The Field Guide to Parenitng Home

Chester's Masterpiece with No help from Melanie Watt,
Kids Can Press
Chester, the literary cat with the now infamous red marker is back in his third attempt at creating a picture book. If you
haven't read a Chester book before, be prepared for a new genre of children's literature, a kind of reluctant collaboration.
Melanie and her arch-storytelling rival, Chester the cat, are both authors of and characters in the story. It may sound
preposterous, but it is indeed hilarious.

Masterpiece is written from front cover to back almost entirely in red marker, Chester's preferred writing instrument, as
Chester attempts to tell a story completely by himself. Melanie is reduced to communicating through sticky notes. The little
mouse, as objective observer, is back, too, as a character and to provide commentary on the writing process.

From the front cover to the back, the back and forth between Chester and Melanie is priceless. Chester is a clever cat, but
at the heart of every story is the question: Who will have the upper hand in the end? Readers of all ages will delight in
finding out.

Gracias Thanks by Pat Mora, illustrated by John Parra, Lee & Low
From sun up to bedtime, a boy acknowledges all the things he is thankful for in his life. From his family and friends to the
cricket "when he seranades us to sleep," he offers a simple "thanks!" Vivid acrylic paintings show a vibrant and happy life.

Thirsty Thursday by Phyliis Root, illustrated by Helen Craig Candlewick
A dry spell on Bonnie Bumble's farm leads her to a new way to coax the rain from a lone cloud, which in turn entices more
clouds who want to join in the fun. As always, Phyllis Root is wonderful, gleaning a great story with interesting language
("the snapdragons snapped") with seemingly few words. Great fun to read aloud. Is sure to please any young child.

Moose on the Loose by Kathy Jo Wargin
illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello, Sleeping Bear Press
There really are never too many "what if?" stories. This large-format picture book, full of rhyming questions, is especially
welcome. I mean really, what WOULD you do with a moose on the loose, in your yard, in your house, room, tub, and bed?
The possibilities become more and more outrageous and funny. What starts out as fun for the wide-eyed, curly
blonde-headed hero turns out to be anything but. Illustrations and text are perfectly match. All in all: Super fun!

JUDITH KERR--one new story, one great new edition

One Night in the Zoo by Judith Kerr, Kane Miller
From one to ten, animals in the zoo are off on a night-time adventure and "nobody knew," except the reader, of course. The
fun is being in on the secret world of the zoo , espceially when the zookeepers can not figure out why the animals seem so
tired in the morning. Soft, dream-like illustrations.

The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr, Candlewick Press
When a tiger comes to tea particularly hungry, Sophie and her mummy end up offering him all the food in the house. No
matter, Sophie's daddy has a simple solution. A tiger at tea is a seemingly unsurprising event, which makes the story all the
more charming. Readers will never guess that this story was written over forty years ago, but then again, who cares? The
story is as marvelous and the illustrations just as brilliant as any picture book just out this year.

Two New Book Series
LEGENDS By Anthony Horowitz from Kingfisher for Ages 9 - 12
Battles and Quests and Beasts and Monsters
From well-known myths such as "The Minotaur" to lesser known tales like "The Incredible Spotted Egg" from the Cheyenne,
the Legends series aims to bring new like to very old stories.
Illustrated in black and white, graphic-novel kind of detailed scenes do not attenpt to water down some of the horrific
elements in these tales. Easy to read, appealing to a wide audience--great for school libraries and reluctant readers.

KINGDOM series from Kingfisher for Ages 7 - 11
Savage Safari and Micro Monsters
Designed to grab and engage kids in what can sometimes be boring science material, the Kingdom series is anything but
boring. Billed as full of "fascinating facts and gory details," the consistent format was created to appeal to kids who are
familiar with video and computer games. Full of photos and packed with great information, kids will have such a good time
with these, they won't even know they are educational.