Picturebook

Red, A Crayon's Story
by Michael Hall (author/illustrator)
Greenwillow Books (2015)

Red Crayon’s friends and teacher try to encourage him, but there are disappointing and frustrating results.  His parents and grandparents worry, but perhaps they should just let Red be himself.  With a fresh perspective, Berry, a new friend, helps Red Crayon understand his strengths.  A philosophical story that tells children obvious labels may not be entirely correct.

Appropriate Target Audience: 
Preschool - GR 2, although older children and parents may enjoy the story’s message.  The amount of text on each page is light and very well supported by the illustrations.  One page shows a traffic light, drawn by Black, Green, and Yellow, who are lined up alongside it.  The top “light” is blue, and there is a smudged, trailing blue line leading to the turn.  You just know Red has left, needing to vent his frustrations.  This would make a great read-aloud, where different voices and inflections could captivate the listeners.

Strengths, Weaknesses:
The different crayons in Red have attitudes to match their color/labels: Sunshine is very optimistic and Army Green is commanding. Red’s grandparents are represented by worn nubs of Grey and Silver.  Touches like this make the book fun for all ages. The drawings are done in a very childlike style that matches the age of the crayon characters, and of the intended audience.  The story is in a childlike handwriting, while the conversations of the crayons is in a simple sans serif font.  Red is a very comforting book, despite the young crayon’s troubles, since the conflicts do get resolved.
I could find no weaknesses.

Awards:

• Goodreads Choice Awards: Best Picturebook 2016
• Included in SJL’s Top 100 Picturebooks 2016
• Cybil Awards 2015 – Best Fiction Picturebook 
• Many state and local awards

Meaningful/creative uses:
This book could be an aid to discussing differences in traditions, stereotypes, and gender.  Sometimes a visible label is not entirely correct.  Brainstorm and list things that have a stereotype (blue sky, red apple) that isn’t absolute, like Purple cauliflower, and Hi-Viz green firetrucks.

Read-alikes:
Thunder Boy, Jr. by Sherman Alexie, illustrated by Yuyi Morales.  The author’s first picture book has hit home.  The young hero wants his own name, not just his dad’s name plus “Junior”.  The story goes through many iterations of what he could be called, until Dad helps him settle on his true name.

Bloom, by Doreen Cronin, illustrations by David Small.  I’ve never heard of a mud fairy… but that’s what keeps the glass kingdom safe, the magic mud of Bloom.  The king banishes her for being embarrassingly messy, and the kingdom starts breaking apart.  Magic can come in many forms.

Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn't Fit, by Catherine Rayner.  Ernest is a big moose with a problem: he doesn’t fit in his book!  Ernest and a friend cobble together a foldout page (really) that allows his entire illustration to fit.  Sure, they could have changed perspective, but where is the fun in that?  Rayner’s story is cute, the illustrations are lovely, supporting the idea of “fitting” inside a book.

Tags: Unique, individual, labels, colors, jobs, family, friends, concern, help, outside the box, crayons, picturebook