wolfiegrrrl's reviews
236 reviews

A cute story designed to show how you can use objects of different sizes to measure length, height, and distance. 

The message to "just be yourself" is a classic and subsequently pretty predictable from the opening lines, but the preschooler I read this to was giggling the entire time Pete the Cat was dressing up in his increasingly more ridiculous outfit for school, so that seems like a success to me.

Pete the Cat teaches time management and setting realistic expectations for yourself.

A cute ABC book filled with adorable animals living their best lives.

A nice, easy read with cozy illustrations and simple rhymes that work great for encouraging young readers to practice letter sounds.

Since the manga's story is different from the anime's plot, it's unfair to compare them. What I will say is that, despite my affection for the concept of the series, I really was not a fan of the "thirsty lesbian gets sexually assaulted by the antagonist" trope that popped up in this volume. The story really could have done without that and... the cat.

The director of the anime really said that Mr. Cat was a vital character in the series and I don't know how to feel about that when he keeps harassing little girls with threats of marriage. The contrast between that testimonial and the lighthearted one from Mytho's voice actor at the end of the volume is so stark, but I really love Naoki Yanagi's humor and thoughtfulness regarding the series.

Also, the little gag comics made me smile, so those were a treat to see.

I'm not exactly a fan of the sexualization of several characters or the abundance of panty shots - and I don't want to talk about the pervy cat preying on the children - but I'm a sucker for wholesome magical girl content and I adore this fairy tale ballet concept.

While the plot is predictable, it's enjoyable and my only major disappointment so far is that some of the descriptions I came across for this series gave me the impression that a literal duck was going to be transformed into Princess Tutu... not a human girl whose name means duck. But I guess that one's on me and whoever translated those online summaries.

I also quite liked the cute translators notes and the testimonials in the back of the book from the people behind the manga and anime. Reading their thoughts and perspectives on the series is pretty interesting.

A unique main character shows his friends that giving to others doesn't necessarily mean losing something of yourself in the process. This is a very sweet and important lesson for kids to learn when being taught about healthy relationships.

A book that explains to a group of characters with different interests why books are good and why reading them is good for you. It's pretty cute.

I grew up with the original Little Apple Paperback print of this series and absolutely adored it. As a tutor, I have introduced Pixie Tricks to my students who struggle with reading and building vocabulary. They are reading the Branches Book reprint because the old books are hard to find, and I've found that both versions are an equally great tool for getting kids invested enough to want to read and learn.

The Branches Book reprint redesigns the characters with new artwork, raises the reading level just a smidge, and substitutes more story/chapters for the Little Apple Paperback's stickers and activity pages. It's interesting to see the differences between the two versions and I think the Branches Book leaves less to the imagination but certainly maintains the magical charm of the original.