Marker by Anna Kang, illustrated by Christopher Weyant

Kang and Weyant, creators of a slew of wonderful books including It is (not) perfect, are back with a sequel to the story of Eraser, this time tackling office supplies from a whole new point of view.

In the previous books, we learned to be ok with Eraser and the other school supplies, all of whom stood in for students. In this book, we move up a level to the teacher's supplies and meet (permanent) Marker, who's ready with her friends to get everything ready before the first day of school. Marker is doing her usual stellar job, marking the class rules and welcoming back the students, when a new team member shows up among the TS (Teacher Supplies). Pinking Shears! She's got pink handles, snazzy blades, and immediately thrills the supplies with her flair. Marker quickly finds herself pushed aside and, worst of all, makes a mistake! Eraser tries to reassure her, but Marker is permanent - there are no second chances for her.

Or are there? After another disastrous try, Marker doesn't give up but makes yet another effort on free choice day, when everyone tries something new. The results aren't perfect, but they are complete - and when Pinking Shears messes up too, Marker is ready to let go of her jealousy, support the new supply, and work together.

Weyant's colorful illustrations return us to the world of teaching supplies, where a rainbow of drawing implements, plump jars of white-out, and stacks of sticky notes cheerfully roam the teacher's desk. The moral isn't as clear-cut here (ha ha) and the metaphors don't quite hold up all the way, but it's a nice continuation of the idea of working through mistakes and trying again. Marker is upset when she's moved from the "superpower" mug to an old plastic cup with goofy-looking and little-used supplies - there's no indication that she moves back or learns to include these other supplies, who are never pictured despite the message to include not exclude. It's not clear whether Pinking Shears is purposely showing off or just doing her thing and the other supplies are attracted by her shiny newness.

Verdict: Although not quite as smoothly flowing as Eraser, this is a sweet follow-up with a message to keep trying and include others, even when we mess up, aren't perfect, or feel jealous. This will pair well with the first book and other stories on resilience and makes a good addition to classroom read-alouds, especially where the first is popular.

ISBN: 9781542039611; Published June 2023 by Two Lions; Purchased for the library; Review copy provided by the publisher