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September 20, 2013

Perfect Picture Book Friday - The Day The Crayons Quit PLUS A Giveaway Winner!


Yay!  It's Perfect Picture Book Friday!

I have a FANTASTIC book to share with you today, and I know I usually try to put the book at the very top of the post for people who visit later just to see the book, but today I have to squeeze one little housekeeping detail in first.  (And a mention to please read to the end for the announcement of who won Erik's book from Monday!)

As you know I intended (ahem) to catch up on the updating of the PPBF list over the summer.  Well, that was a ridiculous fantasy.  I can never seem to remember that I have LESS time in the summer, not MORE.  Needless to say, I haven't done it yet.  But, I am doing it now!  Yes I am!  And I have a new plan.  Which I hope is going to work and make it much more user-friendly for everyone!  (It's only a little bit hare-brained :))

But I need to ask you guys one little favor.

Well.  Two.

Er.  Three.

1. Can you please be sure to put the intended age range on your post.
2. Can you please say if it's fiction or nonfiction.  I usually assume fiction if it doesn't say, but sometimes it's just not clear.
3.  Can you please just list the 3 or so most prevalent themes.  It's a time-consuming job to update the list, and adding a book to 1- 4 theme groups is manageable, but 12 makes me want to crawl in a hole :) And if I haven't read the book it makes it very hard for me to know which 3 or 4 I should pick.

I promise to reveal the whole scheme when it's a little closer to completion, but I'm still in the early stages of working on it and have a LONG way to go, so bear with me :)

Oh, and one other thing.  Penny very kindly let me know this week that the old Perfect Picture Book link was no longer working.  Aarrgghh!  Somewhere along the line the URL for Perfect Picture Books changed.  I have no idea how.  But Beth was able to ascertain that it happened last January.  I, of course, was oblivious.  So, could you all please check that the link back to PPBF that you're adding is the correct one from here on out?  It should be:  http://susannahill.blogspot.com/p/perfect-picture-books.html

Alrighty!  Now onto this book which you are going to LOVE! :)


Title: The Day The Crayons Quit
Written By: Drew Daywalt
Illustrated By: Oliver Jeffers
Philomel Books, June 2013, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-7

Themes/Topics: colors, emotions, getting along, humor

Opening: "One day in class, Duncan went to take out his crayons and found a stack of letters with his name on them.
Hey Duncan,
It's me, RED crayon.  We need to talk..."

Brief Synopsis: One day when Duncan wants to color, he opens his crayon box to discover that the crayons have quit.  RED needs a rest.  PURPLE wants Duncan to be neater.  BEIGE is tired of feeling less important than BROWN.  What's a boy to do?  Luckily Duncan comes up with the perfect solution!

The green page from The Day The Crayons Quit
copyright 2013 Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers
Links To Resources:  In this book, Duncan's crayons write to him to express their feelings about the way he uses them.  Try writing a letter back to one or more of the crayons.  Write a letter that you imagine one of your toys might write to you.  Why would the toy be happy or sad or jealous or angry or any other emotion you can think of?  Classroom activities, writing activities

Why I Like This Book:  This book is imaginative and clever and fun!  The letters are laugh-out-loud funny.  The drawings are perfectly and believably child-like (and all done in crayon!)  It's a perfect marriage of text and pictures which is what picture books are all about :)  And because the crayons all behave like kids, there are plenty of feelings and behavior that kids can understand - jealousy, competition, feeling unappreciated, etc. - all things that everyone struggles with from time to time.

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

Now, before you all go off to read each other's PPBF selections and then onto your weekends,  I'd like to announce that the winner of Erik's book from Monday's giveaway (as randomly chosen by random.org) is...
 Robyn!!!

Yay for lucky Robyn!!!  (Who, very fittingly, claimed that the vegetable she was most like was chocolate.  My heart over-floweth!  Someone besides me is finally counting chocolate as a vegetable!  After all, it does come from a BEAN! :))  Congratulations, Robyn!  Please email me so we can work out how to get your signed copy of The Adventures Of Tomato And Pea, Book 1: A Bad Idea to you!!!

Have a great weekend, everyone!  And PPBF bloggers, make sure to add your links below!

