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Chester
Chester, a wild horse who wants to be tame, comes to the city looking for a home. ‘Reading for fun: the artist’s sense of pacing makes this book race along.’ —Saturday Review.
64 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
About the author
Syd Hoff
196 books66 followersWhether you’re seven or seventy, the chances are you’ve probably come in contact with one of his many books (150 plus), or cartoons that have appeared in over 200 magazines in the course of his lifetime, including Laugh it Off which was syndicated for 20 years. His comic strip Tuffy, about a little girl who did funny things, was declared essential for national morale during WWII by William Randolph Hearst.
Syd has worked in diverse genres. He had the distinct honor of working with Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen as a contributor of short fiction writing. He was awarded national advertising commissions for large companies such as Chevrolet, Maxwell House Coffee and others. He had his own TV show (Tales of Hoff on CBS), traveled the world as entertainment on cruise ships and entertained children and teachers in schools and libraries across the country.
Syd has worked in diverse genres. He had the distinct honor of working with Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen as a contributor of short fiction writing. He was awarded national advertising commissions for large companies such as Chevrolet, Maxwell House Coffee and others. He had his own TV show (Tales of Hoff on CBS), traveled the world as entertainment on cruise ships and entertained children and teachers in schools and libraries across the country.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
June 20, 2018
Predictable and cute!
March 28, 2023
This book tells the story of a wild horse named Chester in his wish to be loved, cared for, and kept by someone. Chester goes all around trying to find where he fits in, but does not seem to find where he fits in. He tries to be a carousel horse, a horse statue of a monument, and pull a plow, but none of it fits who Chester is. Chester then gets captured and taken to a farm where he lives in stables. He ends up being loved and cared for on the farm with other horses by a family, getting exactly what he wanted. The great message of finding where you belong, where you’re cared for, and the comfortable feeling of being around people who love you weather you started there or not. A great read for young readers to understand their value, fitting in, and being inclusive and loving of everyone so they all can feel like Chester does on the farm. The illustrations in my copy are done in a relaxing smooth colored pencil format, and give a comforting and cute visualization for young readers to see all that Chester goes through. I would read this cute book to younger students and to my children to show them how it is not easy to initially just fit in, but with time you can find what you need and where you belong.
April 24, 2016
I remember this book vividly. It was one of the good things about my childhood. That being said, I have no idea what happened to my childhood copy.
Chester is an entirely sympathetic protagonist -- no matter what your age happens to be. And you've gotta love a book where a talking horse raises no eyebrows whatsoever.
Chester is an entirely sympathetic protagonist -- no matter what your age happens to be. And you've gotta love a book where a talking horse raises no eyebrows whatsoever.
March 5, 2017
My dad remembers this as the first book he ever read on his own. He still has his childhood copy. We read it together today as a joke/sentimental moment and it is HILARIOUS! I see so much of his sense of humor in this book. Must read and must own for sure.
October 16, 2021
Chester by Syd Hoff- Children’s Illustrated Colour Picture Book- Chester is a wild horse from West America. He has not been tamed. Some persons came to the forest. They saw that Chester could not walk and run fast, therefore, Chester was not tamed. Chester arrives in the city and finds that he can neither be milked like a cow nor lay eggs like a hen or duck. Still, when a fire brigade car does start, Chester pulls the car to the spot of fire. Ultimately, he is owned by a stable owner. The message from this book is basic premise is to never give up on your hopes and dreams, because everyone deserves to get the opportunity to have great experiences. Don't be afraid to try new things even if you are a wild horse out of place in society. Be who you want to be and don't let others deter you from your hopes and dreams! I have read this book in Hindi language. Coloured illustrations help the reader to relate to the story.
January 12, 2023
Loved this book about the poor unwanted horse more than I can express. This was from my first grade classroom library and I read it just about every day. It would have been way below my level the year before, but I'd been going through a particularly bad autistic regression and literally watched on in real time as I lost more brain functionality and skills every day. I also had negative zero concentration, so the full page illustrations and the fact that horses were my "special interest" back then was a great incentive to pick this up. The story appealed to an ostracized, adopted kid from a crappy home environment. I definitely felt Chester's pain. Read in '86-'87 and remember vividly to this day.
September 10, 2018
This is a heartwarming tale about a horse finding himself. The basic premise is to never give up on your hopes and dreams, because everyone deserves to get the opportunity to have great experiences. Don't be afraid to try new things even if you are a wild horse out of place in society. Be who you want to be and don't let others deter you from your hopes and dreams!
