My Pencil and Meby Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 6 Sara likes to make comics, but sometimes it's hard, so she turns to her friend, a pencil, for help. Sara's dog is supportive.This review is of an Advanced Reader's Edition. The book is scheduled for release in the end of September 2020. I am unfamiliar with the price of children's' books, but $19 seems really high. However, it is a large, good-quality book in full color, and it's a cute story. The story does a nice job of going over how to create a story, including some normal apprehensions and some excellent suggestions and encouragement. There's a nice mix of familiar with imaginary, as Sara creates characters for her story. I can't tell who's who in the "real friends versus imaginary friends" baseball game because there's only one other human, but for young kids (the target audience), that probably won't be an issue. The conflict is well handled, with the pencil pushing for it and then being at the center of it; there's a creative solution as well. The end of the story shows it to be somewhat autobiographical and / or meta. It includes a picture of the creator with her dog and pencil, and then this very book in the window of a bookstore (using a real photograph and other First Second books). This can be a fun detail for kids to see, and it can add some realism to the story's message. The art is cute and simple, with a style that the target audience may find familiar to their own art. I like the designs of the imaginary friends -- colorful "monsters". The dog's feet, however, really REALLY bother me; they're like floppy hands with too-few fingers. It's the same hands and fingers most of the other characters have, but they look so wrong on the dog -- maybe monkey-ish? During the baseball game, the dog's hind feet look more like the one-toe-solid-foot, which is much less disturbing, but I wonder at the switch. Overall, it's cute with an easy-to-follow message / story. Written: May 27, 2020
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