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In this post, you read my ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’ book review. This is currently a favorite book in our home!

What is this book about?

“The Day the Crayons Quit” is a story about a boy named Duncan. He just wants to color with his box of crayons. However, what he finds inside the crayon box are letters. Each crayon says they are fed up and quit!

One crayon is upset he’s being used too much. Another crayon is upset that he always works holidays. One more crayon is always mistaken for the wrong color, etc. Each crayon’s plea to Duncan, is creative and humorous. At the end of the story, Duncan finds a creative way to gather all the crayons. He makes them happy again.

About the Author / Illustrator:

The author, Drew Daywalt, grew up in Hudson, Ohio (just south of Cleveland) and is also a filmmaker. According to his website, he has written for Disney and Universal. This book was his debut as an author. It was written in 2013 and hit the New York Times Best Seller list for a year. He has written a couple sequel books to this one too. You can find more books on his website.

The illustrator, Oliver Jeffers, is also an author. He is originally from Northern Ireland. He actually made a short movie about himself which is equally interesting and fun. Click here to watch it. It explains how he writes and illustrates his books.

Together, I can see how both were truly a dynamic duo in creating this book.

What we LOVED about this book:

• This book was equally creative and absolutely hilarious. My kids ask that we read this book over and over and over. I love reading it to them!
• As an adult, I can relate to many of the crayons in this book. They remind me of people I know or feelings I’ve experienced in my lifetime. This is conveyed in a very humorous way.
• It really brings out a child’s imagination! Whenever my children find a crayon without it’s wrapping, they immediately think about the letter from poor ‘Peach Crayon’. They then laugh hysterically remembering his letter and why he was upset. He is upset about his missing wrapping (image below from that page).
• This book emphasizes the importance of social emotional skills, creativity, and sharing. It also has a really great resolution at the end of the story.
• The letters and the images are child-like. This made the book even more relatable for my children.

In life and in the STEAM fields, children must be creative. They need excellent social emotional skills to express their feelings. They also need to interpret and understand the feelings of others to solve problems effectively and offer a successful solution. This book checks all those boxes!

I highly recommend this book to all parents of young children! If you are still unsure, just check out the over 6000 book reviews on Amazon! Click here to purchase.

Have you enjoyed this book with your family? Which crayon was your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

-Kristen