A Bedtime Kiss for Chester Raccoon, by Audrey Penn (illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson)

A Bedtime Kiss for Chester Raccoon

Author: Audrey Penn 

Illustrator: Barbara L. Gibson 

Publisher: Tanglewood 

Publication Date: August 15, 2011 

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What a fantastic twist on the "afraid of the dark" bedtime stories! Chester the Raccoon is having trouble sleeping but since raccoons are nocturnal, it's the daylight that's keeping him up. He keeps thinking he sees scary things in the sun's rays, the way children might complain of shapes in nighttime shadows. As usual, his mother is there to comfort him and help him relax for bedtime (and dream of nighttime adventures). The text is a simple rhyme that's sure to enchant even very young children. 

A Color Game for Chester Raccoon, by Audrey Penn (illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson)

A Color Game for Chester Raccoon

Author: Audrey Penn

Illustrator: Barbara L. Gibson

Publisher: Tanglewood

Publication Date: May 15, 2012

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This is a cute take on a colour book for young children by the author and illustrator of The Kissing Hand and other Chester Raccoon books. Chester and his friends spy various colours in nature, like a white bird, a brown caterpillar, flowers that are "cornflower blue." It's sort of the Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? for the Chester Raccoon series. The only thing--and I'm sure this would not be an issue for the board book--is that the digital copy I received did not have the pages lined up properly so two-page illustrations could not be viewed simultaneously using the "two page view" option on my desktop reader (it showed the second half of one picture and the first half of the next instead). If this becomes available as an e-book, I hope they would correct the page numbering.

A Pocket Full of Kisses, by Audrey Penn (illustrated by Barbara Leonard Gibson)

 

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A follow up to The Kissing Hand, Audrey Penn's A Pocket Full of Kisses has Chester Raccoon working through feelings of jealousy when he becomes a big brother. My two-year-old demographic of one, Magda, didn't like this one quite as much as The Kissing Hand, but that may be because she has her own opinions about whether or not she'd like to be a big sister!

Chester Raccoon and the Acorn Full of Memories, by Audrey Penn (illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson)

Chester Raccoon and the Acorn Full of Memories

Author: Audrey Penn

Illustrator: Barbara L. Gibson

Publisher: Tanglewood

Publication Date: August 15, 2009

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I know that Audrey Penn's Chester the Raccoon series is best known for its gentle messages about helping children deal with life's big changes (going to school, moving, having a new sibling) and The Kissing Hand is one of my favourite books for children ever. So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that this book was another "dealing with big changes" book. I just wasn't expecting it to be so sad (SO sad!). In Chester Raccoon and the Acorn Full of Memories, Chester must deal with the death of a loved one. I realize this is something every child has to deal with at some point, whether it's the death of a grandparent or a family pet or some one else close to them. It's a sad, confusing time and it's good to have books available to help comfort children through this difficult time. But, having said that...

The death Chester must deal with in this book is the death of a classmate, which is WAY sadder than I expected from a children's book. He comes home and explains that the teacher said Skiddel Squirrel had "an accident" and wouldn't be coming back to school. I know it's a squirrel and not a person, but within the logic of the book it would be the equivalent of a child dying. I admit, I was quite traumatized. 

Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully, by Audrey Penn (illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson)

Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully

Author: Audrey Penn 

Illustrator: Barbara L. Gibson 

Publisher: Tanglewood 

Publication Date: August 14, 2008 

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Audrey Penn and Barbara L. Gibson's series of books are lovely and (deservedly) very popular, but perhaps they can't all be as magical as The Kissing Hand. Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully has some good points, but it's not the "instant classic" that The Kissing Hand was. The basic premise is that Chester and his friends are terrified of a mean badger at school who has been bullying them, to the point that event the teacher can't control his behaviour. Chester's mom tells them all a story about a prickly blue stone that is beautiful but painful to touch, a metaphor for the prickly badger. She encourages the forest children to "smooth out the prickly edges" of the badger's mean disposition with kindness. In the end, the children confront the bully and ask him to play, at which point the entire problem is instantly resolved.

A Kiss Goodbye, by Audrey Penn (illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson)

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Poor Chester Raccoon. First he had to deal with starting school. Then he had to get used to a new baby in the family. Now he must prepare to move to a new tree before his current home gets demolished. His mother is there to help him with all of these changes, even if Chester isn't so sure. A beautiful book, sure to take its place next to The Kissing Hand as a preschool classic.

The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn (illustrations by Ruth E. Harper and Nancy M. Leak)

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Audrey Penn's classic children's book is a favourite among children, parents, daycare teachers and two-year-olds named Magda who live in my house (a small but mighty demographic). Although there are many in the series, this one is by far the best. Also, it's the only one illustrated by Nancy M. Leak and Ruth E. Harper, which I think makes all the difference. The illustrations are beautiful, painterly and soulful. LOVE LOVE LOVE!