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In the last two months I have had the pleasure of purchasing hundreds and hundreds of books for my school library. It’s been an exciting endeavor and the students at Edison Elementary School are buzzing about the new selections. There is barely a new book on a library shelf because students are checking out books like they never have before!
So what’s hot in the library this week? I have recently found the funniest picture book called The Day the Crayons Quit, by Drew Daywalt. The hilarious illustrations are by Oliver Jeffers. This book is so funny that I actually read it 18 times last week to each class visiting my library, kindergarten through fifth grade. And you know what? They ALL loved it! And I didn’t get tired of reading it, either!
The story starts off with Duncan reaching into his school desk to get his crayons box. But instead of finding it, he finds a stack of letters all saying the same thing: We quit! Red Crayon is overworked and it tired of coloring santas and hearts. Purple Crayon is having a hard time because Duncan colors out of the lines too much. Sad Beige Crayon is tired of being compared to Brown Crayon and feels he is sorely underused. Black Crayon would like to do more than just outline things and Green Crayon actually loves his job and congratulates Duncan on a “successful coloring things green career.” What Green Crayon doesn’t like is the fighting between Yellow Crayon and Orange Crayon, who are competing to the be the REAL color of the Sun. The story goes on and on through the colors in the crayon box, including stubby Blue Crayon (Duncan’s favorite color) and the unused Pink Crayon. The story ends hilariously with Peach Crayon, who is complaining about being naked because Duncan peeled his paper wrapping off. As you can imagine, this has the kids laughing hysterically, and probably most adults!
This book easily lends itself to several different writing innovations. Students could write from Duncan’s perspective and write a letter in response to one of the crayons. Students could also create new letters from their favorite color, or even branch out to other school supplies too.
Whether you read this book in a classroom or as a bedtime story, I highly recommend “The Day the Crayons Quit”. It’s what’s hot in my library this week.
