Chester Steals the Day!!!

The second graders in my student teaching placement roared with laughter when the school librarian introduced Chester, the naughty cat. Even the boys who had spent the morning playing pencil wars sat silently, perched on the edge of their seats, waiting to see what Chester would do next.

To me, this is what good children's literature is all about. Any book that can capture the imagination of an entire classroom of students deserves to be bragged about, and this is such a book. It wasn't just my second grade class either. Chester has won the Grand Canyon Reader Award (2010), the Nevada Young Reader’s Award (2010), the Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award and the Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award (2009). The book is currently one of 10 books being considered for the Virginia Reader's Choice Award (K-2).

So what is all the fuss about? Chester, by Melanie Watt, was suppose to be a story about a country mouse, but one of Melanie's illustrations, Chester the egotistic cat, got a little out of control. He decided that he wanted the story to be all about him. With his red marker, Chester edited the story. Melanie fought back by responding to Chester's changes with changes of her own. For example, when Chester sends the mouse packing, Melanie has the mouse return from vacation with a big dog, but then Chester makes the dog a vegetarian. The back and forth banter between Chester and the author makes this book a perfect read-aloud, but it does require the reader to adopt two distinct voices.

The illustrations are wonderful. The inside front cover says that they are pencil and watercolor pictures that are assembled digitally. I wasn't exactly sure what it meant to assemble a watercolor digitally. I tried to find out information online but wasn't successful, so I would love some more information about that if anyone knows more. Anyway, the pictures are very crisp and colorful, and Chester's appearance as a large calico cat complements his personality perfectly.

Melanie Watt is both the author and illustrator of her books. She received a Bachelors of Arts in Graphic Design from the University of Quebec, and she originally got involved in children's books when her illustration professor asked the students to design a book about color. That project became her first published book Leon the Chameleon. In an interview with Kids Can Press, Melanie said that the thing she liked most about creating children's books was the opportunity to both write and illustrate her ideas because it allowed her to create stories and settings precisely as she saw them in her mind. Chester is a wonderful example of how she seamlessly connects both the illustrations and text of her stories.

I was excited to learn that there are two sequels to Chester. I am looking forward to asking my cooperating teacher if I can read one of them to the class. In the first sequel, Chester's Back, Melanie attempts to write a story about Chester, but Chester just isn't satisfied with the way she is telling it. In the second sequel, Chester's Masterpiece, Chester has stolen Melanie's writing supplies, and is trying to write a book all by himself. This one is particularly good because it explores some of the difficulties of the writing process in a humorous way that kids can understand. I think the entire Chester series is a must have for parents and teachers with primary age children.