When Pencil Met Eraser

April 1, 2019
Opposing art implements must learn to coexist in the same space and create together as one adds while the other subtracts. Change is hard, especially for Pencil. The solitary graphite artist who "loved to draw" finds his worldview challenged when Eraser comes into the picture and uses negative space to complicate the drawings. Believing art can happen only when you add to the image, Pencil has a hard time playing well with others and accepting the notion that, sometimes, less is more. In contrast, ever gleeful Eraser sees potential and beauty in removing. When Pencil challenges Eraser to create art from his chaotic lines, Eraser deftly gives Pencil something he cannot resist: a maze. Eraser's creativity opens Pencil to the possibility that, perhaps, there might be more to art than making lines on a paper. The two become fast friends as the potential for their creativity doubles when combining forces. Debut illustrator Blanco creates endearing endpapers that serve as mirrors to the story. Although this is a creative concept, it comes after Max Amato's Perfect (2019), which covers similar conceptual territory. However, through Kilpatrick and Ramos' text, Pencil and Eraser entangle in a deeper dialogue than Amato's implements do, and further potential for disaster--or so Pencil would think--is humorously foreshadowed by more art utensils coming into the picture. An imaginative and engaging look into artistic possibility. (Picture book. 4-8)

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May 1, 2019

K-Gr 2-Pencil and Eraser may be inseparable now, but that was not always the case. From the beginning of the story, Pencil is obsessed with drawing and loves working alone. Enter Eraser: a happy-go-lucky companion who sees Pencil's drawings and does what Eraser does best: erase! While Eraser believes that the select removal of some of Pencil's work makes the picture better, Pencil does not agree. Their disagreements continue until one day, Pencil, like everyone does at one point or another, makes a mistake. This mistake makes Pencil realize the potential of Eraser, and it changes the course of the book. A silly, relatable story about friendship and the importance of collaboration, readers young and old alike will love this imagining of the dynamic duo that is Pencil and Eraser. Using a blend of pencil drawings and computer generated imagery, every page provides delightful stimulation both for one-on-one readers and for larger audiences. Each character has a unique font and, due to the nature of charcoal on paper, the characters are the only parts of the page in color. VERDICT This is a fun and enjoyable story to add to library and storytime shelves.-Mary Lanni, Denver Public Library

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2019
"Pencil liked to work alone." So imagine its chagrin when little pink Eraser comes on the scene, undermining Pencil's work. Eraser's effacing marks on Pencil's charcoal-colored drawings will win over the reader as they ultimately win over Pencil: Eraser calms Pencil's choppy ocean waves, etches star shapes into Pencil's night sky ("Look! Now we can stargaze"), and more.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)