The Great Pencil Race — William Brown

When the art store closes and the customers go home, the door is locked and all is silent. Then, a wonderful thing happens: tiny voices fill the air as pencils, paintbrushes, erasers, and other items come to life and start to play. One night, after dressing in their favorite costumes, an argument begins among the highly competitive pencils as each proclaims it is the fastest pencil in the art store. Hearing the commotion, two troublemaking erasers, Red Gum and Blue Gum, suggest a race to see who really is the fastest. When they ask if their special pencil friend, unknown to the others, can be in the race, the other pencils agree; however, after seeing him, they realize they have made a terrible mistake. Hello readers of all ages! My name is William N. Brown Jr., and I'm the author and illustrator of The Great Pencil Race. I started my career studying Commercial Art Advertising Design at a college in North Carolina and quickly realized my love for painting. As a professional artist, I know a little about friendly competition, and The Great Pencil Race happens to be filled with it. So let's go! I'll meet you at the starting line. Thank you and God bless.