Chester Raccoon and the big bad bully

K-Gr 2-This fourth title in the series that began with The Kissing Hand (Tanglewood, 2007) drips with the same cloying sentimentality that characterized the others. Chester Raccoon, his younger brother, and a friend tell Mrs. Raccoon that they want to stay home from school because they are being bullied. When they describe the various nasty things the badger does, Mother Raccoon walks them to school, then leaves them there to face another day of torment. When they return and recite another litany of abuse-"Even Owl Teacher couldn't get him to behave"-she calls all the animals together and shares a didactic tale about a forest where the creatures treasure smooth yellow stones, but then one day happen upon a unique blue one that is sharp and pointy. Working together, they chip away at the sharp points until the blue stone is just like the yellow ones. The next day, the animals go outside for recess together, confront the bully, and then ask him to play. He "squeals in delight" at the offer. Simplistic solutions of this nature do little to assist youngsters who must deal with genuine bullies whose pattern of behavior is rarely altered by the offer of a game of catch. Gibson's illustrations, although occasionally leaning toward the precious, are bright and attractive, and the faces of the animals are quite expressive. The story will have an audience where the other books are popular, but better choices to discuss bullying abound, including Alexis O'Neill's The Recess Queen (Scholastic, 2002) and Trudy Ludwig's My Secret Bully (Tricycle, 2005).-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The author of The Kissing Hand (1993) revisits her raccoon family in this sappy and didactic tale about coping with a bully. Chester and his siblings do not want to attend school; their mother finally discovers that a badger is bullying them regularly. She gives them the kissing-hand treatment and sends them off to school. When they return home and recount the bully's activities, she gathers all the schoolchildren together and tells an allegorical tale about how to smooth the rough edges of a bully. Of course, it works instantly (and without following the logic of the allegory), and they all become great friends. Jarring changes of perspective and highly anthropomorphized Disney-esque animals assault the senses with color and complete coverage of each page. The slick, Photoshopped quality of the illustrations reflects the facile text. Unfortunately, this is sure to be requested by the many adult fans of The Kissing Hand; steer them to the likes of Helen Lester's Hooway for Wodney Wat (1999) or Anthony Browne's Willy books for kid-savvy treatment. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.