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Children's Fiction Cats

Chester's Back!

illustrated by Melanie Watt

Publisher
Kids Can Press
Initial publish date
Aug 2008
Category
Cats, Humorous Stories
Recommended Age
4 to 8
Recommended Grade
p to 3
Recommended Reading age
4 to 8
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781554532872
    Publish Date
    Aug 2008
    List Price
    $18.95
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781554534616
    Publish Date
    Mar 2013
    List Price
    $11.99

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

Description

In this uproarious sequel to Chester, the battle of the picture-book makers continues. Which author-illustrator will come out on top --- Chester or Mélanie Watt --- is anybody's guess!

This time, there's no denying (in Chester's mind) that he's the star of the show. His already outsize ego has ballooned even more due to a spate of “fan mail” on the heels of his self-titled debut. As Chester sees it, who needs Melanie Watt when they have Chester? He's got no shortage of his own storytelling ideas. With heavy paw and red marker, this control-freak cat does not hesitate to commit them to paper. When Chester starts acting far too Hollywood, Melanie calls an open audition to replace the high-maintenance feline. This isn't a move that Chester will take lying down.

Get ready for a seesaw comedy of dueling author-illustrators. Who will come out on top is anybody's guess!

About the author

La jeune auteure-illustratrice Mélanie Watt, née à Trois-Rivières, a remporté pour son travail de prestigieuses récompenses, dont le Prix Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz, le Prix Blue Spruce et le Prix Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon, tous les trois pour Frisson l'écureuil.

 

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.

 

Melanie Watt's profile page

Awards

  • Winner, Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award
  • Winner, Best Books for Kids and Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre
  • Short-listed, Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award

Librarian Reviews

Chester’s Back!

When Chester starts acting far too Hollywood, Mélanie calls an open audition to replace the high-maintenance feline. This isn’t a move that Chester will take lying down. Get ready for a see-saw comedy of duelling author-illustrators. This is the uproarious sequel to Chester.

Source: The Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Best Books for Kids & Teens. 2009.

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