48 comments:

  1. I absolutely love this book. It reminds me a bit of Julia Cook's book about crayons and the art of friendship. Love how you can take a subject and do a completely different story! You did an outstanding review with fun classroom activities!

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  2. Hooray for Robyn!!


    This book sounds great! I love the opening lines and the premise is fantastic. I am sure kids adore this book!

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  3. This is a great book! How do I know? I thought about reviewing it this week then had a last moment change of heart (you must have ESP'd me!). I thought it was interesting because it's fairly text heavy but doesn't feel that way at all.

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  4. Yay ... I've seen the title but not a review ... and yours seals the deal for me! Thank you. And Congrats Robin!!

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  5. Congrats, Robyn! It's good to be back in the groove with PPBF posts. I'll change my link later today, Susanna. Thanks for all your work! Sounds like a cute and clever PB to me 😊

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  6. Thanks for the update, and happy to follow your guidelines. So sorry it is SO much work for you, yikes! Congratulations Robyn and I want to read this book. I love the childlike quality to those green drawings!

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  7. Yay for Robyn!!!! I'm so glad she won (and had a brilliant answer too!)!!

    I've been meaning to read The Day the Crayons Quit and I will soon. It sounds hilarious!

    How annoying about the non-working link. Those darn computer gremlins like to mess with us all the time.

    Good luck with getting a new system set up for PPBF! Have a wonderful weekend!

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  8. Crayons going on strike? That is too hilarious lol!
    And Congrats to the giveaway winner :-)

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  9. I love Oliver Jeffers books! He is SO imaginative. Gotta go and see if my crayons are on strike...

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  10. Congrats, Robyn! I leafed through the book w/my daughter at a store, didn't have time to read it all, but my daughter couldn't get over how a professional illustrator drew those child-like illustrations. She thought he should be able to do better than that. HA!

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  11. Congratulations, Robyn!!! You're going to LOVE Erik's book!


    Oooooops, about too many themes. I've been guilty -- like someone else, I thought I was being helpful, suggesting to readers of the review all that they'd find in the book. Sorry!!! I just checked and I have four this week, but will change it to three. Or maybe even two.


    Third, it's GOOD to be back! And I found some delightful picture books on a "field trip" to a library in a different city, so will be eagerly sharing those in the weeks to come.

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  12. Congratulations, Robyn!!! Yay!!! :-)

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  13. Me???? This Robyn????? YAYYYYYYYYYY!!!! So thrilled. *happy dancing* (You do NOT want to see me dancing. It ain't pretty!) Thank you. I'm buying one to give to our library and keeping this one. (Of course I'll love your book Erik! That goes without saying.) :-)

    That PPB is so cute. It makes me wish I'd thought of that idea first. Alas, I didn't! I agree with Cheryl. Sus, all the work you put in is a treasure to all of us!



    *ahem*

    (Sus, you are such a techie!) *wink* *wink*

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  14. Congrats, Robyn! I can't wait to read the Day the Crayons Quit.

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  15. What? It's Friday? What happened to Tues, Wedn, and Thursday? Crud....Okay - I have my book... will post my link, but it will be later....mutter...grumble...whine....

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  16. Robyn won because . . . Random.org agrees that chocolate is a veggie!

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  17. I want to read this book. In fact, I just ordered it up. What a clever concept. Thanks for the heads up. Congrats to Robyn. I never realized chocolate was a vegetable. That makes my day!

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  18. Thank you, Pat! You're too kind :) I lovelovelove this book. Any book that makes me laugh out loud is an automatic favorite! :)


























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  19. Isn't this book terrific, Erik? It's just such fun! And the art is so perfect for it. I'm sure Ms. Campbell will love your book! :)

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  20. What's great about this book is that, while I am not (tehnically) a kid, I love it too! I think it's one of those books that does a good job of appealing to the dual PB audience :)



























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  21. I agree, Wendy. I think it's because the text is broken up so cleverly by putting it in separate letters, and the pictures are so much fun to look at :)



























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  22. You're going to love this, Barbara! You're in for a treat :)

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  23. It really is a fun one! I recommend a trip to the library :) I'm behind today, but can't wait to see what you chose! :)

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  24. You're welcome, Joanna, and thank you. You always do everything perfectly, so you have nothing to worry about :) And I know! Isn't the art just perfect for this book? I LOVE it! :)

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  25. Yes, Robyn is truly a girl after my own heart in the vegetable department :) You will LOVE this book - I recommend dropping whatever you're doing and going immediately to the library :) Thanks for the god wishes for PPBF... we shall see....!

