PENCIL

Move over, Pencil; Tablet’s in town…but what happens when Tablet breaks?

Jackson has a special relationship with Pencil. If Pencil isn’t tucked behind his ear, Pencil is in Jackson’s hand. “They scribbled and sketched.…They had loads of fun until… // …Tablet moved in.” Tablet makes Pencil feel “like #2.” Pencil’s fate gets worse and worse. He is dropped on the floor, chewed by the dog, and ends up in the junk drawer, where Scissors and Ruler treat him roughly. But then Jackson’s older sister, Jasmine, notices Pencil in the drawer and sticks him behind her ear. Pencil is elated—though he still endures snide remarks from Tablet. When Tablet falls to the floor and breaks, Jackson is inconsolable. Pencil tries desperately to cheer Jackson up, but nothing works…until he enlists his old companions from the drawer, Scissors, Paper Clip, Flashlight, Tape, and the rest. Jackson finally smiles again, and all the supplies end as friends, with pages full of puns. Pencil concludes, “I’ll be drawing on your friendship…and after all, that really is the point!” The illustrations feature expressive, googly-eyed implements and realistic children and animals interacting against a white background. Jackson and Jasmine are black, and Jasmine has voluminous natural hair.

An overload of fun puns will have many readers giggling through to the openly sweet moral at the end.