Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully

Audrey Penn is an outstanding author of children books. I buy all of her books for my grandniece and grandnephew. They love them and want them read over and over. There are great life lessons for children in all her books.

It is indeed rather difficult to find anything critical to say about Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully or any of the other of the Kissing Hand Collection by Audrey Pen. This is children's literature at its best. Not only do Pen's books bring strong and important messages to the wee ones, but they are well written, hold the children's attention, and the art work is always outstanding. Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully is no different. Being the fourth book in this series, it blends well with the theme of the rest and is just as impressive as it predecessors. Chester and his school mates are being bullied by a very bad, bad bulling badger and is making school miserable for them. All the little animals, including Chester dread going to school. The first good message of this work is the fact that Chester and his brother, after a bit of prompting, are able to discuss the matter with their mother, an adult. This, for most children may be difficult at times, but when they have a trusted adult to confide their problems with, it makes life so much easier for them. Mom Raccoon shares an old fable from her childhood with all the animal children. There seems to be a group of beautiful smooth rocks that all the forest critters love to collect. One day they find a beautiful crystal rock with sharp edges and it is completely different from the rock they usually collect. Through a group effort; each animal using their own special skills, they transform this jagged stone into something beautiful. This is the second lesson...just because something is different; something that is rough around the edges, does not mean there isn't a hidden beauty lurking beneath it's rough exterior...it can be changed with a little help of caring friends, which is the third great lesson taught here. Of course the woodland children take this fable and apply it to the bully badger; a group effort in kindness. They have also been told by mom raccoon that many times bullies are bullies simply because they are unhappy, feel excluded and have not learned that they can settle their difference peacefully...which the fourth lesson the author brings us is. This is a lot of very profound wisdom packed into a small book and the author is a master of taking very complex issues and wording them in a way that even the youngest of children can understand and relate to. This is a wonderful skill and we are fortunate to have writers that are willing to share. Now as to the art work, i.e. illustrations in this work. Barbara AL. Gibson is one of the best. Her vibrant depictions have such a wonderful blend of detail and color that it is almost captivating for both the child and the adult reader. I never tire of studying her work, and from a personal perspective, have learned a great deal from her. The illustrations are crisp, slightly stylized, but not to the extent of being wooden in anyway; each painting flows and the color and detail are an absolute delight. Each illust

I am a Pre-K teacher. I used this book to help my class better understand that there are ways to deal with behavior issues by working it out. They love all of the CHESTER stories.

"Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully" is not only a gorgeous picture book, but has a truly important message - that even bullies can be changed for the better by extending the hand of friendship [though it may not always work out this way]. The story focuses on Chester Raccoon and his friends at school who are being bullied by a young badger. Chester, his younger brother and best friend are reluctant to go to school for they fear the bully will make school miserable for them. Mrs Raccoon then gets her sons and all their friends together and tells them a fable which inspires them to extend friendship to the bullying Badger who willingly reciprocates their friendly gestures, thus becoming their friend. The story may be a bit simplistic as we know not all bullies can be made to change so easily, yet I thought it was quite appropriate for young readers to learn that sometimes, bad behavior can be altered by something as simple as a friendly token or gesture and bullies can be handled by peaceful means instead of violence. The illustrations are simply gorgeous with the woodland creatures being rendered almost life-like. My four-year-old daughter loves the Kissing Hand series as do I. Highly recommended!

The fourth book in the popular "Kissing Hand" series, Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully is a children's picturebook about a young raccoon who has trouble with a bullying badger. Mrs. Raccoon tells Chester an insightful story about another forest far away, where a pointy blue stone that could injure soft paws was transformed into a smooth pebble with the help of animals who live there. Chester and his friends resolve to work together to help the bully change his ways, and ask the badger to play, with surprising results! A thoughtful story with the positive message that the best way to get rid of an enemy is to turn him into a friend, beautifully illustrated with jump-off-the-page gorgeous color artwork. Also highly recommended are "The Kissing Hand", "Pocket Full of Kisses" and "A Kiss Goodbye".