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  26. It is hilarious! And even though your Chipmunk is not technically picture book aged, I bet she'd love it. My 20 year old was laughing :)

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  27. I love Oliver Jeffers too! He is one of my heroes :) Good luck with your crayons... :)



























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  28. You always do, Kristen, no worries :) And this is a GREAT book - I think your boys will love it... and you too! :)

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  29. Thank you, Clar! You are wonderful and sweet and perfect! :) I so appreciate it! And I hope you enjoy the book - I think you will! :)

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  30. Don't feel bad, Laura! I'm so far behind today that I'm going to be reading people's PPBF posts over the weekend at this rate! Sometimes life happens, you know? :) Looking forward to seeing what you picked!

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  31. You won't be disappointed, Catherine - you will love the humor! :)

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  32. Then random.org is smarter than I gave it credit for :)




























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  33. I have argued for years that chocolate is a vegetable - starting in my early youth when I bargained for chocolate instead of lima beans :) Hope you enjoy the book, Rosi! :)

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  34. Yay! Yes!! This Robyn!!! And I totally do want to see the happy dance. YouTube video please :) This is a great book - and I'm with you - wish I'd thought of it!

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  35. No worries, Beth, you don't go too overboard. And 4 is fine :) Looking forward to your field trip books and seeing what you chose for today (I'm way behind in case you couldn't tell :))



























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  36. And I was amazed by how well such an accomplished artist was able to produce such believably child-like drawings! :) LOVE this book :)

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  37. I found this book last week! Very clever. I love the personified crayons :)

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  38. I certainly love your book. Makes me want to doodle...*grins* . So happy, happy to be back here again.
    And congrats Robyn, you will love the book.

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  39. This is a fabulous book! We have read it, and I'm sure we will come back to it many times. So clever and funny and so fun to read it with lots of emotion! ;-)

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  40. Glad Robyn won Erik's book, just because we have the same last name. LOL! :-)

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  41. So happy to be back. Can't wait to see all the picture book offerings from your participants.

    I read The Day the Crayons Quit over the summer and can see why you chose it for review. So inventive!

    As for the list, I'm sure I speak for many of us when I say, we'll be happy to help in any way we can. Just let us know.

    Would it be helpful if you presented us with a list of themes? That would make it quicker for you and more unified as a resource. I try to look at your list of themes when I post, but maybe a teacher who sees this could make up a useful list of common themes for you??!!

    Thanks for your dedication to this amazing site.
    Welcome back!

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  42. Really? You didn't like the letters? I thought they were so funny! But this is what writing is all about, isn't it? What one person loves, another doesn't so much. It's why there's room for so many different books, and why you should never take it too much to heart when one of your stories is passed on by an editor - not every book works for every reader :) Thanks for your PPBF support!!! :)



























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  43. My 17yr old had the same reaction. I know I have been put off by a few the first time around, and pleasantly surprised the second time, but that only underlines what you said. So I have to have more understanding for editors!

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  44. I just love this book even though I haven't read it yet! Is that possible? I've already fallen in love from several great reviews. Can't wait to actually meet! I'm having an internet romance with a book. Oh boy! :) Thanks for sharing at Booknificent Thursday!Tina

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  45. I finally got to read this! I saw Julie R-Z's comment about the letters. Enzo LOVED the letters and asked to "read it again" - kid seal of approval. As all the crayons quit or complained, it made me think of the sheep in Can't Sleep Without Sheep ... so I had to come back and read your review. (Did you lose the search function on your blog? I may be overlooking it.) It's also one of the first "longer" books that Enzo has enoyed. I'll have to look up the word count for kicks!

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  46. I'm glad you and Enzo liked this, Stacy! And I had the same thought about Can't Sleep Without Sheep :) The search function is still here where it always was... at the very bottom where you have to search for it :) Maybe I should move it... And I'd be interested in the word count too... I bet it's longer than some, but it doesn't feel that long because it's broken up into letters...

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  47. Indeed. I see it now! I also looked up one site said the word count is 999! Indeed a Picture Book at under 1000 words. :)

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