Starred Review The little boy Harold, who picked up a purple crayon and drew himself into different landscapes in the classic Harold and the Purple Crayon, may be the inspiration for this madcap foray into drawing, imagination, and sibling play. After all, the action starts with little girl Fern handing her brother, Horn, her favorite purple crayon. He can't draw the flowers, bees, butterflies, birds, caterpillars, and orange trees with which Fern has already covered the windows, curtains, couch, and living room floor, so instead Horn draws a giant elephant, who promptly stomps all over Fern's nature drawings. Fern has to come up with a solution, so she designs a tree, filling its branches with cut-outs of stars that the elephant can't reach. Horn responds with a huge polar bear that eats all the stars. Their artistic back-and-forth escalates until Fern throws chocolate chip cookies at Horn's dragon attacking her castle d a truce is finally reached. Gay's illustrations, done in acrylic, watercolor, pencil, and collage, are wonderfully whimsical, mimicking how kids might draw, paint, cut, glue, and paste, while also bringing an elephant, polar bear, castle, dragon, and three-eyed monster from outer space to vivid life. A dazzling romp celebrating childhood and imagination.

Sibling rivalry as an art form.Fern, a little girl with big curly hair and an imagination as vast as the universe, loves to draw, especially natural things like plants and insects. The illustrations suggest that Fern draws on everything: the walls, couch, floor, window—turning the indoors into an outdoor garden. When her brother, Horn, ambles in, Fern offers him her "favorite purple crayon," but he wants to borrow them all. Although Horn feels that "his flowers look like purple pancakes" (they do!) and "his caterpillars look like striped socks" (he's right!), Fern advises him to draw whatever he wants. Horn might not draw objects accurately, but he can surely draw them big. He creates a ferocious, floor-sized elephant that comes to life and stomps Fern's flowers and swallows her insects. Faced with the destructive nature of Horn's sentient creations, Fern sets her sights somewhere out of reach: the stars. She loans Horn her scissors, not realizing that while cutting out stars, he will deconstruct the page on which he appears…to make a star-eating polar bear. Gay's take-you-by-surprise, childlike mixed-media illustrations wittily shine a spotlight on children's creativity and ingenuity, affirming that sharing can solve a multitude of conflicts…sometimes. Both children have light-brown skin and tightly curled black hair.A real winner that's as delightful as it is constructive. (Picture book. 4-8)

PreS-Gr 2 A sibling pair explores the creative possibilities of destruction in a madcap battle of crafting and imagination. Fernan olive-skinned girl with a striped top and a swoop of curly black hairloves drawing and cutting, producing flowers, butterflies, and stars. She happily shares her art supplies with her brother, Horn, a slightly smaller boy with a slightly smaller swoop of hair. Horn finds Fern's artistic endeavors too finicky, opting instead to fashion (or imagine?) gigantic elephants and polar bears who wreak havoc on Fern's more delicate creations. Here's where Gay's book departs from most titles about a wild younger brother. Instead of reacting with wounded frustration or older sibling condescension, Fern responds to Horn's playful chaos with determination. She builds anew, shifting the narrative to meet each fresh challenge, such as throwing chocolate chip cookies from a cardboard castle to subdue a dragon-suited Horn. Repeated lines and rich vocabulary pair with sweeping spreads in vibrant colors to lend the story a heightened, fantastical quality. Gay's childlike, mixed-media illustrations capture the messy joy of playtime, as projects morph and accumulate. The distinction between the siblings' imagination and their actual art may elude readers, but most will comprehend the satisfaction the kids find in their whimsical battle. VERDICT A crafty sibling story that celebrates the delights of imaginative rivalry. Perfect for young makers. Robbin E. Friedman, Chappaqua Library, NY