Chester the Manatee and the Very, Very, Terribly Bad Itch follows the life of a gentle manatee facing struggles from a very annoying itch. He reaches out to a young girl who helps him discover the cause of his problems. The little girl helps Chester by teaching people about keeping water clean. Chester the Manatee supports children who feel different, embrace their special characteristics.

Many thanks to Gal Haspel, Lisa Norelli, Daniel Gould, Renata Rojas, Iris Buchwald, Michael van Dijk, Beatrice Rivoira, Tina Louise, Gareth Spencer, and Anna de Torres for assistance with translations of Chester the Manatee.

There are many families currently home in isolation.

If you need a little break, let me read a story to your kids.

Manatees face a lot of challenges today. Crystal River used to be as clear as air but today it is greenish and dirty. These marine mammals are attracted to the Crystal River because of the freshwater springs that stay the same warm temperature all year round (72°F/21°C). Manatees need a stable temperature. When they get stressed by cold, they can die. The bottom vegetation that they eat has disappeared because of pollution running from the shore. This pollution includes lawn fertilizers and chemicals as well as other things. The manatees now swim a long way out into the Gulf of Mexico to feed. If they don’t get back quickly when the weather gets cold, they can die.

Manatees are also vulnerable to getting hit by boats since they surface to breathe every few minutes. Another problem that has developed over time is that the growing population has withdrawn too much freshwater from their wells. This has resulted in something called salt water intrusion. The spring that used to blow out a strong vent of freshwater, now emits saltwater and the overall flow is diminished. None of this is good news for the large population of manatees that live in Crystal River, Florida.