When Pencil Met Eraser by German Blanco, Jr., Karen Kilpatrick, Luis O. Ramos
Published by Imprint on May 28, 2019
ISBN: 1250309395
Pages: 40
Genres: Humor
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads

When Pencil Met Eraser is a simple, delightful tale that young readers are sure to enjoy. It begins with Pencil and Eraser, two characters who are separate entities with very different goals. Pencil wants to create art all by himself; Eraser wants to “improve” it in silly ways by erasing pieces of what Pencil creates. Pencil gets more and more annoyed, until he makes a mistake and Eraser helps him to fix it. The two work together after that, creating beautiful, fun drawings that both enjoy. It is predictable, yes, but you can’t help but smile the whole time you’re reading anyway. The narrative and the pencil illustrations are short and sweet and truly have a nice flow. The only odd part is the ending, in which a group of other art supplies (a crayon, a pen, a paint brush, etc.) pop onto the page to ask Pencil and Eraser, “Whatchya doin;?” before coloring all over a final pencil drawing. The words “The End” sit opposite the drawing, with a crayon-made question mark turning it into “The End?” It’s rather cute, and makes a good point, but it’s rather abrupt and creates a lot of chaos for a young child to take in. All in all, though, this is an extremely cute read and would work well for story time.

Reviewed by Nicole Clark, Goodall Memorial Library, Sanford