Picture Books
Book Summary:
Duncan’s crayons
have had enough! It’s time to strike and tell Duncan exactly how they feel. The
crayons write letters and express their frustrations at the over- or underuse
by Duncan and relay solutions to the situation. The end result is a harmonious use
of color in Duncan’s masterpiece.
APA Reference of
Book:
Daywalt,
D., & Jeffers, O. (2013). The day the crayons quit. London: HarperCollins Children's Books.
Impressions:
Everything about this book is delightful. The crayons are
wonderful little characters and the letters they write are clever and
entertaining. From the overworked Red to embarrassed Peach, Daywalt gives each
crayon the perfect personality and Jeffers’ illustrations bring them to life
whether it is boring Beige or stubby, overused Blue. The letters are
handwritten by the crayons and seem to pop off the page, adding authenticity to
the book. It is fun to read out loud and get immersed in the characters.
Professional Review:
“One day in class, Duncan went to take out his crayons and found
a stack of letters with his name on them.” What follows is a hilarious
epistolary tale wherein each crayon, in childlike printing on lined paper,
shares something with Duncan. Some feel overworked (“Gray crayon here. You’re
KILLING ME! I know you love Elephants. And I know that elephants are gray . . .
but that’s a LOT of space to color in all by myself”), some feel
underappreciated (writes Beige Crayon, “The only things I get are turkey
dinners (if I’m lucky) and wheat, and let’s be honest—when was the last time
you saw a kid excited about coloring wheat?”). Some crayons are caught up in
disputes (Orange Crayon and Yellow Crayon both insist they are the true color
of the sun, as evidenced by pages from coloring books that Duncan completed),
while others have entirely unique issues (“It’s me, peach crayon . Why did you
peel off my paper wrapping?? Now I’m NAKED and too embarrassed to leave the
crayon box”). Each spread includes a reproduction of the actual letter (written
in crayon, of course) on the verso, facing an appropriate composition such as a
childlike crayon drawing or a colored-in page from a coloring book. The crayons
themselves, with deceptively simple line and dot faces, are rich in emotion and
character, and it’s entertaining to consider each crayon’s representation in
light of the voice in its letter. While potential lessons in inference, point
of view, and persuasive writing abound in the crayons’ letters, this is
guaranteed to see just as much use for being just plain fun. Move over, Click,
Clack, Moo (BCCB 9/00); we’ve got a new contender for most successful
picture-book strike. HM
APA Reference of
Professional Review:
Morrison, H. (2013). The day the crayons quit. Bulletin of
the Center for Children's Books, 67(1), 13-14.
Library Uses:
The Day the Crayons
Quit is a great mentor text for teaching letter writing skills and would be a
perfect read-aloud or reader’s theater. It could also be used as a read-aloud
to exemplify tone.
Readalikes:
Harold and the Purple Crayon,
by Crockett Johnson – Using only a purple crayon, Harold brings his world to
life. Even though Duncan uses his whole box of colors, both books are proof
that we are only limited by the limits of our imagination.
Little Red Writing, by Melissa Sweet –
School supplies come to life in Little Red Writing to
help Little Red tell her story. Verbs, adjectives, conjunctions, and adverbs
all come to life as Little Red goes on a journey, facing the Wolf 3000 pencil
sharpener and writing an exciting story along the way.
Exclamation Mark, by Amy Krouse
Rosenthal – Why fit in when you were born to stand out? Exclamation mark wants
to fit in but no matter what he does, he always stands out. With the help of
his friend, Question Mark, Exclamation Mark learns that standing out is not so
bad after all.
No comments:
Post a Comment