Chester Raccoon and the Almost Perfect Sleepover (The Kissing Hand Series) - Hardcover

Audrey Penn takes her one-woman educational program, the Writing Penn, into schools, libraries, and children’s hospitals where she shapes and refines her story ideas in partnership with kids. She is also highly sought after as a conference keynote speaker by groups of teachers and other professionals who work with children.

An award-winning illustrator, Barbara Leonard Gibson was a freelance artist in the Baltimore-Washington area for twenty-five years. Originally from New York, and with a degree in Fine Art and Design from Carnegie Mellon University, she worked in many areas including historical illustration, children’s books, and magazines, cartooning, portraiture, wildlife illustration, natural sciences, advertising, fantasy, and science fiction.

PreS-Gr 1—The creators of Kissing Hand for Chester Raccoon and its sequels have collaborated on a title that offers reassurance to young ones eager to attend their first sleepover. Initially, the plot setup is confusing because Mother Raccoon calls the adventure an "overday" rather than a "sleepover," as in the title. Youngsters familiar with the kissing hand from the original book will see Chester's mother repeat her parting gesture as she leaves her son with Mrs. Opossum for his first whole day away from home. While Chester has a perfectly enjoyable time with Pepper Opossum and all his other friends, when they pause from all the activities to take a nap, Chester can't sleep, no matter how hard he tries. Wise Mother Opossum then asks him if he'd like to go home to his own hollow. Adults and children will recognize the excellent examples of politeness and good manners. One minor quibble is the unusual side story about Sassafras Skunk, who makes "stinky puffs," illustrated with a hazy purple cloud, when she is nervous or giggly or sleepy. This departure from the plot detracts from the main focus of the narrative. VERDICT While listeners will relate to the idea of a youngster going on his first sleepover, this selection may not be as popular as Penn's original book. An additional purchase.—Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA