Summary – One day in class, Duncan receives a stack of letters from each of his 12 crayons. They each explain why they are on the verge of quitting and what types of pictures they wish they would be used to draw and color, instead of the typical choices they are often used for. It is told in a very comical way and in the end there is a compromise and happy ending.
- Bestseller’s Lists or Awards – 163 weeks on The New York Times Bestsellers List for Children’s Picture Books (as of August 12th 2016).
- Themes – Thinking outside the box, being creative, being unique
- Age Range – 3 to 7 Year Olds
- Author/Illustrator – Drew Daywalt/Oliver Jeffers
- Publisher – Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, Published by The Penguin Group.
- Year Published – 2013
- Original Retail Price – $17.99 for Hardcover Book
- Number of Pages – 32 (includes only title page and body of the book)
- Word Count – 1,010 words total (includes only body pages). Average of 32.5 words per page.
- Complexity of Story – The author uses simple language for a pretty straightforward story, but with an interesting perspective.
- P.O.V. – It is told from the 12 colors’ different perspectives. It is also told through Duncan’s perspective in how he reacts to the crayons threatening to quit.
- Dialogue? – There isn’t any dialogue in this story.
- Rhyming? – There aren’t any rhyming schemes.
- What Makes it Special? – It is a unique take on how to get kids to step outside of the box and be creative. It is told from the perspective of an inanimate object that we all grew up with and cherished as children. It is funny and quirky and it represents how a lot of us interacted with the different crayons.
- What I like about this book? – I really enjoyed the quirkiness of the story. It is perfect for children and is bound to put a smile on their faces. I loved the message behind it and the fact that the author did not try to preach, instead he presented the idea of being different in a very unique way. The illustrations and the overall look of the book were fantastic.
Thank you for reading my book reviews. The purpose of these reviews is to break down and analyze bestselling and award winning books. It is crucial for writers and illustrators, that wish to be published, to do homework on what books are currently being sold and garnering awards. I hope to figure out what makes these books special and what attributes they share. I hope you will find this review helpful.
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