The Day the Crayons Quit Review and Activity

This book is not by any means new, but it is fantastic! We have checked it out from the library and read it at school, but I am excited to say that I now own our very own copy thanks to the wonderful people at Penguin Young Readers. And what is even more exciting is that BMTM has been asked to preview, review and share the sequel to The Day the Crayons Quit called, The Day the Crayons Came Home which will be released mid-August.

But first, The Day the Crayons Quit…

written by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

There is nothing more satisfying to a young artist than to open his own box of crayons, choose that one color is just perfect for his drawing and begin. Unfortunately for Duncan, he opens up his box of crayons and instead of seeing crayons, he finds a stack of notes. Each one from a different colored crayon and each one with a different complaint, or in the case of the green crayon who enjoys his work coloring “loads of crocodiles, trees, dinosaurs and frogs.”

Red crayon complains that he works harder than any of the other crayons, beige complains that he is tired of being referred to as “dark tan” and blue says he is happy coloring “oceans, lakes, rivers, rain drops, rain clouds and clear skies,” but is upset because he “is so short and stubby that [he] cannot even see over the railing in the crayon box anymore.” The book continues to share a litany of problems experienced by all the colors, but all Duncan wants to do is color. So, he comes up with a plan that is sure to please all the colors in his box.

Try this activity with your children or class:

Have each child choose a color and use the planning sheet to write a letter to Duncan (or someone else) sharing that color’s complaint!

To download the activity, simply click the image above.

To download the UPDATED templates, click here.

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