ books is because a children’s book should not just appeal to children. There should also be something there for the adults to have fun too.”
Sources:
Author biography: Muse & Co.
Author & Illustrator biography: Pete the Cat website
Author & Illustrator interview: Georgia Kids Count
Illustrator interview: Gorge News Center
Illustrator biography: Pete the Cat
Book trailer: Pete the Cat and the New Guy
Also by Kimberly and James Dean:
Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes (Pete the Cat). Harper Collins. 2016.
Pete the Cat’s Groovy Guide to Life (Pete the Cat). Harper Collins. 2015.
Pete the Cat and the Bedtime Blues (Pete the Cat). Harper Collins. 2015.
Pete the Cat : Big Easter Adventure (Pete the Cat). Harper Collins. 2014
Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses (Pete the Cat). Harper Collins. 2013
Pete the Cat : Valentine’s Day Is Cool (Pete the Cat). Harperfestival. 2013
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