Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings

I received an ARC of this book from Dover Publications via Netgalley in exchange for a review.

What a fun book! Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings features 4 different stories of Simon, an imaginative child whose chalk drawings come to life in a special world on the other side of a fence.

In the title story, Simon learns that the drawings he creates on his chalkboard at home, come alive in their own world. He learns the importance of finishing things in a fun and creative way. The second tale is Simon and the Chalk Soldiers in which Simon creates a chalk army and then has to figure out how to help the people of chalk land cope with these invaders. Simon and the Moon Rocket includes Simon and his first chalk person riding to the moon in a rocket where they find it populated by mathematical sums who want to take over chalk land! I think this was probably my favorite of the 4 because of the creativity and the style choices in it. I also really liked Simon's solution to the sun's loneliness. The final story is Simon and the Dinosaur. Pretty self explanatory there but with a couple interesting twists.

The style is very unique and enjoyable. It had a very Schoolhouse Rock kind of feel to it. I also really liked the use of color and black and white.

I think kids would enjoy these stories. Did they always make sense? No. But stories created by kids rarely do. The joy is in the fun and the imagination.

These stories are a lot of fun, kind of a halfway point between picture books and real chapter books. Clever and adventurous without becoming overly dramatic. Like Harold and the Purple Crayon for a slightly older audience.

A book about a young artist, imagination, and play. What could be better? This book will offer inspiration to any reader.

This book has four separate stories within: Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings, Simon and the Chalk Drawing Army, Simon and the Moon Rocket and Simon and the Dinosaur.

Nerdy little Simon has a magic chalkboard and everything he draws becomes real in the Land of Chalk Drawings. His imagination ignites and his doodles take on a life of their own.

One morning while going to school he passes along a fence where he has sketched a stick figure the day before. The figure magically peels himself off of the structure and pleads with Simon to please complete him. You see the drawing is incomplete as he is missing an eye, an arm and an ear. Simon agrees to help him out and upon completion the figure asks Simon to follow him because he has something important to show him. Curiosity reigns and Simon follows. He and the stick figure climb up a tall ladder, jump over the fence and enter into the enchanted Land of Chalk Drawings. This is the first book in the series. What he discovers there is pure magic! This collection of four stories was the catalyst that inspired the popular PBS and Nickelodeon animated shorts.

In "Simon and the Chalk Drawing Army" we discover that some random soldiers have invaded the land and are relentlessly drilling the citizens to the point of exhaustion. Everything has to be perfect and in a straight line... "Yes Sir!!" Simon solves the problem, no problem, with his analytical, ingenious mind and in so doing the townies get a treat.

"Simon and the Moon Rocket" has Simon taking an excursion to the moon of all places. He confronts an endless pile of sums (addition questions) to contend with and Simon rises to the occasion. To sum it all up he outsmarts them and escapes back to his reality.

In "Simon and the Dinosaur" a strange phenomenon has occurred. All the children and animals in the Land of Chalk Drawings are gone. It's creepy and eery and totally empty there. Where is everyone? They in the belly of a big old dinosaur...they've been eaten up. Oh my! Simon has to use his wits to rescue everyone and appease that ever-hungry dinosaur! He is a hero to everyone in the land.

Such sweet, delightful stories with the first episode date being March 29, 1976, narrated by Bernard Cribbins. Vintage, timeless stories are now resurrected for a whole new generation of kids to enjoy! (and adults too)

Wonderful illustrations, and lots of fun stories for young readers.

I read this book several times with my grandchildren and they liked it a lot the youngest is six and he was able to read most of it by himself. They liked the story because the chalk drawings came to life. This book is perfect for young children.

'Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings' by Edward McLachlan is a collection of four picture books that went on the be the basis for an animated series on PBS and Nickelodeon.

Simon is a young artist, but he doesn't seem to finish his drawings. One day on his way to school, one of his drawings offers him a deal: finish the drawing Simon has made of him, and in return, he will take Simon to somewhere special. Simon finds himself in a land full of not quite finished drawings and spends his time finishing railroad tracks for the train or adding ears to an elephant. In later adventures, Simon returns to face an army and a dinosaur. He also builds a rocket and has adventures in space.

The stories are black and white until Simon enters the special land, then everything is full of color. The stories are fun and show what a child with some chalk and imagination can do. I like the inventiveness.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Dover Publications and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.