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The Day the Crayons Quit - Beyond the Book Resources

$5.99

This story has a very interesting “backstory”.
This was the author, Drew Dewalt's very first picture book title. Prior to this, he'd written dialogue for television and movies. One day while sitting at his desk waiting for the ideas to come, he caught site of an old pack of crayons. He dumped the crayons out and waited for each of them to tell their story. He decided to put his dialogue skills to use and give each crayon a personality... and that's how this book came to life!

​BTW- He saved those crayons as a reminder of this first book.

Dewalt is also the author of one of my favorite children's books that I think adults may enjoy just as much as kids. The title is The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors (2020).  I'm not lying when I say that I laugh out loud every time I read this book.

However, Drew Dewalt has created a total of  "Crayons Books" each one just as funny as another. He has a gift for writing books that provide the adults reading will get a chuckle or two. My favorite line is on the page that contains the complaint letter from the gray crayon.

"Gray crayon here. You're killing me! I know you love elephants and I know that elephants are gray... but that's a lot of space to color in all by myself! Don't get me started on the rhinos, hippos, and humpback whales. You know how tired I am after handling one of those things?"

Themes

  • Importance of Communication

  • Determination

  • Empathy (walk in someone else's shoes)

  • Self Respect

Awards & Accolades

  • Winner of over 60 national and international awards

  • E.B. White Read-Aloud Award

  • Amazon's 2013 Best Picture Book of the Year

  • GoodReads' 2013 Best Picture Book of the Year

  • One of Time Magazine's top 100 Children's Books of All Time

Teachable Moments
This book offers multiple opportunities for learning that go far beyond what's printed on the page or seen in the illustrations. Here's a small sample:

  • Parts of a Book (Cover, Title, Author, Illustrator, Spine, End Papers...)

  • Introduce the concept of cause and effect... because of this... this the crayon is upset. You could actually do this with each color featured.

  • Color Words

  • ​Inference

  • Character Traits

  • Parts of a Letter

  • Order of Events - In what order were the colors presented?

Content shown to the left of the cover is for reference only.

The book you download will contain activities aligned with this specific title.

Your Download DOES NOT include the referenced picture book, only the resources and ideas.

This story has a very interesting “backstory”.
This was the author, Drew Dewalt's very first picture book title. Prior to this, he'd written dialogue for television and movies. One day while sitting at his desk waiting for the ideas to come, he caught site of an old pack of crayons. He dumped the crayons out and waited for each of them to tell their story. He decided to put his dialogue skills to use and give each crayon a personality... and that's how this book came to life!

​BTW- He saved those crayons as a reminder of this first book.

Dewalt is also the author of one of my favorite children's books that I think adults may enjoy just as much as kids. The title is The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors (2020).  I'm not lying when I say that I laugh out loud every time I read this book.

However, Drew Dewalt has created a total of  "Crayons Books" each one just as funny as another. He has a gift for writing books that provide the adults reading will get a chuckle or two. My favorite line is on the page that contains the complaint letter from the gray crayon.

"Gray crayon here. You're killing me! I know you love elephants and I know that elephants are gray... but that's a lot of space to color in all by myself! Don't get me started on the rhinos, hippos, and humpback whales. You know how tired I am after handling one of those things?"

Themes

  • Importance of Communication

  • Determination

  • Empathy (walk in someone else's shoes)

  • Self Respect

Awards & Accolades

  • Winner of over 60 national and international awards

  • E.B. White Read-Aloud Award

  • Amazon's 2013 Best Picture Book of the Year

  • GoodReads' 2013 Best Picture Book of the Year

  • One of Time Magazine's top 100 Children's Books of All Time

Teachable Moments
This book offers multiple opportunities for learning that go far beyond what's printed on the page or seen in the illustrations. Here's a small sample:

  • Parts of a Book (Cover, Title, Author, Illustrator, Spine, End Papers...)

  • Introduce the concept of cause and effect... because of this... this the crayon is upset. You could actually do this with each color featured.

  • Color Words

  • ​Inference

  • Character Traits

  • Parts of a Letter

  • Order of Events - In what order were the colors presented?

Content shown to the left of the cover is for reference only.

The book you download will contain activities aligned with this specific title.

Your Download DOES NOT include the referenced picture book, only the resources and ideas.

Extend the Learning with Story-Based Play

Adding an element of play is another way to deepen your child’s understanding of concepts within and beyond a story. According to Hall (1991), young children often develop advanced literacy skills when they engage in play related to a familiar story. Many complex literacy skills develop naturally when the story and play intersect, setting the stage for your child to learn to read and write.

It’s easy. Take a great story, gather toys that align with that story, and get out of the way. Your child will do the rest. The goal is to allow the play to evolve naturally. You’ll be surprised by the amount of learning transferred and reinforced through this type of play.

Here’s Why We Love These Specific Products:

  • They have direct connections to the book.

  • They reinforce new vocabulary.

  • They encourage imaginative play

  • They make it easy to re-enact parts of the story.

  • They often take learning beyond the confines of the story.

  • Few require batteries, screens, or electricity.

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