I have already read and posted about Kevin Henkes' Owen, where I mention how much I LOVE Henkes' cute little characters like Lilly and Chrysanthemum. I asked one of the first grade teachers at my school in which I collaborate with if she had any other Kevin Henkes books because I know there are tons and I have only read a few, and I enjoy each one more than the last! She shared with me Chester's Way which is an ALA Notable Children’s book.
The story is about a mouse, Chester and his best friend Wilson, who is just like Chester. Chester and Wilson are very particular about the way they do things and I guess you could also call them cautious. They do everything together. Then, a girl named Lilly moves into the neighborhood, and she is full of character! She wears disguises, talks backwards, carries a squirt gun, and is a little more dangerous than Chester and Wilson. They think she is very odd and they avoid her. One day Chester and Wilson get picked on by older boys when Lilly jumps out to rescue them, she scares the older boys off with her scary disguise and shoots them with her water gun! The boys are thankful and impressed with her rescue mission so they decide to spend some time with her.
She introduces them to her crazy antics and they teach her to be more cautious. The boys realize they are actually very similar despite some obvious personality differences. From that point on they become a group of three friends who do everything together, crazy activities to safe activities.
With this picture book a teacher could teach about moral "character" by using the characters in this story. The book provides a lesson in accepting people’s differences and making new friends. The last Henkes book that I read, Owen also presented a life lesson about growing up through its cute and entertaining story. While reading Chester's Way, the teacher could help the students compare and contrast the character traits of Chester, Wilson, and Lilly perhaps creating a Venn diagram or other visual representation. Questions to lead this discussion could include:
How are Chester and Wilson like Lilly?How are Chester and Wilson different from Lilly?
What are certain traits of the boys, of Lilly?
What are some traits that all of the characters share?
Henkes' illustrations are as cute as ever again in this picture book. His pictures have bright cheery colors and Henkes uses multiple pictures on each page to show the different actions of the characters. During and after reading, students could also compare the physical characteristics of the characters giving the teacher an opportunity to explain how all students look different and dress different.
While reading this story, a teacher could also point out and discuss the use of dialogue which exists between the characters in this story and show students how to use dialogue with correct punctuation in their own writing.
I would recommend this Henkes picture book to any teacher who teaches pre-school to third grade.
And don’t forget the Author’s website for resources, I think I may try Chester and Wilson’s Better than Ever Peanut Butter Cookies recipe!!
http://www.kevinhenkes.com/
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