Sam & Eva

Ohi (Where Are My Books?) celebrates creativity and cooperation in this story of two young artists, Sam and Eva, who don’t see eye to eye (they can’t even agree on a medium—she uses paint, he prefers chalk). “I like your pony,” Eva says, walking onto the scene as Sam is seen drawing on a blank, white wall. “It’s a velociraptor,” Sam replies tersely. Thus begins a series of assumptions and disagreements that escalate as their drawings spring to life and do battle: Eva’s orange marmot is revealed to be a secret superhero, Sam’s raptor shoots lightning from his eyes, pianos fall, confetti explodes, and Eva stomps off, tired of fighting for control over the story unfolding in their artwork. Ohi paints the children in grayscale, letting the vivid, colorful chaos of their mural-in-progress reflect the intensity of their feelings and the wildness of their imaginations. Eventually the two reconcile, and although the final pages tease another potential argument, readers will finish the book confident that these two will work through their creative differences once again. Ages 4–8. Agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown. (Oct.)