What do you think?
Rate this book
Pete the Cat
Pete the Cat's Got Class
New York Times bestselling author and artist James Dean brings us a new story about the classiest cat around—Pete! This time Pete teaches us how to add and subtract our way to loving math in Pete the Cat’s Got Class—which comes complete with a poster, stickers, and a set of 20 punch-out flash cards that teach counting, adding, and subtracting.
When Pete’s friend Tom has a tough time with math, our favorite blue cat steps in to help him out. With good friends, fun learning tools, and some extra help, it all adds up. Pete the Cat knows you can’t hate math—you just don’t love it yet!
When Pete’s friend Tom has a tough time with math, our favorite blue cat steps in to help him out. With good friends, fun learning tools, and some extra help, it all adds up. Pete the Cat knows you can’t hate math—you just don’t love it yet!
24 pages, Hardcover
First published June 21, 2016
About the author
James Dean
233 books264 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
James Dean is the original creator and illustrator of Pete the Cat. He is a self-taught artist originally from Fort Payne, Alabama. His passion for drawing became apparent at a young age, and as a child, you could find James drawing his favorite characters like Snoopy and Yogi Bear.
James earned his degree in electrical engineering from Auburn University and went on to work for Georgia Power for a number of years. Eventually, he was called to pursue his art full- time and began selling his work at art festivals around the Southeast. It was during this time that he began creating paintings and drawing of his cat, Pete.The little blue cat showed up as a character in James’s artwork around 1999 and has been a permanent fixture ever since.
James Dean’s art has been sold in more than ninety galleries and shops across the United States. He has devoted his paintings to Pete the Cat for fifteen years and turned his natural love for cats into his life’s work. James published his first book, The Misadventures of Pete the Cat, a history of his artwork, in 2006, and he illustrated his first self-published children’s book, Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, in 2008. There are now almost 100 published Pete the Cat titles with more coming out all the time. James is humbled every day by the success that this groovy blue cat has brought him. He says positively affecting children’s lives is his number one priority, and he is grateful to have such an amazing audience to work for.
James Dean is the original creator and illustrator of Pete the Cat. He is a self-taught artist originally from Fort Payne, Alabama. His passion for drawing became apparent at a young age, and as a child, you could find James drawing his favorite characters like Snoopy and Yogi Bear.
James earned his degree in electrical engineering from Auburn University and went on to work for Georgia Power for a number of years. Eventually, he was called to pursue his art full- time and began selling his work at art festivals around the Southeast. It was during this time that he began creating paintings and drawing of his cat, Pete.The little blue cat showed up as a character in James’s artwork around 1999 and has been a permanent fixture ever since.
James Dean’s art has been sold in more than ninety galleries and shops across the United States. He has devoted his paintings to Pete the Cat for fifteen years and turned his natural love for cats into his life’s work. James published his first book, The Misadventures of Pete the Cat, a history of his artwork, in 2006, and he illustrated his first self-published children’s book, Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, in 2008. There are now almost 100 published Pete the Cat titles with more coming out all the time. James is humbled every day by the success that this groovy blue cat has brought him. He says positively affecting children’s lives is his number one priority, and he is grateful to have such an amazing audience to work for.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
July 17, 2019
Pete the Cat loves school, and he loves math. Unfortunately, his friend Tom isn't that fond of math, and doesn't seem to be doing well in class. Determined to help his classmate, Pete finds a way to make math fun for him, incorporating his love of race-cars into every mathematical question he poses...
Fans of that cool cat Pete will undoubtedly enjoy Pete the Cat's Got Class, which includes twelve flash-cards, a fold-out poster, and a sheet of stickers. I appreciated the inclusion of the more instructional material here, and imagine that this title could provide an entertaining entry into basic arithmetic for very young children. That said, the story felt a little flat to me. I've been reading a few of these 'extra' Pete the Cat books recently, and I have to say that they just aren't as fun as the first few picture-books, written by songwriter Eric Litwin. They feel a little too commercial and mass-market, as if they're being churned out. Still, tastes vary, and as mentioned above, determined fans of the blue cat and his laid-back ways might still want to give this one a look.
Fans of that cool cat Pete will undoubtedly enjoy Pete the Cat's Got Class, which includes twelve flash-cards, a fold-out poster, and a sheet of stickers. I appreciated the inclusion of the more instructional material here, and imagine that this title could provide an entertaining entry into basic arithmetic for very young children. That said, the story felt a little flat to me. I've been reading a few of these 'extra' Pete the Cat books recently, and I have to say that they just aren't as fun as the first few picture-books, written by songwriter Eric Litwin. They feel a little too commercial and mass-market, as if they're being churned out. Still, tastes vary, and as mentioned above, determined fans of the blue cat and his laid-back ways might still want to give this one a look.
March 8, 2017
The librarian was incredibly enthusiastic about this one. Because I have a habit of checking out so many books at once, she had gotten it into mind that I must be a teacher - and so began to extrapolate that she has heard so many wonderful things about this series, the kids are going to love it, I am going to love it, all the teachers in the world will love it, it's only going to get more and more popular, because it's such a very, very excellent book. I smiled politely and tucked that all away neatly into a certain corner of my brain to remember when I got around to looking at it myself - Warning: my socks are about to be blown off; my hair is going to frizz with the excitement; and I shall be blown clear away myself and not just my socks.
