Chester Raccoon and the Acorn Full of Memories by Audrey Penn

Chester Raccoon and the Acorn Full of Memories Reviews

• 
  Christy

  Chester Raccoon's good friend Skiddel Squirrel has had an accident and will not be returning - ever. Chester is upset that he won't get to play with his friend anymore. Mrs. Raccoon suggests that Chester and his friends create some memories of Skiddel, so that they will have good memories when they miss him. Chester, his brother Ronny, and their friends decide to gather at the pond, where they combine their memories and create a touching celebration of their friend's life.
  
  Many young children must face the loss of loved ones or the need to attend a funeral. This sweet story will help children to understand the positive purpose behind memorial services and how "making memories" can provide cheer and comfort when missing an absent loved one.
• 
  Sarah

  
  I was a bit surprised when the book outright stated Chester's friend had passed away. Some children may not understand the concept of death, and this would be an interesting way to show the process of preserving someone's memory, through sharing memories or having a token that reminded them of that lost friend.
• 
  Lynn A. Davidson

  Chester Raccoon's friend Skiddil Squirrel met with an accident and died, so Chester is very upset. This story will help children understand more about when a loved one or a pet dies, and the idea of making memories about the one they lost.
• 
  Wendy Keel

  This is such a cute fun book to read. It is easy to read and understand, full of great images and will make both you and your children happy. I find when we read this story we both end up smiling a lot.
• 
  Rosemary

  I have read other books about Chester Raccoon and liked them. I didn't realize this book was about death and would not find it appropriate to read casually to my class.
• 
  Melissa

  James Blackwood ❤️ 🦝 🌭 🍝 🥮 🍇 🥪 🦝 ❤️
• 
  SilverNediya

  ای جان، عزیزم
  !
  دم غروبی این چی بود دلمون رو مچاله کرد
  درمورد شیوه‌ی تصویرپردازی‌ش شک دارم 5 ستاره رو بدم یا نه؛ انتظار داشتم واسه همچین داستانی متفاوت‌تر باشه . خیلی براق و رنگ‌ولعابی بود
• 
  Melissa Roach

  Description:
  Chester Raccoon's good friend Skiddel Squirrel has had an accident and will not be returning - ever (because he passed away). Chester is upset that he won't get to play with his friend anymore. Mrs. Raccoon suggests that Chester and his friends create some memories of Skiddel, so that they will have good memories when they miss him. Chester, his brother Ronny, and their friends decide to gather at the pond, where they combine their memories and create a touching celebration of their friend's life.
  
  Many young children must face the loss of loved ones or the need to attend a funeral. This sweet story will help children to understand the positive purpose behind memorial services and how "making memories" can provide cheer and comfort when missing an absent loved one.
  
  My thoughts...
  When someone leaves, or passes away it can be so incredibly hard to understand - especially to a child. This book does a great job of teaching children how to celebrate the life of a loved one...Mrs. Raccoon helps Chester remember all the great memories of his friend. Even as an adult, death is something that is incredibly hard for me to deal with - I understand that it happens to everyone and that its okay to be sad - but this book stands as a great reminder...to remember the good times, make a new memory and celebrate the life that once was.
  
  I would recommend this book for counselors, teachers and parents alike...this is a book that would only be appropriate to deal with grief of some kind - whether it be a friend, family member, pet or someone that is close to your child in some way. I am so glad that this book was written for children...as I said earlier, there are some topics that are incredibly hard to discuss and death is definitely at the top of the list. Books like this one are great to help children understand why certain things happen and what they can do to feel better.
• 
  Julie Witt

  My Opinion: This was such a sad yet poignant little book. For everyone who has ever been asked what being dead means from a child who has lost a friend or loved one, you know how hard it is to answer that question. I thought Audrey Penn did a phenomenal job with it. When Chester Raccoon's friend Skiddel Squirrel has an accident and his teacher tells the class he will not be returning ever again, he wants to know what happened and why. His mother tells him just like old Mr. Beaver, "His heart quit beating and his body didn't work any more." Chester now understands, and "his insides felt jumbled and he was very sad." I think that's a wonderful way to describe this feeling in language a child would understand.
  
  When Chester is still upset, Mrs. Raccoon suggests that they make a memory of Skiddil Squirrel, "that way you'll never forget him." She explains what that means and they set out to go to one of Skiddil Squirrels favorite places to play, and along the way they pick up a whole slew of friends who want to make a memory of him as well.
  
  As usual, Audrey Penn takes a very difficult subject down to a child's level, not telling too much or too little, and makes it easier to understand. Also as usual, Barbara Leonard Gibson's illustrations are spot on and adorable to boot.
  
  I highly recommend this book to parents who are trying to help their little one understand and deal with death and give it a special 5 stars :D
• 
  Kris - My Novelesque Life

  4 STARS
  
  (I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
  
  "Chester Raccoon's good friend Skiddel Squirrel has had an accident and will not be returning - ever. Chester is upset that he won't get to play with his friend anymore. Mrs. Raccoon suggests that Chester and his friends create some memories of Skiddel, so that they will have good memories when they miss him. Chester, his brother Ronny, and their friends decide to gather at the pond, where they combine their memories and create a touching celebration of their friend's life.
  
  Many young children must face the loss of loved ones or the need to attend a funeral. This sweet story will help children to understand the positive purpose behind memorial services and how "making memories" can provide cheer and comfort when missing an absent loved one." (From Amazon)
  
  A great picture book for young kids and parents will have fun reading it.
• 
  Sevenponds

  
  Chester Raccoon has lost a close friend, and he doesn’t understand why. In the tender story by Audrey Penn, beautifully illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson, Chester Raccoon and the Acorn Full of Memories helps Chester and his friends celebrate the life of their friend who won’t be returning to play anymore.
  
