The Day the Crayons Quit

Daywalt, D., Jeffers, O., Jahanbini, K., Philomel Books, Penguin Young Readers Group.

(2e Day the Crayons Quit. Adfo Books.

Summary:

Duncan is a young boy in class who one day finds a surprise in his box of crayons: letters from the colors explaining why they quit addressed to him. Red thinks he works too hard, purple hates when Duncan colors outside the lines, and beige does not like when he is not called by his name and that he is not used enough. Grey thinks he is used too much and over spaces too large, while white feels empty and unused. Black doesn't like being an outline, and green is happy but complains about the dispute between yellow and orange. These two then argue about who should be the color of the sun. Blue is used too much while pink hasn't been touched in a year, and peach complains about its peeled cover. Duncan decided to color a picture using all, and received recognition for his creativity and good coloring.

Daywalt and Jeffers created an amazing book where the narrative and the illustrations work in unison to display the characters’ emotions. Through vivid writing, we witness the protagonist’s evolving as he learns how to address each color’s concerns to find a solution that benefits all. This book is an excellent resource that can be used to teach the importance of working together and to listen to other people’s needs.

Similar books:

• Drawing a Bridge by Cala Spinner; Tony Neal (Illustrator)

• I'm Feeling Outrageous Orange by Tina Gallo; Mette Engell (Illustrator)

• You are light by Aaron Becker (Author, Illustrator)

From the same author:

• The Crayons' Christmas

• The Day the Crayons Came Home

• The Crayons' Book of Numbers

Book Trailer:

Blogging Award List#1-2

NYT Bestseller List for Children's Picture Books