Sam & Eva - Hardcover

Debbie Ridpath Ohi is the author of Where Are My Books?. Her illustrations also appear in Sea Monkey and Bob, written by Aaron Reynolds; I’m Bored (a New York Times Notable Book) and Naked!, written by Michael Ian Black; as well as ten Judy Blume chapter books and middle grade titles. For more info, visit DebbieOhi.com or @InkyElbows on Twitter.

Debbie Ridpath Ohi is the author of Where Are My Books?. Her illustrations also appear in Sea Monkey and Bob, written by Aaron Reynolds; I’m Bored (a New York Times Notable Book) and Naked!, written by Michael Ian Black; as well as ten Judy Blume chapter books and middle grade titles. For more info, visit DebbieOhi.com or @InkyElbows on Twitter.

PreS-Gr 2—Sam and Eva are friends who a penchant for drawing. Eva drops by one day as Sam is working on a drawing, and mayhem ensues when the girl decides to turn it into a group project. "'I like your pony,' Eva said. 'It's a velociraptor,' said Sam." When she suggests some changes, Sam quickly erases her efforts, so she begins to add something else. "'Who said you could add a cat?' asked Sam. 'It's not a cat.' Eva said, 'It's a marmot.''' When it turns out that Sam's velociraptor is hungry and begins eyeing the marmot, Eva quickly draws a larger creature. Sam retaliates with an even larger creature, and things head south as Sam and Eva both become annoyed. Eva walks off in a huff, declaring "I don't like this story anymore.'" Sam tries to continue drawing, but the artwork takes on a life of its own as both sides of the creation attempt to outshine the other. Eva realizes that the time has come to start a new story, and she quickly draws an exit strategy for her and Sam: a small door, where they scoot through the cacophony of color to emerge on the other side of a plain white page and begin a new collaboration. "'I like your unicorn,' said Sam. 'It's a triceratops,' said Eva." Clever use of digital art showcases Eva and Sam in grayscale against white pages, which allows their colorful artwork to pop off the page in this homage to creativity and working together. VERDICT Fans of Crockett Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon and the more recent trilogy of Journey, Return, and Quest by Aaron Becker will appreciate this tale of artistic identity. Fun to read aloud or share with a small group.—Lisa Kropp, Lindenhurst Memorial Library, NY