Edward McLachlan (1940–2024)

Every time Simon draws something with his chalks, his creation ends in the Land of Chalk Drawings. Simon discovers this fantastic land one morning on his way to school, when one stick boy he had drawn asks him to cross to the other side of the fence where his own drawings need some help. Once Simon is on the other side, the black and white picture turns colorful, and full of animals, trees, flowers, kids, a train, the sun, and even Simon's teacher.

This is the pattern in the stories. Simon show more draws in his board, and then he is called to fix some kind of problem or situation he has created with his new drawing. Unfinished drawings want to be completed. The drawings are being drilled non stop by Simon's soldiers. A dinosaur is terrifying everyone. Or the drawings are curious about this new object in the land, that happens to be the rocket Simon drew the night before. Simon always fix the problem using his chalk, and resume his way to school after having some fun in the Land of Chalk Drawings.

The drawings are cute and the stories are funny. I would recommend to read the stories as four different picture books, since the repetition of the pattern could weaken the effect. But I'm sure that reading them in different moments would make a entertaining reading.

Age range: 3 to 5 years old.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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