Peter's Chair

Pete has a new baby sister . . . her name is Susie. And Pete is not sure he is happy about it. His parents painted his cradle, his high chair, and his crib pink for Susie. Now they’re going to paint his chair. So Pete grabs it and runs to his room.

Then Pete and his dog, Willie, run away.

What will happen when Pete’s parents discover that both Pete and Willie are gone?

Colorful illustrations highlight this gentle tale, a story many young readers will relate to and will readily empathize with Pete’s frustrations. It’s a perfect platform for a discussion between parent and child, reminding them that a new baby does not take the place of the older child.

The targeted audience, young readers ages three through seven [preschool through show more second grade], are sure to relate to Pete’s feelings. Ostensibly, the story is about Pete's sibling rivalry, but, in truth, it speaks more to Pete’s feelings about change and his baby sister than it does to any sense of rivalry. Some readers may cringe at what many consider the gender stereotype of Pete’s furniture being blue and then painted pink for Susie, but young readers are likely to be accepting of this as the norm in their world. This charming story is a sweet tale of love and accommodation and family.

Young readers will chuckle at Pete’s solution to his problem and the ending is perfect for the telling of this tale.

Highly recommended. show less

Not sure how I missed this, when I was working through Keats' book for university. I like how Peter is loved, but not coddled; his parents don't make a great big fuss of 'now you're the big brother.' So thanks to Little Free Libraries for passing on these treasures!
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Reread. I love that Keats is subtle. It takes the reader a bit of time to realize why Peter takes the picture of himself as a baby with him when he runs away. And a bit to understand the game he plays when he goes back home. And of course I love the art. The only thing now is that painting all of Suzie's furniture pink is probably not a great idea. I certainly wouldn't have done it. My babies were raised with yellow & green furnishings, with clothing as gender neutral as I show more could find. (Born in 1985, 88, 96.) show less

Ezra Jack Keats introduces us to the world of little siblings and all of the chaos they bring to a young child's life. Poor Peter has to watch as his mother fusses about his new little sister, and even paints his thinks pink! He eventually comes to the realization that he can be a big help to his family and showing how grown up he is.

This book is about a little boy with a new sibling, and the ways in which the boy copes with his feelings and figures out how to be an older sibling by saying goodbye to his old chair. The illustrations are fantastic with great colors and great patterns and texture. The only thing that bothers me about this story is the fact that all of the boys blue things get painted pink for his new sister, illustrating a strong viewpoint of color and gender representation. However, the overall storyline is relateable, and Ezra Jack Keats was one of the first authors to depict black children as main characters in children’s literature. His stories are great representations of familiar experiences to young children.

Peter has difficulty accepting that his old room is being remodeled to fit the personality of the new baby coming soon. Everything in the room is pink, but the chair. In the end he learns to accept that he's now a big brother and gives his dad permission to paint the chair pink.

This book is so touching. It's easy to sympathize with Peter, I felt his sorrow at seeing all the dear objects of his early childhood transform, as they were given a new purpose, and it makes his change of heart at the end all the more endearing. This book may not have the silent magic of [b:The Snowy Day|310258|The Snowy Day|Ezra Jack Keats|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347624377s/310258.jpg|51286], but it's heartfelt.

This book is about a young boy who is facing the common challenges of a new baby in the family. His dad paints his old crib and cradle pink, and now wants to paint Peter's chair pink too! Peter isn't very happy about this, so he decides to run away with his dog. Later, Peters feelings change and he decides to welcome the new baby into the family.