Books in Himes, Chester series

A powerful story of racism that's as pertinent today as when the book was first publishedThis story of a man living every day in fear of his life for simply being black is as powerful today as it was when it was first published in 1947. The novel takes place in the space of four days in the life of Bob Jones, a black man who is constantly plagued by the effects of racism. Living in a society that is drenched in race consciousness has no doubt taken a toll on the way Jones behaves, thinks, and feels, especially when, at the end of his story, he is accused of a brutal crime he did not commit. "One of the most important American writers of the twentieth century . . . [a] quirky American genius . . ."--Walter Mosley, author of Bad Boy Brawly Brown, Devil in a Blue Dress "If He Hollers is an austere and concentrated study of black experience, set in southern California in the early forties."--Independent Publisher

Chester is more than a picture book. It is a story told, and retold, by dueling author-illustrators. Mélanie Watt starts out with the story of a mouse in a house. Then Mélanie's cat, Chester, sends the mouse packing and proceeds to cover the pages with rewrites from his red marker, and the gloves are off.Mélanie and her mouse won't take Chester's antics lying down. And Chester is obviously a creative powerhouse with confidence to spare. Where will this war of the picture-book makers lead? Is it a one-way ticket to Chesterville, or will Mélanie get her mouse production off the ground?

Chester's finally ready to write his own masterpiece --- he just needs to get Mélanie Watt out of the way! A wry take on the creative process and how good stories are constructed.When Chester (the cat) announces he's taking over for Mélanie Watt on this book due to some technical difficulties*, Mélanie begs to differ. She tells him that no one will want to publish his messy book. And she demands that he return her supplies so she can get to work. Chester insists he can create the best, most original story anyone has ever read in their entire nine lives. Only, his attempts don't quite work. Even with Mélanie's prodding, Chester struggles to find his own story to tell. Hmm ... will the real author and illustrator have the last laugh after all?*Mélanie's art supplies and computer mouse have mysteriously gone missing.Here's another hilarious Chester picture book from award-winning and bestselling author-illustrator Mélanie Watt. The story is told through the dialogue between Watt, who communicates on sticky notes, and Chester, whose comments are tucked around his creations, which sprawl across the spreads and include loads of tape, staples, and torn-out notebook paper. Chester himself, as drawn by Watt, and his trusty red marker dominate the action, and the pure silly fun makes this a popular read-aloud. Bits of humor can be found all over the pages --- including running commentary from an actual mouse --- encouraging visual literacy. With its wry take on the creative process and how good stories are constructed, this is also a perfect companion to lessons on the parts of story, including genre, setting, plot and characters.

In this uproarious sequel to Chester, the battle of the picture-book makers continues. Which author-illustrator will come out on top -- Chester or M?lanie Watt -- is anybody's guess! This time, there's no denying (in Chester's mind) that he's the star of the show. His already outsize ego has ballooned even more due to a spate of "fan mail" on the heels of his self-titled debut. As Chester sees it, who needs Melanie Watt when they have Chester? He's got no shortage of his own storytelling ideas. With heavy paw and red marker, this control-freak cat does not hesitate to commit them to paper. When Chester starts acting far too Hollywood, Melanie calls an open audition to replace the high-maintenance feline. This isn't a move that Chester will take lying down. Get ready for a seesaw comedy of dueling author-illustrators. Who will come out on top is anybody's guess!