بازگشت چستر

Chester

by Mélanie Watt, زهرا چوپانکاره (Translator)

کتاب بازگشت چستر روایت گربه بازیگوشی است که از صفحه اول داستان در داستان دخالت می‌کند و قصه را هرطور بخواهد تغییر می‌دهد. ویژگی چستر نسبت به دیگر آثار داستانی کودک در این است که بچه‌ها می‌توانند حس کنند ساخت داستان آسان است و خودشان شروع کنند به نوشتن قصه و نقاشی کردن. تخیل و طنز عناصر اصلی شکل دهنده داستان هستند.

Genres: Picture Books, Cats, Childrens, Humor, Fiction, Animals, Art

36 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2008

About the author

It was in a design class taught by Michèle Lemieux at the University of Quebec in Montreal that author and illustrator Mélanie Watt created her first picture book, Leon the Chameleon, which was later published by Kids Can Press. Watt went on to create several more books, including the Learning with Animals collection and Augustine, which was named an ALA Notable Children's Book. Watt has also illustrated Where Does a Tiger-Heron Spend the Night? and Bearcub and Mama, which won the 2006 IRA Teachers' Choices Project.

Mélanie's best known book Scaredy Squirrel, has won many awards including the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award for Children's Picture Book and the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award. The release of Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend, was met with enthusiastic reviews and incredible sales, confirming the arrival of kid lit's newest superstar.

Chester,Chester's Back! and Chester's Masterpiece are about a megalomaniac cat who is every bit the antithesis to Scaredy. Chester has already become a bestseller and shows the breadth and creativity of Mélanie Watt.

Scaredy returns to take a few more tentative steps out of his comfort zone in Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach and Scaredy Squirrel at Night. Mélanie has often noted how the Scaredy Squirrel books helped her work out her own insecurities and fears, as the success of these titles has required her to venture out into the unknown, and like Scaredy she has found the experience truly uplifting.

Mélanie currently resides near Montreal, Quebec.

~From http://www.kidscanpress.com/creators/...

Reviews

[Emerson‌●ω● · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتابایی که گوربه ها توش حضور دارن جایگاه ویژه ای توی قلبم دارن😢😢🤝

[Roya · Rating 3 out of 5]

بامزه و خلاقانه بود😹

[Chadi Raheb · Rating 5 out of 5]

عالی عالی عالی
خنگ دوست‌داشتنی مسخره :))))))

خب قضیه جلد اول و دوم اینه که یه نویسنده (که تصویرگر هم خودشه) میخواد داستان بنویسه و نقاشیاشو بکشه ولی گربه‌ی فضولش «لیترالی» با ماژیک قرمز هی میاد وسط و داستانو دستکاری میکنه و کل کتابو بهم میریزه :)))
ماچ به مغز خلاق نویسنده‌ش

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gwennie and I went to the library yesterday and I picked up Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach. I always ask the kids if there's any other book they want me to check out. Gwennie picked out this one. I didn't realize until I read it that it was another Melanie Watt book. I'm becoming a pretty big fan.

Well, Gwennie was really sick last night, and slept in this morning, so I read the book to Eleanor when she woke up. (Sorry Gwen. That's what happens when you're sick. You miss out on stuff.)

From here on out, the review is Eleanor's.

Me: How many stars should I give to Chester?

E: 6

Me: It only goes up to five stars. Should I give it five?

E: *exasperated* SIX.

Me: Maybe you should suggest that in the goodreads feedback forum - that we need to go up to six stars. They're always talking about stars on there. How about I give Chester as many stars as I can.

E: Oooo Kay.

Me: Tell me about the book.

E: Chester STEPPED toward the new Chester. And Melanie said, "STEP AWAY FROM THE NEW CHESTER, CHESTER."

Me: Yeah, but tell me what the book was about. Like... who is Chester?

E: ...The cat. And Chester messed up the story too. And Chester messed up the story... DADDY! Chester messed up the story.

Me. I know. I'm just typing what you said.

E: You're just typing what I said?

Me: How did Chester mess up the story?

E: What? Is something wrong with you? You know. He messed it up by giving Melanie a beard. By giving Melanie a scratchy beard, but Melanie's a girl.

Me: Did he mess it up any other way?

E: (Tells me all about the beard again...) And he gave the new Chester bunny ears.

Me: One more question.

E: Ok.

Me: Would you recommend this book to anybody? Do you think other people should read it?

E: I do think other people should read it.

Me: Why?

E: Because ummm... I love reading books.

Me: But why should people read This book?

E: Because it's fun. It's fun fun fun.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fat-cat with plenty of attitude, Chester returns for his second tussle with author Mélanie Watt, using his handy red marker to hilarious effect! Never one to accept the narrative being written for him, Chester edits to his heart's content in Chester's Back, disrupting the author's attempt to insert another "actor" in his place, and generally stealing the show...

