Chester the Brave

November 19, 2012
In an addition to the Kissing Hand series, Penn delivers another cozy woodland story with a meandering lesson about the meaning of bravery. While Chester Raccoon’s mother tells him about a young robin that is too afraid to fly, Chester reveals his own fear: he’s afraid to recite lessons in front of the other animals at school. The story alternates between images of the frightened robin (who’s joined by his assuring father) and Chester and his mother. The message gets a little muddled (the robin learns that “Being brave was about flying when he was bothered to fly but found the courage to fly anyway because he knew he must”), but readers will comprehend the motto Chester’s mother tells him to use when he doubts himself: “Think—Tell—Do. If you think you can’t, tell yourself you can, and do it!” Ages 3–8.