  This children’s book touches on issues both of the loss of young people and of older people, through the eyes of kids. Children may not understand the meaning or implications of death, and stories like this help explain this part of our lives simply and gently for them. Chester Raccoon teaches kids what it means to lose someone.
  
  [Continued]
  
  Full SevenPonds review:
  
  http://blog.sevenponds.com/lending-in...
• 
  Amy

  I’m reviewing this book for NetGalley.
  
  Chester Raccoon and the Acorn Full of Memories is another children’s book about Chester Raccoon. Chester comes home to his mom one day and tells her that his teacher said his friend, Skiddil Squirrel had an accident. When his mom asks him more questions, it’s revealed that Skiddil died. Chester is really sad, so his mother tells him that he can make memories of his friend so he won’t be as sad.
  
  I loved the pictures in this book. This book can gently introduce the concept of death to a child and that even though someone is dead the people affected will always have memories of them.
  
  
• 
  Beverly McCall

  One of the most difficult concepts for any young child to understand is the concept of Death and the grieving process. Audrey Penn successful conveys the tale of how a mother, Mrs. Raccoon, helps her son, Chester, deal with the passing of a fellow student. Ms. Penn tactfully shares the strategies that a mother uses in helping a child understand the concept of Death. Teaching her son to use cherished memories of his friend will help ease the pain. Each precious memory links her son to his friend. I particularly enjoyed Penn's style with dialog. The conversation between mother and son was clear and concise. There was no rambling. This is a good book to add to a family's library.
• 
  Jessica

  My kids have loved Chester Racoon since The Kissing Hand and this story is no exception! This is a great way to teach kids about death and how to deal with death and the sadness and grief that comes with it. Chester's mom is supporting and sympathetic and has the great idea of making a memory of Chester's squirrel friend. Not only did Chester make a memory, but the trees made of a memory of him too. The pictures are colorful and cute and my kids love to study the pages. This was yet another great book by Audrey Penn!
• 
  Heather Fineisen

  This is a sweet story about making memories. My 8 year old was initially put off by the accidental death of Chester's friend but became reflective of our own losses and making special memories as we read together. This is a great book to generate a talk between parent and child on a tough subject. After reading this, my daughter started asking questions about her grandpa, my father who died when I was eight. She said she didn't want to make me sad by asking about him, but now she understands the memories make me feel happy. Great illustrations and great message!
• 
  Tiffany

  I admit, this was an accidental purchase. I hit "try a sample" but for some reason it bought it for me. That's never happened before, and I was going to return it.....but my 4 year old does love Chester.
  
  This is a super sweet but sad story about dealing with loss. Chester's squirrel friend had an accident apparently, which made my 4 year old very upset. After we finished the story though, he liked how they made and talked about memories they had with the squirrel. This is a must have if you are trying to explain loss to a child.
• 
  Margo Tanenbaum

  Chester the Raccoon from The Kissing Hand deals with the death of a friend in this sensitively done book. His mother tries to explain to him how his friend Skiddil Squirrel won't be coming back, and works with him to make some memories of Skiddil that will help him remember his friend. As Chester and his friends gather at the pond they played at with Skiddil, they remember how he loved butterflies and acorns, and take home acorns in remembrance of him.
• 
  Abbey

  
  
  This children's book is a must read for anyone. It is a heart warming story about friendship and taking bad news and turning it in to something good. Chester the raccoon has a friend that he finds out he will never see again. At first he really sad, but the more time goes on the more the Chester learns to accept the fact and find ways to remember his friend.
  This is a great book to have in the classroom on a library for students to enjoy a nice, good story!
• 
  Jay

  yet again a lovely story from Chester Raccoon & his mum.
  this time they're dealing with the loss of a friend. Chester doesn't understand what has happened to his friend Skiddil Squirrel, and then fells sad after Mrs Raccoon explains to him what it means that Skiddil died.
  with the help of his mum, Chester is able to create some lovely memories of Skiddil that he can keep forever & never forget his friend.
  a touching little story
  
  ** thanks to NetGalley & the publishers for this copy!
• 
  Pepper

  Chester Raccoon lost his friend, Skiddil Squirrel. His mother tries to help Chester feel less sad by remembering positive memories about Skiddil Squirrel and keeping a token for a memory.
  
  I find this book to be a good way to remind children to remember the good things and let go of the bad in the case of death. It is far better to keep the memory alive than to wallow in the sadness of death.
• 
  Kimberly

  Chester's Lesson of Memory Making
  
  The death of a loved one, friend or family, is difficult for all ages. Here, Mother helps Chester and his woodland friends make memories of a squirrel friend, to cherish every time they miss their friend. Such a positive way to view the passing of a loved one!
  
  Thank you Net Galley, Tanglewood Press and Audrey Penn for the digital edition I was able to read.
• 
  Gina

  From the author of popular children's book, The Kissing Hand, comes a sweet little story of the young raccoon dealing with his friend Squirrel's death. This story was originally recommended to me to read to our kids when our dog died, but it was just now that we received a copy. Good story to help share memories of a loved one lost.
• 
  Mekia

  Chester the Raccoon is dealing with the death of a friend, and his mom helps him do that by making a memory of his friend.
  
  Great book to teach children about how to deal with the death of a family member
• 
  Kathy

  Chester Raccoon and the Acorn Full of Memories would be a great book to use with children when someone passes away. Chester's friend squirrel dies in an accident. Chester's mom helps him by teaching him how to make a memory to remind him of his friend. Great illustrations.