A humorous follow-up to Chester , this second metatextual adventure adventure will be just as welcome to bedtime listeners, who will enjoy its blend of mad-cap narrative and whimsical illustration.

[Shawn Deal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, Chester is back to cause more mayhem in a book, that is really suppose to be about a mouse, but is all about Chester and his high jinks.

[Amir · Rating 5 out of 5]

چستر خیلی خوبه. عین بچه خودمونه. جلب و حسود و بی پروای خراب‌کاری :)))

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

October 6, 2008

Can't wait to see what Chester's up to. I love kid's books that play with the conventions.

***
The PandaBat loves Melanie Watt and Chester. But as soon as this was done, she needed something with a little story to it.

***
February 9. 2013
Veronica decided to reread the Chester books, and since they were around, Tash and I did to. Silly, wonderful books.Library copy.

[CLM · Rating 3 out of 5]

We liked this but the element of surprise was gone, so it did not appear to be quite as much of a hit as Chester.

[Ria K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kedibüdü muhteşem bir yazar.

-RK, Kedibüdü'nün en büyük hayranı

[Steve Holden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clever sequel to the first Chester. I'm quickly becoming a big fan of Melanie Watt. This series is told in a funny, back and forth manner between a cat and the author/illustrator. The different fonts and crazy red marker make it easy to follow. It's silly, but a funny silly that I believe young students will love spending time with.

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

My toddler set won't get Chester, but I'm hoping the older children read this series and laugh as much as I do.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Mélanie Watt's Chester books. If I ever met Mélanie I would probably go all fangirl. She has created such a fun series with her cat Chester and their lively banter is always hoot.

[RG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious! Will keep in mind for next read aloud.

[Shel]

Watt, M. (2008). Chester’s Back! Toronto: Kids Can Press.



9781554532872



As the title so aptly states, Chester’s Back! This is a sequel to Watt’s successful Chester, published in 2007. In both these books the cat named Chester takes over as author, encouraging youngsters to consider taking on the role of co-creator of books. This series demonstrates that sometimes stories really do take on lives of their own.



This time around, the implied (and real) author, Melanie, gets tired of Chester’s many alterations to the story and decides to search for a replacement Chester to help her share the story. Chester continues to interrupt the creation process, until Melanie must give in to Chester’s finicky demands for the story, but not without causing some trouble of her own.



This is a wonderful example of a book in which the illustrations are essential for a student to make meaning from a text. And on top of that, they're very fun illustrations that will make kids itch to pick up a marker of their own.





Activities to do with the book:



Students can take Chester on as an example to co-create stories together or with already published books. (Of course, some teachers and parents may take offense to the idea of writing in books)



Also, since Chester spends some time pretending to be a cave cat, a teacher could use this book to help with the concept of time and history.



Plus, Chester begins the story over again several times. A teacher could emphasize this as a lesson that sometimes people have to keep trying, or that editing is an important part of the writing process.



Since the book also includes an open invitation for a replacement to Chester, a teacher could conduct auditions in a classroom—this could turn into a student talent show, or short letters to Melanie Watt explaining why students could take Chester’s place, etc.



Students could also choose old throw-away copies of books to recreate that text in their own way by adding or removing various pictures and words. If a teacher is nervous about the idea of kids altering the books, children’s magazines or school newsletters could also be used.





Favorite Quotes:



“A long time ago, in a faraway land, lived a cat named Chester.”



“Now, Chester, let’s try this again.

A long time ago, in a faraway land, lived a…”



“Chester, step away from the new Chester!”

For more of my reviews, visit sjkessel.blogspot.com.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a big fan of the first Chester book. This sequel keeps the merriment and fun of the first book, and again showcases Chester defying his owner and trying to create HIS book. In this book, Chester refuses to allow Melanie to write a book putting him in a jester costume in the Middle Ages. He uses a variety of tactics to ruin her efforts, including wearing the wrong costumes and scribbling all over the pages with his red marker. But Melanie may just find a clever replacement for Chester and not allow him to gain the upper hand. Maybe.

What a delight to have a second book that lives up to the first. Just as she did in her Scaredy Squirrel series, Watt has created a successful sequel to a wonderful book. Watt has kept the same feel as the first book and the tone is just right. Children will once again revel in Chester refusing to cooperate with plans.

A great book to share with a group of children. Make sure you have your Chester voice set to go, full of cat outrage. Ideal for ages 5-7.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this immediately after reading Chester and I didn’t find it quite as charming, but I did really like it, and I’m glad the author/illustrator AND Chester created another Chester book; I hope there are more to come.

The two page illustration of various species of animals dressed in costumes as Chester was my favorite part.

The gimmick of the back and forth between Chester the cat and Mélanie the writer/illustrator remains a lot of fun.