And so imagine my surprise when none of that happened at all, not even on a quantum sphere.
The book reads like a dull and poorly disguised lecture. The pictures and storyline are not all that pleasing to look upon or even creative. The teacher described in the book is an ass and I'm not sure why the text seems to condone his assery. More important, it tells us nothing new or enlightening about mathematics or how to better understand its mysteries. And it doesn't even do anything to convince that math isn't boring, because this book itself is boring. "Imagine the numbers are your favourite objects." How positively riveting and original.
I'm not sure what else to tell you. But I'm sure that this is the sort of book parents and teachers will shove into children's faces while the kids roll their eyes. Perhaps some people need more elastic in their socks.
And so imagine my surprise when none of that happened at all, not even on a quantum sphere.
The book reads like a dull and poorly disguised lecture. The pictures and storyline are not all that pleasing to look upon or even creative. The teacher described in the book is an ass and I'm not sure why the text seems to condone his assery. More important, it tells us nothing new or enlightening about mathematics or how to better understand its mysteries. And it doesn't even do anything to convince that math isn't boring, because this book itself is boring. "Imagine the numbers are your favourite objects." How positively riveting and original.
I'm not sure what else to tell you. But I'm sure that this is the sort of book parents and teachers will shove into children's faces while the kids roll their eyes. Perhaps some people need more elastic in their socks.
February 11, 2017
This book is about little cats at school. Pete the cat is the main character, and he loves math. His friend Tom is so smart, but he needs help with math. Pete goes to Tom's house to play with his new toy cars, and Pete teaches Tom that math can be fun by using the cars to solve math problems. They both get the same grade on an assignment so their teacher is suspicious. Pete and Tom bring the cars, and showed him that Tom really did learn to do the math by himself. The teacher was so impressed, and he rewarded them!
This book is so sweet. I would TOTALLY use this for a beginning math lesson. I was never a fan of math, but this book brings it to life! It shows that you will probably use some form of math everyday, and it can be fun! I think even the kids who don't like math will see that it can be fun, and have a better attitude about math and even school. The illustrations were also extremely adorable!
This book is so sweet. I would TOTALLY use this for a beginning math lesson. I was never a fan of math, but this book brings it to life! It shows that you will probably use some form of math everyday, and it can be fun! I think even the kids who don't like math will see that it can be fun, and have a better attitude about math and even school. The illustrations were also extremely adorable!
September 22, 2018
Pete the Cat loves math, and decides to help Tom improve on his math skills while playing with Tom's race cars. Mr. G, their teacher thinks that they cheated on their homework, but Pete the Cat, and Tom proves to Mr. G, that no cheating was involved.
September 27, 2017
I had great hopes that this book would be a wonderful teaching aid for kids who either don't like or are having trouble with math. But it really teaches nothing new. *Spoiler Alert* One of the math-whiz student-cats decides to help a classmate cat who is having trouble with math. Quickly he realizes that helping the less learned cat count with cars makes it all great. They are now equally good at math, and the teacher is flabbergasted. "Wow!" says Mr. G. "I am impressed." "Pete helped me by making math fun!" Tom says. And thus the teacher now decides the whole class can learn from Pete's wonderful idea of counting with cars.
Sorry, this is offensive in several ways. Teachers have used this method for years. And it's not quite as easy as counting cars, blocks, or tigers to make a classmate hoot and holler over math and be a sudden whiz.
And I'm sorry to add to my unhappiness with the book, but the illustrations of cats are a bit scary.
Sorry, this is offensive in several ways. Teachers have used this method for years. And it's not quite as easy as counting cars, blocks, or tigers to make a classmate hoot and holler over math and be a sudden whiz.
And I'm sorry to add to my unhappiness with the book, but the illustrations of cats are a bit scary.
January 5, 2026
Pete the Cat’s friend hates math and loves race cars. Pete, always the thinker, takes his buddy under his wing and makes sure Tom gets the tutoring he needs.
Moral: Math is neat.
Length: It’s exactly like all the other Pete the Cat books in length.
Favorite Line: “‘You don’t hate math,’ Pete tells Tom. ‘You just don’t love it yet.’”
Overall Impression: Sometimes, Pete’s decisions in life have not led to the best outcomes. But in this story, he shows well-thought out plans that impact the world with intentionality and purpose. It’s not zany or adventurous like other Pete the Cat stories. But we found it enjoyable. My only real complaint was that the teacher gave a quick quiz before lunch and had them graded after lunch. Sounds like he needs to get into a union because he’s entitled to a duty-free lunch period.
Moral: Math is neat.
Length: It’s exactly like all the other Pete the Cat books in length.
Favorite Line: “‘You don’t hate math,’ Pete tells Tom. ‘You just don’t love it yet.’”
