Module 6: The Day the Crayons Quit

Module 6:  The Day the Crayons Quit

Book Cover Image

• Book Summary: Duncan's crayons decide to write him letters explaining their different dilemmas of how they're being treated.  Some of the crayons protest that they're not being used enough while others fell they're being used too much.  To resolve the issue and make all of the crayons happy, Duncan decides to create a drawing where all of the crayons are being used perfectly.

• APA Reference of Book:  

Daywalt, D. (2013). The day the crayons quit.  New York, New York: Penquin Group Inc.

• Impressions:  I absolutely love this book as it gives the crayons real-life characteristics and personalities.  The writing is very funny as each crayon explains whey they want to quit.  I also like how the art work really looks like it was drawn and colored by a little boy with a big imagination.  My favorite part of the book is when the yellow and orange crayon argue about who is the true color of the sun.  This is a very unique and clever story.

•  Professional Review:  Duncan's crayons are on strike.  One morning he opens his desk looking for them and in their place, finds a pack of letters detailing their grievances, one crayon at a time.  Red is tired, Beige is bored.  Black is misunderstood.  The artist's indelible characterization contributes significant charm (Barthelmess, 2013).

Reference:  Barthelmess, T. (July, 2013). The day the crayons quit.  Booklist. 109(21) p77-78.

• Library Uses:  I read and used this book for 3-5th graders to discuss and write about persuasive writing.  Students wrote a persuasive letter to the class explaining why their favorite color should represent the class color.  Students took a vote based on who had the most persuasive letter.