My Pen
1 Hardcover/1 CD (see all formats)

From the 1950s, when the venerable Crockett Johnson produced the first of his series of books about Harold and his renegade crayon, right on through to today’s well-known author-illustrators—Eric Carle, Tomie dePaola, Martha Alexander, Chris Van Allsburg, and others—there seems to be an almost endless fascination with the fictive properties inherent in the act of drawing itself. To this genre, Myers adds his own unique slant on the process, mildly laced with an uplifting you-too-can-do-it enthusiasm. His narration is relaxed to the point of rumination, leaving plenty of time for young listeners to pore over the intricate pen-and-ink drawings. Although the audio contains two tracks—one with and one without page- turn signals—the production works best as a listen-along since some statements (“My pen is smart as a snowflake”), divorced from their accompanying illustrations, verge on abstract. Sound effects and occasional music augment this essentially interior monologue, which, nevertheless, speaks affectionately to budding artists.

Author, illustrator, and narrator Christopher Myers celebrates the power of his pen, the pen that has won him Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Honor Awards. In a gentle but firm voice fueled by his imagination, Myers creates thought-provoking scenes with his pen—from an elephant in a teacup to worries about the wars around the world. This is a pen that creates in the margins—"All you need is your imagination"—and encourages creators everywhere to follow suit. Woven into the narration and musical score are vignettes delivered by Dion Graham, which, interestingly, if one listens carefully, give voice to the animals in the margins and kudos to Myers's mother, who taught Christopher to draw. The companion illustrated text is essential.