Sam & Eva

by Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Debbie Ridpath Ohi (Illustrator)

Overview

Harold and the Purple Crayon meets Tom and Jerry in this sweet and funny picture book about a boy and girl who must balance their creativity and figure out how to cooperate after their drawings come to life.

When Sam starts drawing a super cool velociraptor, Eva decides to join in. But Sam isn’t too happy about the collaboration. Soon Eva and Sam are locked in an epic creative clash, bringing to life everything from superhero marmots to exploding confetti. But when their masterpieces turn to mayhem, will Sam stay stubbornly solo or will he realize that sometimes the best work comes from teamwork?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481416283
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	10/17/2017
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,149,136
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD410L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Debbie Ridpath Ohi is the author of Where Are My Books?. Her illustrations also appear in Sea Monkey and Bob, written by Aaron Reynolds; I’m Bored (a New York Times Notable Book), Naked!, and I’m Sorry, written by Michael Ian Black; as well as ten Judy Blume chapter books and middle grade titles. For more info, visit DebbieOhi.com or @InkyElbows on Twitter.

Debbie Ridpath Ohi is the author of Where Are My Books?. Her illustrations also appear in Sea Monkey and Bob, written by Aaron Reynolds; I’m Bored (a New York Times Notable Book), Naked!, and I’m Sorry, written by Michael Ian Black; as well as ten Judy Blume chapter books and middle grade titles. For more info, visit DebbieOhi.com or @InkyElbows on Twitter.

Editorial Reviews

08/14/2017
Ohi (Where Are My Books?) celebrates creativity and cooperation in this story of two young artists, Sam and Eva, who don’t see eye to eye (they can’t even agree on a medium—she uses paint, he prefers chalk). “I like your pony,” Eva says, walking onto the scene as Sam is seen drawing on a blank, white wall. “It’s a velociraptor,” Sam replies tersely. Thus begins a series of assumptions and disagreements that escalate as their drawings spring to life and do battle: Eva’s orange marmot is revealed to be a secret superhero, Sam’s raptor shoots lightning from his eyes, pianos fall, confetti explodes, and Eva stomps off, tired of fighting for control over the story unfolding in their artwork. Ohi paints the children in grayscale, letting the vivid, colorful chaos of their mural-in-progress reflect the intensity of their feelings and the wildness of their imaginations. Eventually the two reconcile, and although the final pages tease another potential argument, readers will finish the book confident that these two will work through their creative differences once again. Ages 4–8. Agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

This whimsical picture book, with its refreshing take on imagination, is ideal for teaching young readers the value of teamwork.

November 14, 2017 - Quill & Quire

09/01/2017
PreS-Gr 2—Sam and Eva are friends who a penchant for drawing. Eva drops by one day as Sam is working on a drawing, and mayhem ensues when the girl decides to turn it into a group project. "'I like your pony,' Eva said. 'It's a velociraptor,' said Sam." When she suggests some changes, Sam quickly erases her efforts, so she begins to add something else. "'Who said you could add a cat?' asked Sam. 'It's not a cat.' Eva said, 'It's a marmot.''' When it turns out that Sam's velociraptor is hungry and begins eyeing the marmot, Eva quickly draws a larger creature. Sam retaliates with an even larger creature, and things head south as Sam and Eva both become annoyed. Eva walks off in a huff, declaring "I don't like this story anymore.'" Sam tries to continue drawing, but the artwork takes on a life of its own as both sides of the creation attempt to outshine the other. Eva realizes that the time has come to start a new story, and she quickly draws an exit strategy for her and Sam: a small door, where they scoot through the cacophony of color to emerge on the other side of a plain white page and begin a new collaboration. "'I like your unicorn,' said Sam. 'It's a triceratops,' said Eva." Clever use of digital art showcases Eva and Sam in grayscale against white pages, which allows their colorful artwork to pop off the page in this homage to creativity and working together. VERDICT Fans of Crockett Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon and the more recent trilogy of Journey, Return, and Quest by Aaron Becker will appreciate this tale of artistic identity. Fun to read aloud or share with a small group.—Lisa Kropp, Lindenhurst Memorial Library, NY

School Library Journal

2017-07-17
A power tussle between two kids plays out through mischievous drawings."Sam had just begun to draw when Eva arrived." Sam looks surprised to see Eva appear; Eva smiles broadly. Eva compliments Sam's pony, sketched in a few green lines; "It's a velociraptor," corrects Sam, unthrilled. Eva "suggest[s] a collaboration" by adding to Sam's drawing without permission; Sam "decline[s]" by smudging out Eva's work with a rag. Their canvas is the blank white wall of whatever room they're in; Eva paints on it, Sam draws on it. They seesaw control over the mural's content: Sam's giant piano falls from the sky to squash Eva's creatures; Eva changes the piano into confetti and makes it tickle the creatures instead of squashing them. Eva, metafictively, paints over the text's descriptions and rewords them to match her newest drawing. Ohi's illustrations are digital. The childlike drawings on the wall are in color but bland; however, the kids themselves, rendered in black and white, sparkle. Eva, who's Asian, and Sam, who's black, are full of movement, their postures and facial expressions different on every spread. When their mural becomes frantic and out of hand, the kids escape in a way that Crockett Johnson's Harold would be proud of. Expressive, high-spirited one-upkidship via artwork on walls—there's nothing wrong with that. (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews