The Eraserheads, written by Kate Banks and illustrated by Boris Kulikov

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Kate Banks and Boris Kulikov have created a magical book with The Eraserheads.  Owl, Pig and Crocodile live atop three pencils on the desk of a very creative little boy.  Fortunately for them, he is not perfect and sometimes makes mistakes that need erasing.  The Owl is good with words and backwards letters, the Crocodile takes care of numbers and the Pig can erase any animal except those that are larger than him.  




After finishing his homework, the boy beings to draw a lovely picture, first a beach then a road.  The Eraserheads explore the landscape, erasing a bit of the road here and there,  and find themselves washed away by a wave in the drawing.  This leaves them on a desert island with some fierce animals. The boy decides that he is finished with his drawing and crumples it up, leaving Owl, Crocodile and Pig about to be eaten by a giant snake.  It seems that the fixers of mistakes have MADE a mistake that they can't fix.  They are distraught but comfort each other, Owl saying, "Hooray for mistakes," and Crocodile agreeing that, without them "There'd be nothing to learn."



The story in The Eraserheads is a simple one.  It is Kulikov's magical, illustrations, his attention to detail and his ability to create two distinct worlds - that of the boy in his room and the world of his appropriately child-like drawing - bring this book to life.  The artwork is so rich that you and your children will find yourself reading the book again and again, poring over the pictures and following the path of the boy's creativity.


Kate Banks and Boris Kulikov also collaborated on two wonderful books about words, Max's Words and Max's Dragon, which are sure to delight anyone who loves The Eraserheads.


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