Starred Review for Publishers Weekly (Tue Jan 03 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Both clever and suspenseful, this surefire delight tells the story of a pencil who must deal with the consequences of his inventions. The pencil begins by drawing a boy (Banjo from Ahlberg and Ingman's <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">The Runaway Dinner), a dog and a cat—and their world soon expands dramatically (and colorfully, thanks to Kitty, a paintbrush the pencil creates). Complaints start to surface (“ 'I shouldn't be <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">smoking<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">a pipe,' said a grandpa”), but the pencil's solution—an eraser—runs rampant and tries to rub out everything, including the pencil. Ingman exuberantly conveys the joy of both construction and destruction—in one scene, animals and people flee on foot, bicycle and skateboard as the eraser wipes away the spare, yellow background. The book's comical, unexpected plot and wry narrator keep the story fresh throughout—a running joke involves each of the pencil's creations insisting on a name; those the pencil provides are largely nonsensical (the endpapers are filled with additional items—a bike named Augusta, a cuckoo clock named William). Tranquility reigns by book's end, but young readers are sure to be absorbed in finding out what happens next as the pencil draws his way out of one predicament after another. Ages 4–8. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Aug.)

Horn Book (Tue Jan 03 00:00:00 CST 2023)

The pencil starts to draw, and everything comes into being. Annihilation looms, though, as a thuggish eraser threatens to erase the whole world. The pencil first re-draws it all, then has an extremely good idea that keeps order. Ahlberg's wry, madcap, loving story provides a thought-provoking model of conflict resolution. Ingman's free-wheeling faux-childlike illustrations demonstrate the power of artistic expression.

Kirkus Reviews (Tue Jan 03 00:00:00 CST 2023)

In this distant cousin to Harold and the Purple Crayon , a pencil draws a smiling boy (previously met in Ahlberg and Ingman's Runaway Dinner , 2006) and names him "Banjo." At Banjo's behest the pencil adds and names a family, pets, an entire world and a paintbrush to color it all in. When some of the figures start complaining about their details, the pencil obligingly creates a rubber eraser—which turns out to be a mistake, as the eraser proceeds to "rub out" everything and everyone. Sensitive readers may find this part slightly disturbing, but it does create plenty of suspense. Just when entropy looks assured of a win, the fleeing pencil turns on a last, blank page and draws a second eraser—and then, after the two rub each other out, proceeds to remake all that had been lost. Cosmic overtones, anyone? Like its classic antecedent, this may not only inspire some creative world-building in budding artists, it also gives the relationship between story and audience an additional interactive aspect. (Picture book. 6-9)

School Library Journal (Tue Jan 03 00:00:00 CST 2023)

K-Gr 2 "Once there was a pencil, a lonely little pencil, and nothing else." One day the pencil begins to draw. Before long it has created a world populated with rather cranky individuals, pets, and talking objects that make demands for names, food, companions, etc., and then begin to complain about everything they have received. The pencil tries to be accommodating and creates a paintbrush that adds color, to no avail. It draws an eraser to remove the offending items, which runs amok and erases everything. The pencil then comes up with a clever solution to prevent itself from being eliminated by the out-of-control eraser, and this time creates a more orderly world. This quirky story will appeal to children who have a slightly offbeat sense of humor, and it could easily be paired with Henrik Drescher's equally quirky Simon's Book (McAdam/Cage, 2006). Ingman's acrylic cartoon illustrations use a rich color palette and supply numerous details that complement the story. Not an essential purchase, but fun. Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