"...and a road trip to the sea, groooovvvyy!" sing the kids gathered around for storytime at Pete the Cat Book Club at Albert L. Scott Library in Alabaster last month. I got the chance to be the guest reader that day, and was so excited when the kids started singing along with me, while I read Pete the Cat's adorable new book, Twelve Groovy Days of Christmas.
Inspired by Pete the Cat, who is, in fact, a real rescue kitten adopted by the book's author, we invited families to bring donations to the library for Kitty Kat Haven and Rescue in hopes it would provide another opportunity for local kids to learn about the joy of giving in their own communities. It was wonderful to see families filing into the event, laden with food, towels and kitty litter for the shelter kitties.
After donning Pete the Cat ears and learning the Pete the Cat Book Club motto (It's All Good), the book club kids listened to holiday stories, then decorated colorful ping pong balls to take home to their own cats and to give to the shelter cats. We even had special bon bon treats from Itsy Bitsy BonBons in Alabaster.
 Miss Jess reads Pete the Cat's Twelve Groovy Days of Christmas |
 Pete the Cat Book Club! |  Decorating ping pong balls for local rescue cats! |
 Chocolate bon bons from Itsy Bitsy's BonBons for a delicious, holiday treat? Yes please!(Try them yourself for 10% OFF if you mention Macaroni Kid) |  Miss Jess will take this whole tray of goodies, right? Just kidding, #GivingIsGroovy! |
 Evan and Cole were proud to deliver the donations made by the Pete the Cat Book Club to Kitty Kat Haven and Rescue! |
We absolutely LOVE Pete the Cat in our house and this new Christmas book is no exception! If you are looking for a great gift for a special kid in your life, look no further than Pete the Cat's Twelve Groovy Days of Christmas. Check out my favorite page showing Pete the Cat's friends in their ugly Christmas sweaters! The book is filled with more awesome and colorful illustrations.
 My favorite page in 12 Groovy Days of Christmas shows Pete and all his friends in ugly Christmas sweaters! |
Thank you to all our friends who came out to our special holiday storytime and brought donations for Kitty Kat Haven and Rescue! If you want to be a part of the Pete the Cat Book Club, watch the Macaroni Kid South Birmingham event calendar for the next meeting (which will be in January). Until then, "it's all good!" friends!
We hope you too are inspired by Pete the Cat to join in the spirit of giving this holiday season! Need some ideas for ways to be GROOVY? Use some of the tips below to make this season the grooviest time of the year, then share how you and your family are giving back online with #GivingIsGroovy.
1. Give back to a local charity or organization by volunteering, donating, or offering your voice.
2. Donate gently used clothes or toys to charity for distribution to the needy (We have a great opportunity for you to do this right now, click HERE).
3. Help your neighbors by offering to pick up their mail or assist with yard work.
4. Volunteer in a food pantry or soup kitchen to help comfort those who are hungry.
5. Drop off cat food, cleaning supplies and other items to Kitty Kat Haven and Rescue or any other local animal shelter.
6. Help the elderly by opening doors, offering to help with stairs or difficult paths, and offering to carry large or heavy packages.
7. Send a letter or care package to military member to show your support for the men and women in the uniform.
8. Just say Thank You. Write a note or say thank you to community members like the mail person, garbage collectors, fire fighters, and police.
9. Create a Change Jar. Fill an empty jar with loose change and when the jar is full, decide where to contribute the money. Once it’s empty, fill it again and donate to an organization of your choice.
10.Remember to spread kindness and give all year long, in ways big and small!
Disclosure: Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books for sponsoring this event and book review and to Itsy Bitsy's BonBons for donating treats for our Pete the Cat holiday storytime!
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Macaroni Kid South Birmingham is a free weekly e-newsletter and website focused on fun family events and things to do with kids in the South Birmingham region. We gather together all kinds of local family events and activities each week, and add useful information about classes, family-focused businesses, book and product reviews, recipes, crafts, school and camp guides and more. We proudly serve families in downtown Birmingham, Mountain Brook, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Hoover, Pelham, the Oak Mountain and 280 area, Helena and Alabaster.
