The Crayons series, Book 1 Drew Daywalt, illustrations by Oliver Jeffers Philomel Books Fiction, CH Humor/Picture Book Themes: Creative Power, Imaginary Friends ****
Description
Duncan opens his crayon box one day to find a bunch of letters, outlining grievances from his favorite (and not-so-favorite) colors.
Review
With childlike illustrations, this is a lighthearted, silly little read. Each crayon has its own problem: Blue has been so overworked it's barely a stub, Pink never
gets out of the box unless Duncan's sister is coloring a princess picture, Black only ever gets to be an outline, and poor Peach was left naked after the boy peeled its
label off, and is now too embarrassed to leave the box. Only Green seems happy, save the ongoing bickering between Orange and Yellow over which one is the true color of
the sun (each citing a different drawing or coloring book as proof.) The wrap-up feels a little anticlimactic, but overall it's fun.
The Crayons series, Book 2 Drew Daywalt, illustrations by Oliver Jeffers Philomel Books Fiction, CH Humor/Picture Book Themes: Creative Power, Imaginary Friends ****
Description
One day, Duncan finds a stack of postcards in his room, sent by lost and lonely crayons around the house and beyond.
Review
An excellent follow-up to Daywalt's chuckle-inducing The Day the Crayons Quit (reviewed above), this book features (mostly) new colors in new difficulties, with
some nods to the previous book. Pea Green, tired of being hated (both as a vegetable and the color associated with said vegetable), changes his name to Esteban the
Magnificent and sets out to see the world, while Neon Red, abandoned months ago on vacation, sends postcards from its walk home. Other crayons plead for help from the yard,
the sofa, the laundry hamper, and even the basement, in a special glow-in-the-dark segment. Even his siblings' art supplies get in on the act, as his toddler brother's
purple crayon begs for sanctuary while debating the tyke's dubious artistic skills. The art maintains the child-scribble aesthetic of the first one, with the addition
of vintage postcards, all of which have extra touches that invite rereads to catch them all (and which adults may snicker at more than children.) It's funny for grown-ups
and kids alike... plus, as mentioned, there's a glow-in-the-dark spread, and that never hurts a book rating.
Drew Daywalt, illustrations by Adam Rex Balzer + Bray Fiction, CH Humor/Picture Book Themes: Games, Twists ****+
Description
In ages past, three undefeated warriors roamed the land in search of worthy opponents. All fell before them... until they finally faced each other in one epic
battle.
Review
A hilarious "backstory" for the ubiquitous hand game places a mythic spin on the adventures of crushing Rock, covering Paper, and slicing Scissors. Each one
meets and defeats several challengers (as when Rock takes out a tangerine, Paper jams the arrogant Printer, and Scissors confronts the dreaded horde of Dinosaur
Shaped Chicken Nuggets) before the final fight. The silly dialog made me laugh.
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