Overall Impression: Sometimes, Pete’s decisions in life have not led to the best outcomes. But in this story, he shows well-thought out plans that impact the world with intentionality and purpose. It’s not zany or adventurous like other Pete the Cat stories. But we found it enjoyable. My only real complaint was that the teacher gave a quick quiz before lunch and had them graded after lunch. Sounds like he needs to get into a union because he’s entitled to a duty-free lunch period.
April 3, 2018
I do not like Pete the cat. He tries to force religious preaching into the story. The underlying message is also not entirely benevolent. Like in this book, it shows that pete is superior in math than his friend. and he is helping out his less math-savvy friend. I don't like how it tries to glam up being helpful thingy. As if Pete is special to help out like that. This should be the norm, not extra special.
The drawing is awful....a poor attempt at making it look like drawn by kid. Everything about it feels so pretentious.
But kids like it, and kido picked up this book from the library. But I am never buying one.
The drawing is awful....a poor attempt at making it look like drawn by kid. Everything about it feels so pretentious.
But kids like it, and kido picked up this book from the library. But I am never buying one.
January 31, 2019
My Review: I have had this book sitting on our shelves for a while, I pick up Pete the Cat books whenever I can. Munchkin decided to read it for a book report for school and it was a great choice as he has been struggling with math lately. It was a great story to show kids and adults there is more than one way to learn something and sometimes you just have to find a way to relate what you love to what you are learning. This book also came with a load of extras including a poster and stickers and math flash cards that all relate to the story.
January 14, 2020
Pete the Cat’s Got Class. By James Dean. Illustrated by James Dean. Harper Collins, 2016. 24 pages. $5.99
Continuing the Pete the Cat Series, James Dean takes us to math class in true Pete the Cat form. Pete the Cat’s Got Class takes us to math class where Tom does not like math. Pete, being true to character, helps his friend learn to like math! Through this adventure, we learn that not everyone understands concepts the same way we do and people…er cats, can use different methods to reach the same conclusions.
Continuing the Pete the Cat Series, James Dean takes us to math class in true Pete the Cat form. Pete the Cat’s Got Class takes us to math class where Tom does not like math. Pete, being true to character, helps his friend learn to like math! Through this adventure, we learn that not everyone understands concepts the same way we do and people…er cats, can use different methods to reach the same conclusions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2025
" Pete the Cat's Got Class." This book is about a cat who loves math. The dialogue shows how you can learn and grow together. This book is a great for parents to read to their children, because it shows how helping other who are struggling is okay. This story build a foundation for learning math in a collarbative way. By two cats coming together using different techniques to figure out how to solve math problem.
November 6, 2017
Pete the Cat is on a mission to teach math! When Pete's friend is struggling, he helps him find a new way to learn math that he can understand! Cars are cool and so is Pete. The colors help his friend with the adding and subtracting of his cars! Pete doesn't give up and eventually his friend sees that he shouldn't too! He's even got the teacher convinced that his friend now knows math.
May 1, 2018
When Tom the cat struggles to enjoy learning math, Pete the Cat shows him that math can be found in everyday life. Pete helps him by using examples of things he enjoys and showing him how fun math can be ( I can't say I agree that math is fun) but my math lover enjoyed the book.
November 29, 2021
Good Pete the cat book on simple math. Pete finds that making math fun is important for someone to learn how to do math. My granddaughter found this book fun because it uses cars to learn how to do simple addition and subtraction. Recommended.
November 21, 2025
We are big Pete the cat fans in this house. Judah would give 5 stars. He loves to read Pete the cat while holding his Pete the cat stuffie. These are so cute, always has a good message at the end and very entertaining. Little dude loves that Pete skateboards and surfs.
March 16, 2018
YouTube reading
December 18, 2017
Pete uses race cars to teach his friend Tom math. Includes flash cards, a poster, and stickers.
August 22, 2018
Lots of easy subtraction and addition problems for little guys like my 5-year-old.
September 17, 2018
Great story about helping a friend in need. Pete is good at math but Tom doesn’t love it yet. Pete helps his friend after school.
December 31, 2018
Good Pete the cat book about math.
October 16, 2019
so first, pete's friend tom is having trouble with math, so pete help's him!
March 3, 2020
My grandson really enjoyed this book. It gives the child beginning concepts of doing math and how math can be fun, by using objects that one enjoys to count with and do simple math problems.
September 13, 2020
We wil always read all the Pete books.
October 25, 2020
Pete is good at math, but a friend in his class isn't, so Pete helps him. A good message, but I don't find the writing style engaging.
June 9, 2021
Cute book to help kids want to learn, but the font was a little hard to read.
August 16, 2021
Reading this one to my grand-nephew.
October 31, 2021
A fun way to engage a child in a subject matter (math) that they do not care for.
Read
March 14, 202201/21/22
June 19, 2022
Doesn’t live up to the first Pete the Cat booker read…I Love My White Shoes.
February 23, 2023
I got this in a McDonald's Happy Meal today. It's a super cute book.
March 6, 2023
lol this was in my happy meal and it was okay, cat characters were cute
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews