With a new school year upon us, I was on a library hunt for a book or two on the topic to read with my kiddos. My find, When Pencil Met Eraser, is not your usual back-to-school read, but that’s why I like it. As Home Learners, my children cannot relate to most of the books written about school experiences, but all students use pencils and erasers, so all can enjoy this silly tale. And that we did!
When Pencil Met Eraser is about a solitary Pencil who loves to draw, but he quickly finds himself in conflict with Eraser, who erases all over Pencil’s drawings! Eraser is only doing what he is created to do, and he transforms each of Pencil’s drawings with such imagination, but his efforts go thoroughly unappreciated. Eventually, Eraser does win Pencil over in a fun and unexpected way, and we read on as they become friends and create together.
The main thing that amplifies this already entertaining storyline is that, not only do we read about Pencil’s initial indignation and irritation with dear Eraser, but we can SEE it as well. I have never seen simple line-drawn arms and hands and basic facial features be so expressive! The illustrator for this story could not have been more perfectly chosen. The kids and I giggled our way through this book, taking in the drama fully through word and picture. And of course they had to enjoy it with their Artist Daddy as well. :)
The author’s purpose in writing When Pencil Met Eraser could be many: a good laugh, an easing of anxiety about all things school, or even a lesson about true friendship. But I loved the open-endedness of the final pages of this book; it felt to me like an invitation to the reader to be creative and not limit their imaginations. But no matter the take-away, your children will enjoy When Pencil Met Eraser any day of the year!
When Pencil Met Eraser by Karen Kilpatrick & Luis O. Ramos, Jr.
Published in 2019
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