Synopsis
When Tony falls asleep without finishing his homework, his unruly school tools come to life to get the job done. Pencil and Pen get the story started, along with Eraser, but when Fountain Pen joins in, all ink breaks loose! A little creativity goes a long way, as Tony’s homework turns into a wacky tale about the Planet Splotch. Tony might not be able to hand in this particular assignment, but it deserves an A+ for originality. This imaginative story captures every kid’s wildest dream—homework that does itself!
Children's Literature
Odd purple shapes on the end pages may keep the reader wondering about their connection to the story about Tony and his homework assignment. The author and illustrator work together to present the story that has other layers to explore in a discussion. Before the text of the story begins, the brightly colored illustrations begin to foreshadow the story with Tony writing and thinking about a space story at school. When he gets home from school, Tony is absorbed in his comic book as he goes upstairs. Meanwhile, his mother reminds him to do his homework. Then, the reader enters Tony's world, where he appears to be totally drawn into his comic book and not in completing his homework. Sleep overtakes Tony, and another story emerges over at his desk. His pencil, eraser, and pens come to life and begin to draft a story. There is some bickering between the writing tools as they construct a story which is Tony's homework assignment. Readers may enjoy the multiple storylines and discussing their ideas about what can be inferred by the foreshadowing of the story and the animation of the writing tools. Was Tony asleep? What was actually happening? Reviewer: Carrie Hane Hung