Perfect

by Max Amato

Overview

A fussy eraser and a mischievous pencil spar in this picture book adventure.

In this funny and light-hearted picture book, a fussy eraser tries to keep the pages clean by erasing the scribbles of a mischievous pencil. But before long, the eraser discovers what can happen when two opposing forces come together to have fun. With humor and a keen eye for play, Max Amato crafts a delightful story that reveals the joys of collaborative imagination.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545829311
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	01/29/2019
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	320L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Max Amato studied at the Tyler School of Art and is a designer, art director, author, and illustrator based in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

* "Amato's debut features two writing tools with opposing dispositions: a yellow pencil and a pink, stand-alone eraser. One likes to make marks; the other delights in eradication...Children will be amused by the relationship and intrigued with the technique, comprehending that one can draw with a pencil and an eraser-and that opposites can co-exist." — Kirkus, starred review

From the Publisher

Winter 2018

PreS-Gr 2–In an "if you can't beat 'em, join'em" tale, an uptight neatnik learns to loosen up a bit. A rectangular pink eraser works hard at keeping the pages of this book free of any marks. Along comes a rogue pencil with an attitude that finds enjoyment in taunting the eraser with swirls and smudges, dirtying up the crisp, clean pages. The two characters, with stick arms and legs and expressive facial features, begin a battle of wills. Their conflict escalates as the pencil fills more of each page with dark gray and the exhausted eraser has trouble cleaning up after him. In a "lightbulb" moment, the eraser figures out that it is possible to make pictures by strategically omitting sections of a graphite-filled page, thereby creating his own designs. When the eraser finds himself once again on a pristine page, he discovers it's boring, so he sets about remedying the situation. The yellow pencil and pink eraser—whose reasons for existing would seem to be at cross-purposes—are the only colorful elements in this clever, humorous, and otherwise white and gray picture book. VERDICT A fun read-aloud before art class or in a maker workshop.—Maryann H. Owen, Oak Creek Public Library WI

School Library Journal

★ 2018-09-30

Amato's debut features two writing tools with opposing dispositions: a yellow pencil and a pink, stand-alone eraser.

One likes to make marks; the other delights in eradication. Can this end well? Clean, white backgrounds set the stage for opening strokes and smudges easily removed. The eraser exhibits confidence, but the writing implement picks up speed, creating—in rapid succession—an impudent caricature of its nemesis, a cyclone, an army of menacing pencils, and a forest that becomes so thick it's essentially solid black. Stumped, the eraser eventually swipes at the darkness. Although the attempts leave residual texture, the effect is pleasing. A sun created by erasing leads to a galaxy, and the neatnik eraser directs a newly hewn rocket onto a fresh page, exclaiming, "Eat my dust!" Soon, however, the devilish drawer is at it again. The eraser's response—rubbed-away letters forming the book's title—reveals that this strategy brings peace with the duo's differences (and that their interactions are actually enjoyed). Employing a controlled palette for the digitally manipulated photographs and hand drawings, Amato maintains interest by animating a few deft lines into ever changing facial expressions and by varying the page designs from panels to full spreads. Surprisingly, the pencil doesn't have any lines to speak; the eraser does all the talking, albeit in brief comments.

Children will be amused by the relationship and intrigued with the technique, comprehending that one can draw with a pencil and an eraser—and that opposites can co-exist. (Picture book. 3-9)

Kirkus Reviews