Chester's Masterpiece

Chester, the big calico cat with an attitude, returns in this third hilarious adventure, once again struggling to wrest control of the storytelling process away from long-suffering author, Mélanie Watt. Having hidden his creator's art supplies and computer mouse, Chester "nobly" steps in, wielding his famous red marker to great effect, while Watt is forced to make demands via yellow post-it notes. The result is a giggle-inducing back and forth that only ends when Chester's red ink starts to run out. But never fear! The final spread - in which the location of Watt's missing supplies is revealed - is a clear indication that this willful kitty isn't done making trouble...

I think this may be my favorite Chester title yet, with its humorous show more "narrative," its amusing mix of illustrative style, and its many clever details. Chester's assertions of creative supremacy even make their way onto the colophon, where he comments on the publisher's name, dispenses with the editor ("Edited WITHOUT Tara Walker"), and claims to have been the printing supervisor, over in Thailand. In short: Chester's Masterpiece is simply hysterical, sure to please returning fans, and win new ones! show less

Chester is ALL BREAKIN THE FOURTH WALL N TAKIN CONTROL OF UR NARRATIVE STRATEJEES, with razor-sharp aplomb. He is the tiny rebel yell inside every slightly less tiny child, and then Melanie Watt deploys the godlike power of the author to put him back in his place and resettle your tiny assumptions about the working of the world just in time for bed.

Chester's Masterpiece is the third of Mélanie Watt's Chester books. In this one Chester gets his revenge and takes charge with a red marker pen.

Chester's begins his attempt at writing his own masterpiece by hiding all of Mélanie's art supplies and notes. Some of her work is in his litter box!

In all this silliness though, children learn about the creative process. They have access to Mélanie's Post-It notes and her sketches. They can see the tools she uses for making her drawings too.

Chester for Harriet is like Garfield was for me as a child. He's a cat and an anarchist. It's just part of being a cat. Harriet will read and re-read Watt's books a dozen or so times when they are checked out from the library.

This book is about a mischievous cat that hides his owner's things so that he can write his own stories in which he is the main character who either does the important things or saves the day. Though his owner (Melanie Watt, the author) does not think Chester knows how to write stories and tries to trick Chester into giving her her things back, Chester finds a loophole each time and outsmarts his owner all the while writing hilarious stories.
I would recommend this book to any child of elementary age. This book had me (a college student) smiling the whole time I was reading it. I have never read a book that was so cleverly written as to have an author "arguing" with her cat for her things so she could write her own story. The things show more Chester says, too, are so funny because you can really see how (if a cat were able to talk) he/she would say those kinds of things! show less

Watt, M. (2010). Chester's masterpiece. Toronto: Kids Can Press.

Chester’s Masterpiece is clever, funny, original, and should appeal to a wide audience. Targeted at K-3, this book is also perfect for discussions about creativity, humor and thinking outside of the box with older elementary students and up. The book is graphically very appealing and smart, appearing to be written on intermittent sheets of notebook paper and sketch paper. The premise is that a picture book was created by Chester the cat, who has hidden the writer’s supplies. Most of the book is a written, dueling dialogue between writer and cat—the writer using yellow post-it notes and the cat using red marker. The book includes numerous puns and jokes about the show more writer’s computer mouse, which was also taken by the cat. A little actual mouse appears throughout the book, commenting and serving as a foil for the cat. Chester is always in character and consistent throughout with a childlike, mischievous spirit. He has the last laugh—a triumphantly funny one. Winner of the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award 2011. show less

This book takes the Chester character to a new level, where he decides to write his own story. It is silly and funny, and provides a great way to comment on how stories are written- like setting, characters, and plot elements. Chester is his usual stubborn and selfish self, and the interaction between him and the author also show the concept of author voice in a story.

This book is amazing, It is a great way to introduce the topic of story writing to children. It goes through the main elements of a story - character, setting, plot. I love how interactive the illustrations are. The way Watt uses a cat to depict this story is entertaining.