Max Amato

An eraser stands confidently against a blank white page, asserting it’s “just the way I like it.” However, a pencil believes otherwise, popping in and drawing “squiggles” here and “smudges” there, until annoyed Eraser chases Pencil away (“No pencil can mess with me”). But playful Pencil’s sticking around—and, after some humorous sketches, the writing utensil gradually fills the whole page with graphite. Poor Eraser’s dismayed (“I’ll never be able to fix all of this!”), but the pink polyhedron’s movements create shapes in Pencil’s mess, like a sun, planets, and a spaceship to escape the slate-gray page. However, back on unblemished paper, could Eraser be bored? Thankfully, Pencil returns, and, working together, they happily make something special. Eraser’s commentary and exhortations make up the bulk of the spare, lively text, while Amato’s illustrations—a combination of hand-drawn elements and photos of the eraser and pencil—artfully tell the story with wry, wordless panels and droll touches of humor, all nicely conveyed with only a few lines. This entertaining debut celebrates collaboration, creativity, and how even complete opposites can eventually be friends.… (más)