Chester's Masterpiece

A scene-stealing cat named Chester hijacks his own picture book, swiping the author's supplies and insisting he can write a better story than she can — with mixed results.

For the kid who thinks the funniest part of any book is when the rules get broken, Chester's takeover is pure delight.

• Big idea: Making up a story is harder — and funnier — than it looks, even if you're convinced you're a genius.
• Vibes: Cheeky, chaotic, meta and laugh-out-loud silly.

• enjoy stories that poke fun at how books get made
• like to spot jokes hidden in the pictures
• are working on understanding story parts like character and plot
• love a bossy, funny character who won't play by the rules

• Story & problem-solving: Why do you think Chester struggles to come up with his own story, even with Melanie's help?
• Imagination: If you took over writing this book, what would your story be about?
• Visual literacy: Did you spot the mouse making comments on the pages? What was it saying?
• Real-life connection: Have you ever wanted to be in charge of something a grown-up was doing, like Chester wants to write the book himself?
• Feelings & empathy: How do you think Melanie felt when Chester took her supplies and told her to step aside?