Reading Inspires! with Eric Litwin (Pete the Cat)
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What happens when reading becomes joyful, musical, and deeply interactive? In this episode of Reading Inspires, Dr. Erin Bailey talks with Eric Litwin, the award-winning author of the original Pete the Cat books, about helping children build a lifelong relationship with reading.
Eric shares how his experience as a classroom teacher led him to create books built around call-and-response, repetition, movement, humor, and prediction. They discuss why playful language and human connection matter so much for early literacy, how families can turn everyday routines into songs and chants, and why reading instruction works best when children experience both strong foundations and genuine joy.
What You’ll Learn
- How call-and-response and repetition invite children to participate in reading
- Why music, movement, and playful routines help develop language and phonemic awareness
- How families and educators can make ordinary moments opportunities for joyful language
- Why human interaction is essential when children are learning language and reading
- How the idea of becoming a reading hero can guide intentional, engaging practice
Chapters
- 0:00 — Welcome and introduction
- 1:00 — Eric Litwin’s journey from classroom teacher to author
- 8:00 — Call-and-response, repetition, and joyful reading
- 16:00 — Building literacy through language, movement, and routines
- 25:00 — Screens, human interaction, and the reading foundation
- 32:00 — The Poop Song, phonemic awareness, and playful learning
- 39:00 — Becoming reading heroes through human, engaging, recurring, intentional practice
- 45:00 — What reading inspires for Eric
Resources
- Eric Litwin — Learn more about Eric’s work, books, music, and literacy resources.
- Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes — The interactive picture book that invites children to sing, predict, and respond.
- Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons — A story about counting, resilience, and responding to change with joy.
- The Poop Song — A playful example of using humor, repetition, and music to support language and learning.
- The Power of Joyful Reading: Help Your Young Readers Soar to Success! — Eric’s guide, co-written with Dr. Gina Pepin, to making reading joyful and engaging.