Watt knows cats, I think!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting to read, bit it has too many parts for a read aloud. As an adult, I enjoyed this book, but I fear that a young student might get confused by how it starts over every time they decide to edit a part.

Awards
2010 Golden Archer Award -- Primary (Winner)
2008 Cybils -- Fiction Picture Book (Finalist)
2008 IndieFab Award -- Picture Book (Second Place)
Publishers Weekly -- Starred Review (*)

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kids enjoyed this book and laughed at some of the jokes between Melanie and Chester. Great for fans of Chester, cats, metafiction, silliness and very long limos. And red jellybeans.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chester's Back is a story about Chester the cat, a cat who knows what he wants and will stop at nothing to get it. The story starts out with the author attempting to tell a fairytale story until Chester doesn't show up for his part, only to come in later as a 'caveman cat' as he calls himself. Chester then takes over the story telling and draws his own images for the book, wanting the story to be interesting. The author reprimands him and tries one more time but eventually she gives up and ignores Chester's shenanigans so she can audition for a new main character. Chester sabatoges the one she finds and finally gives in to what Chester wants, letting him voice his demands before illsutrating and writing exactly what he wanted. In the end, he got everything he wanted except rather than him be a 'big star', the author decided to make him dressed up as a big star, something he didn't exactly want but a brilliant way to end the story.

This book is very funny, even for me, so I can only imagine how children would like it. It consistently breaks the fourth wall which is always something kids tend to enjoy as they think it's entertaining to see characters fighting against the book. Chester is also very wacky so it keeps the story going without losing any of its spark. The illustrations have a variety of different types, some of them have borders (like the ones with the image for the fairytale story) while others spread across both pages. Most of the images overlap as Chester has run out of the fairytale story and stands in front of it or behind it a lot, so the drawing styles are even different for that. Chester's artwork is also different from the illustrators so it gives children the sense that the cat really did draw it. The use of different font faces and colors for when the author is talking versus when Chester is talking is also easily distinguishable and adds that sense of conversation to the story. Truly, it's entertaining and the different styles all really come together as you read.

[Julian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fun, but it's pretty much the same story as the original Chester, with Melanie Watt and Chester battling it out for control of the book. It's a good laugh, but I felt it was the same story. I mentioned this to my wife and she said that this is what kids want. Then she paused and said: "scratch that, all the 24 seasons are the same story, and were were still glued to the TV". I'm also a fan of CSI, so who am I to criticize repetition?

[امیرمحمد حیدری · Rating 4 out of 5]

بازگشت چستر هم درست مثل جلد قبلی همین مجموعه ادامه پیدا می‌کنه؛ با خودخواهیِ چستر و خودپسندیش سعی می‌کنه قصه رو از هرکسی جدا کنه و فقط به خودش وصل کنه. حالا این بار ملانی (نویسنده) دنبال یه بازیگر جدید برای چستر می‌گرده، اما چستر یهو مثل یه کابوی وارد می‌شه و می‌گه: This page has only enough space for one of us. یه جمله‌ی کلیشه‌ای وسترنی که وقتی از دهن یه گربه‌ی کالیکوی چاقالو میاد واقعاً بامزه می‌شه:))
همچنان پیشنهادی.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chester's Back is a great sequel to the original Chester! Such a cute and fun metafictive book that is both easy and enjoyable to read. I can only imagine how much a class of young students would enjoy this book in a group setting. I really like how the author is brought into the story as a character as well; I think it adds something really unique and unusual to the story.

[Kyler Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a silly book about a cat that has the ability to break the fourth wall. I thought that this book was funny and would be a good book to show how creative you can be in writing. I would like to have several of these books from this series in my classroom one day.

[Courtney Heard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hilarious book to read to your young readers in a writing piece. This is because it shows a good example of the endless possibilities that could happen when writing a story.

Six + 1Traits: presentation, idea
DRA Level: ~26
Lexile: 510L

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chester is back, trying to be the subject of Melanie's newest story. As she attempts to write a normal children's book, Chester is up to his old antics of trying to upstage the storyline. A cute follow up to the original, with yet another ending twist.

[Katy Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this sequel to Melanie Watt's first book Chester. It adds new characters and keeps Chester's stubborn character involved. young readers would love this because Chester is such a lovable character

[Bella Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great for being dramatic. It has three different voices, so it is a fun book to change up your tone and give the book a fun spin. Having the cat take the place of the author and then seeing a back-and-forth conversation with them is something I don't often see, so that is fun!

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. The book is very interactive and engaging. It is unique. You don't see a book written from this perspective. The book would definitely get kids laughing and excited. The illustrations truly bring together the whole story.

[Donna Mork · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute interactive book where the main character takes over for the narrator and changes the story, and goes behind the page, etc.