Pencil Pals: The Best Kid’s Books featuring Pencils

You know we love pencils. What better way to share a love of pencils than bringing them to life within the pages of a book? Here, we share four children’s books that are sure to capture the imagination for any young readers in your life.

Linus: The Little Yellow Pencil by Scott Magoon

Linus and Ernie are two parts of one thing: Linus is the sharp “lead” (we all know it’s actually a composite of graphite and clay) and Ernie is the pink eraser on the top of the pencil. A slew of art supplies are trying to win the big art contest, but every time Linus tries to make his mark, Ernie complains and erases his work away. Ernie’s negativity begins to rub off on Linus and he begins to doubt himself. When Linus finds wisdom from within the pencil sharpener, he is inspired to begin again and the two parts of the pencil begin to work together to create beautiful images. Fun and colorful illustrations bring this story to life and remind readers to believe in themselves. (Read aloud for Preschool - 3rd grade).

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Perfect by Max Amato

A Yellow #2 and Pink eraser battle one another over control of the page until the realization that they can work together to create beautiful images. What starts out as a rivalry becomes a partnership to create adventure. Amato says he was inspired to make Perfect because “when we embrace imperfection, we embrace the unknown…”. (Lexile level 320/1st grade; read aloud for Preschool-3rd grade).

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When Pencil Met Eraser by Karen Kilpatrick and Luis O. Ramos, Jr. and Illustrated by Germán Blanco

Pencil loves to draw and Eraser loves to erase. Pencil draws great big scenes and eraser adds touches to the scenery to make it more magical. When Pencil gets fed up with Eraser’s antics, he challenges him only to realize that indeed eraser’s fun-loving, free-wheeling style DOES add to the beauty of his work. When Pencil messes up, Eraser saves the day. The jolly illustrations within this work bring these characters to life and help them to demonstrate the power of working together. (Read aloud Preschool-1st grade)

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Pencil: A Story with a Point by Ann Ingalls and Dean Griffiths

Pencil was once a beloved accomplice in creativity. But when Tablet moves in, Pencil finds himself tossed in the junk drawer. He resigns himself to live out his days among the glue sticks, pen lights, and other tossed stuff until a dog’s tail topples Tablet to the floor. Pencil and his drawermates become tools for creation, yet again. Downloadable teaching guide available. (Lexile Level 570/2nd-3rd grade)

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Special thanks to educator Nancy Hulan for writing this article!


2 comments

  • Thanks you so much for sharing this information article! The commonly used pencils were red and black in color but now you can buy personalised pencils too. They can be purchased online in beautiful designs and patterns. https://www.articlebowl.com/personalized-pencils-to-improve-your-handwriting/
    jasmineroy
  • Good Day, Do you manufacture Coloured Pencils? I want to explore creating our own brand of skin tone coloured pencils. My hope is that you will be able to help or point me in the right direction. Please and Thank You. :)

    Sophia

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