Chester the Worldly Pig

We had an original set of Bill Peet books when I was a kid. They were and still are my favorite children's books. The imagery is so striking that it set my childhood imagination on fire. I was fascinated to find out when I went to Animation school later in life that Bill Peet was one of the original story guys from the Golden Age of Disney. He contributed to the stories of Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Song of the South, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmations, The Sword in the Stone and The Jungle Book during his time at Disney. He called it quits at Disney and went on to do these children's books. His books are usually a moral story but not heavy handed. They're usually encouraging individuality. They're like sitting on grandpa's lap on the sun porch listening to a story the way they used to be told. He's one of the countries master story tellers.

The story of a young pig named chester that wants to join the circus very badly. He trys to get in any way he can, so he can show them his great acrobatic tricks. He finally balances on his nose when the train goes by to get their attention. The book is a sweet story with nice illustrations. According to Bill Peets autobiography, this book was his favorite because it reflected his own past . The story of Chester the pigs journey to join the circus is similar to Peet's own journey as a young man to try to get work for Disney studios as an animator in his younger days. Peet did in fact become a successful animator and storymand for Disney. Roscoe the master showman in the story, is in reality Bill's old boss Walt Disney. Walt was respected by Peet, even if they had their differences. If you like Bill Peets books, be sure to read his autobiography, and this book.

Quite simply, this is a must for both kids and adults. It is a wonderful story that teaches the importance of "just being you". After loving this book as a child, I bought a copy to read to my children some day. More parents should take another look at Bill Peet books.

I love Chester! I use this book to introduce a thematic unit in my classroom. Chester is a great character that the children identify with and they root for him throughout the book. When we discover exactly why Chester is the "worldly" pig, the students go crazy!! This story is an excellent springboard for geography and the seven continents!!

Chester is just another one of Bill Pete's wonderful classics with a great and uplifting ending that proves that everyone has something special about them that can be found with the help of the right person.