Sam & Eva - Hardcover

Ohi, Debbie Ridpath

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1481416286 ISBN 13: 9781481416283

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2017

Synopsis

Harold and the Purple Crayon meets Tom and Jerry in this sweet and funny picture book about a boy and girl who must balance their creativity and figure out how to cooperate after their drawings come to life.

When Sam starts drawing a super cool velociraptor, Eva decides to join in. But Sam isn’t too happy about the collaboration. Soon Eva and Sam are locked in an epic creative clash, bringing to life everything from superhero marmots to exploding confetti. But when their masterpieces turn to mayhem, will Sam stay stubbornly solo or will he realize that sometimes the best work comes from teamwork?

About this title

About the Author

Debbie Ridpath Ohi’s writing or art has appeared in over twenty books for young people. She is the award-winning author and illustrator of Where Are My Books?, I Want to Read ALL the Books, and Sam & Eva with Simon & Schuster. Her illustrations appear in books by Judy Blume, Michael Ian Black, and Linda Sue Park, among others. Debbie lives with her husband in Toronto, Canada. For more info, see DebbieOhi.com.

Reviews

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

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1481416286
• ISBN 13: 9781481416283
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Ohi Debbie Ridpath
• Number of pages: 40