July 7, 2023
Predictable, yet cute, thanks to Hoff's very comic strip art style. The story is about a horse named Chester who wants to go with the other wild horses, but Chester isn't wild and must find his inner wild in order to be like all the others. After writing this I realize this book is about conformity. LOL. My rating - 2/5
February 12, 2023
Chester is a vibrant horse, a story that’s long been endearing to many a horse-lover. An upbeat storyline that, despite its age, is wonderful and reminds us all that it feels wonderful to be taken care of!
December 21, 2017
Really cute. :)
March 30, 2018
Grayson really liked his book. It was okay to me.
August 1, 2018
A horse finds himself.
December 1, 2018
Easy read and love the pictures. Good for new readers
January 15, 2020
he's a great author
January 29, 2020
I read it like 3 times!
July 4, 2021
I guess Chester wasn't the brightest crayon in the box when he told the cowboys to "please put a rope on me." But at least he made a little boy happy.
November 2, 2021
Chester is a wild horse who longs for domestication.
Read
February 1, 2022FS: "Chester was a wild horse."
LS:
LS:
April 13, 2022
Cool blast from the past.
October 1, 2016
I thought this was an ok book. my daughter who loves horses loved this book. it's a good book for beginner readers.
November 2, 2016
Chester is a mustang. He would prefer to not be a wild horse though, as he wants to be with people and be taken care of, so when the cowboys come he doesn't run away. Then the cowboys think there must be something wrong with him, so they don't take him home and he journeys into town by himself, eventually finding a place to be home.
This is an easy reader, so mustang isn't used anywhere in the book, though that is the correct word for Chester and the other "wild horses". (Okay, I'll turn off the horseperson now.) Chester's journey isn't really "fun" as he goes through a lot of rejection, but his cheerfulness and the eventual happy ending of the story make it a good one. Though the content is a bit dated (mostly the fashions people are wearing), an out-of-place horse looking for a home can't help but hook the animal lovers and keep them reading for the happy ending. (Could be an interesting compare contrast with Hoff's other mustang story "Thunderhoof".)
No content issues.
May 10, 2015
Personal Response- I liked the book because horses are my favorite animal and the story was cute and funny. The colored pencil illustrations are great for beginner readers because they are simple. I enjoyed how Chester went on an adventure to find someone to care for him and I think beginning readers will like the adventure and humor just as I did.
Purpose in the Classroom- The book would be a great read aloud to Kindergartners through first graders. The text is large and few on a page and the vocabulary is simple with basic words that beginning readers would likely understand. The book has a simple story line and kids will love to listen about a horse wanting to be loved and cared for by a human. The teacher could use the book to demonstrate how to read a book from left to right as well.
Purpose in the Classroom- The book would be a great read aloud to Kindergartners through first graders. The text is large and few on a page and the vocabulary is simple with basic words that beginning readers would likely understand. The book has a simple story line and kids will love to listen about a horse wanting to be loved and cared for by a human. The teacher could use the book to demonstrate how to read a book from left to right as well.
August 30, 2013
A charming and engaging early reader, with sweet colored pencil illustrations. A little dated, but that didn't seem to affect my little five year old. Made me think of Robert the Rose Horse (not sure which of these came first), with its very similar story line of a horse trying to find its place.
February 18, 2012
I have always loved Chester! This horse with his colored pencil illustrations, just wants someone to love him. He runs all over the place trying to fit in and be what others may want so that somebody, anybody will love him.
Good old Chester.
Good old Chester.
February 14, 2014
A fun book for early readers. Use of basic words and a great straightforward story. An interesting story about Chester, the wild horse who just wants to be loved and cared for in a stable. He has many adventures on his way.
February 27, 2015
What can I say. I am a Syd Hoff fan. Mine is a copyright 1961 edition. His pictures look like each individual book was colored in with crayons. Syd Hoff does the story AND pictures in his books and I love his style.
August 12, 2008
Favorite part: When the kids said GIDDYAP! and Chester ran.
November 23, 2008
Tried to read this with LittleDude Friday, but he was bored. Was a first edition from 1961. At least LittleDude was impressed with the age of the book :-)
March 15, 2010
Oh I loved this book when I was a kid. I'd read it over and over. Nothing like a story about horses and love.
September 11, 2010
Any book that makes Eva laugh so hard has to be good.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews