The Day the Crayons Quit. By Drew Daywalt. Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers. Philomel Books, 2013. 34 pages. $13.22
Crayons have personalities? Duncan reaches for his class set of crayons only to find a stack of letters in their place. All of the crayons are upset for one reason or another. For example, the color peach is upset as he/she hides in the crayon box with no paper (it’s been peeled off) and not even a pair of underwear! On the other hand, beige is upset because he/she is tired of being called, “light brown” or “dark tan.” Orange and yellow are not speaking; they are fighting over who is the true color of the sun. Drew does his best to make the crayons happy.
The illustrations bring the story to life. The illustrations along with the "crayon" theme and choice vocabulary make this book easily appealing to a K-3 audience. The whit makes the story a favorite among students all the way up to sixth grade.
The illustrator, Oliver Jeffers is also a story writer. His books and illustrations have won numerous awards and one was even made into an award-winning film! Jeffers developed his love of story books from the rich tradition of storytelling in his native homeland of Northern Ireland. He now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He carries a paper and pencil with him at all times.
This is the first book Drew Daywalt has authored for children. By trade, he is a Hollywood screenwriter and lives in Southern California. He has a wife, two children and a German Shepherd. His favorite crayon color is black.
There is a fun, interactive website that accompanies the book: The Day the Crayons Quit Official Website.