Chesty’s the besty for Marine Corps kids - Entertainment, Books - Army Times

Chesty’s the besty for Marine Corps kids

Gangway, Dr. Seuss! Chesty the bulldog is on a mission. Traveling from boot camp to Baghdad and back, Chesty has no time for Thing 1, Thing 2 or the Cat in the Hat — but he may be having just as much fun.

“My wife was pregnant with our first baby [Austin] in 2008, and I read books to him while he was still in the womb,” says Capt. Brandon W. Barnett, a judge advocate for the commandant of the Marine Corps.

The expectant parents couldn’t find a kids’ book about Marines, so Barnett took matters into his own hands. The result: a colorful, hardback, rhyming children’s book in which Chesty, the Corps’ mascot, teaches children about the world of Marines.

“The idea was to simply portray the many things Marines do,” Barnett says.

He reached out to publisher Mascot Books, and “A Salute to Our Heroes: The U.S. Marines” was published in April, a month before the Barnetts’ second son, Graham, was born.

Barnett didn’t plan for every illustration to feature Chesty, but illustrator Rebecca Wochner did just that.

It turned out to be a good idea, Barnett says, because younger kids love looking for Chesty on each page.

A portion of proceeds from the book are donated to the Semper Fi Fund, a nonprofit group that provides financial support for injured Marines. The book is available at bookstores and online. Copies may also be purchased or donated to Marine families by clicking here.