Review - The Day the Crayons Quit

The Day the Crayons Quit
by Drew Daywalt
illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
Date: 2013
Publisher: Philomel Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

Poor Duncan just wants to color. But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing: His crayons have had enough! They quit! Beige Crayon is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown Crayon. Black wants to be used for more than just outlining. Blue needs a break from coloring all those bodies of water. And Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking—each believes he is the true color of the sun.

What can Duncan possibly do to appease all of the crayons and get them back to doing what they do best?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I've been seeing this picture book around for a few years, but I didn't have a chance to pick it up until now. It's an amusing look at what crayons might complain about if... well, if crayons were able to complain.

Duncan loves to colour, but when he goes to get his crayons, he finds a stack of letters instead. They're from his crayons, and most of them would like to lodge a complaint. Beige only gets used for colouring wheat. Red never gets holidays off. Gray has to colour all the big stuff like whales and hippos. Yellow and Orange are arguing over which is the real colour of the sun. Eventually, Duncan comes up with a solution to appease his crayons... and make himself happy at the same time.

The format of the letters from the crayons is pretty cute, although a couple were a bit tricky to read (especially the letter from Yellow). The addition of Duncan's drawings adds another layer of charm.

This is an entertaining picture book that I would recommend to young children (or to their parents, who will likely also enjoy hearing the complaints of these waxy whiners).

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 5/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4.17 out of 5