Perfect

An eraser and a pencil come into conflict in this debut picture-book from author/artist Max Amato, the former preferring the page to be pristine and white, the latter happiest when the page is full of scribbles. At first the eraser tries to keep up with the pencil, "fixing" the messes he has made, but eventually he discovers that is he works with the smudges, he can create beautiful art. It turns out that the pencil and the eraser are perfect together...

An engaging examination of the creative process, and how seemingly oppositional impulses - the "free spirit" embodied by the pencil, the desire for order represented by the eraser - can be harnessed together to produce worthwhile results, Perfect is a book I appreciated, more than I show more enjoyed. The theme of creativity, and using "mistakes" to make art has also been explored in such titles as What If... and The Book of Mistakes, both of which I prefer, from an aesthetic perspective. That said, I really did like the idea of using the eraser to "reveal" images, as it were, as this reminded me of illustrator Floyd Cooper's methodology, in which he does just that, using an eraser on painted panels, slowly creating images that way. Recommended to readers looking for new picture-books about creating art, and working with what you have (including pencil scribbles). show less

An eraser stands confidently against a blank white page, asserting it’s “just the way I like it.” However, a pencil believes otherwise, popping in and drawing “squiggles” here and “smudges” there, until annoyed Eraser chases Pencil away (“No pencil can mess with me”). But playful Pencil’s sticking around—and, after some humorous sketches, the writing utensil gradually fills the whole page with graphite. Poor Eraser’s dismayed (“I’ll never be able to fix all of this!”), but the pink polyhedron’s movements create shapes in Pencil’s mess, like a sun, planets, and a spaceship to escape the slate-gray page. However, back on unblemished paper, could Eraser be bored? Thankfully, Pencil returns, and, working show more together, they happily make something special. Eraser’s commentary and exhortations make up the bulk of the spare, lively text, while Amato’s illustrations—a combination of hand-drawn elements and photos of the eraser and pencil—artfully tell the story with wry, wordless panels and droll touches of humor, all nicely conveyed with only a few lines. This entertaining debut celebrates collaboration, creativity, and how even complete opposites can eventually be friends. show less

{My thoughts} – Perfect is a brilliantly written picture book. The eraser in this book is constantly trying to keep things perfectly clean on each of the pages. Pencil however, is the complete opposite, drawing and scribbling and making so many messes that eraser is always cleaning up.

I really enjoyed this book with my daughter. It helped to show that even though messes are made, that they can be cleaned up. It also helped to show her that some messes can be made into something beautiful!

The pages in this book are written in short sentences and have really simple illustrations. It is easy to understand and easy to follow along with. My daughter seemed to enjoy having the book read to her. She even wanted to read it again.

I show more recommend this book for any child. It is one of those books that can have the greatest impact. It's a simple and easy to read book. Hopefully it has the potential to become a much loved book in your home as it seems to be on the path of becoming in our home. show less

I was very pleasantly surprised by this clever, playful and hilarious battle of the wits between a pencil and an eraser. Recommended for readers of all ages.

This silly book follows a meticulous eraser who has to clean up after a persistent pencil in an effort to keep the pages spotless. Over the course of the story, the eraser learns that it can be fun to work together and to have things be a little messy sometimes.

I thought this was a humorous book with cute pictures (which seem to be photos with drawings on top of them) that teaches kids to maintain a growth mindset and to step out of their comfort zone. This would be a great book to have class discussions about, especially pertaining to teamwork, growth mindsets, and comfort zones. This could be a good read for all ages, but elementary school students would probably enjoy it the most.

A pencil and an eraser are always fighting when suddenly, they are able to discover what happens when they work together.

love the play between writing and erasing/pencils and eraser