Chester's Back!
Kindergarten-Grade 2—The big calico cat with an even bigger ego is back. Watt attempts to feature him in a fairy tale, but as readers ofChester(Kids Can, 2007) will anticipate, he is not interested. He whips out his red marker and makes the story his own-until Watt decides to replace him altogether. The author holds a casting call and tries to carry on with a replacement for Chester. Of course, the feisty feline will not let that happen, and for a moment readers may think that he has come out on top. Chester wants to be the star of the story, but as the saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for!" The little gray mouse that was featured in the original book also returns. Chester has a great range of expressions that work along with the red-marker text to develop a lovable character. The use of color and font to indicate the speakers and the mix of various illustration styles add definition to the story-within-the-story, and the pages are full of activity. Readers will discover new details with each viewing. This is an original and fun tale for sharing one-on-one and in small groups.—Lisa Glasscock, Columbine Public Library, Littleton, COCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.