Chester's Masterpiece

Chester's finally ready to write his own masterpiece -- he just needs to get Melanie Watt out of the way A wry take on the creative process and how good stories are constructed.

When Chester (the cat) announces he's taking over for Melanie Watt on this book due to some technical difficulties*, Melanie begs to differ. She tells him that no one will want to publish his messy book. And she demands that he return her supplies so she can get to work. Chester insists he can create the best, most original story anyone has ever read in their entire nine lives. Only, his attempts don't quite work. Even with Melanie's prodding, Chester struggles to find his own story to tell. Hmm ... will the real author and illustrator have the last laugh after all?

*Melanie's art supplies and computer mouse have mysteriously gone missing.

Here's another hilarious Chester picture book from award-winning and bestselling author-illustrator Melanie Watt. The story is told through the dialogue between Watt, who communicates on sticky notes, and Chester, whose comments are tucked around his creations, which sprawl across the spreads and include loads of tape, staples, and torn-out notebook paper. Chester himself, as drawn by Watt, and his trusty red marker dominate the action, and the pure silly fun makes this a popular read-aloud. Bits of humor can be found all over the pages -- including running commentary from an actual mouse -- encouraging visual literacy. With its wry take on the creative process and how good stories are constructed, this is also a perfect companion to lessons on the parts of story, including genre, setting, plot and characters.