Chester (An I Can Read Book, Level 1)
Syd Hoff
HarperCollins
Order from Amazon

child pleasing read ... Highly Recommended ... 5 Stars

Chester and his friends are on the open prairie when cowboys appear. His friends begin to run away, Chester runs to the cowboys. Chester the horse is tired of being wild. Chester is a horse who really wants to be caught by the cow boys. He is saddened to realize they only want the wild horses that run away. Since cowboys don't want tamed wild horses, Chester goes to the city.

So Chester sets off on a venture through town trying to find out what he can do so that he can be a tame horse and live with people. He pretends that he is a rocking horse, a carousel horse, and a statue in the park. He eats sugar from the table where two ladies are having tea. He sticks his head in the window. He sneezes when a lady wearing a hat came by. He asks for ten gallons of water at the gas station. He befriends a skunk. Chester is determined. He is going to find the right home once and for all. And, so he did; on a ranch with cowboys.

Beginning readers will enjoy reading the book for themselves. Chester (An I Can Read Book, Level 1) an enjoyable, fun read. The writer's the pacing keeps the book moving smoothly.

"Chester" was one of the few books laying on the counter in my brand new first grade classroom when I first walked into the space where 42 bright eyed, mostly non English speaking six year olds and I would spend a good many weeks. From that beginning Chester has been a staple in my classroom for the whole of my teaching career.

Filled with lilting narrative and child friendly illustrations "Chester" was an instant hit the first time I read it aloud to little people. The supposed 'language barrier' posed no problem.

I have found that the interest those children had for the book; is as strong in the children I teach today. "Chester" has weathered over two decades of classroom use, been 'read' and 're-read' by countless little people and is enjoyed as a 'read it again, Teacher.'

Writer/Illustrator, Syd Hoff who was born and raised in New York City, studied at the National Academy of Design. Selling his first cartoon to The New Yorker at age, Hoff became one of the most beloved of authors and illustrators of children's books. Hoff wrote and illustrated more than fifty children's books. His titles include other classroom favorites; including the Oliver, Danny and the Dinosaur, Oliver, and Sammy the Seal.

I like the opportunity the book presents for classroom dialogue following the reading of the text. Children are drawn into the narrative and enjoy asking questions and explaining why they believe Chester wanted to be a tame horse and not a wild one. Kids enjoy the escapades Chester gets himself into before he finally goes to live on the ranch with the cowboys.

Illustrations created by Syd Hoff hold great appeal for children who often try to emulate his drawings themselves.

An easy to read story; "Chester" is a good choice for beginning readers. Happy to recommend for target audience of readers. Chester has long been a favorite for children, classroom, public and home library shelves and personal reading pleasure.