Despite my few reservations, I do highly recommend the book, either for read aloud (one to one or for groups) and for independent readers too, if their reading skills are sufficiently advanced to be able to read slightly atypically written letters in various colors. But then I saw them, like a beacon on a hill… there, on my desk, sat an ancient box of my old crayons next to the hula girl pen holder my grandpa had left me in his will. I didn’t remember buying the crayons, or even why I had them. I didn’t have kids yet, so they were definitely my crayons. And at the time, I couldn’t for the life of me remember the last time I had colored. Crayons are so ubiquitous, aren’t they? They just show up everywhere, under couch cushions, behind the dresser, in the junk drawer. But here was a box I’d aparently kept with me, moving them with all my office stuff from apartment to apartment. So yeah… there they were. And I just knew they had a story to tell. See how everyone’s favorite little astromech droid makes friends and foils enemies in this funny and exciting new Star Wars adventure!

Continues its predecessor’s pleasing, goofy conceit…Once again, both Daywalt’s text and Jeffers’ illustrations are endearing.”—New York Times Book Review The reason why I gave this book a four star rating was because even though the story was pretty interesting, the letters that the crayons wrote to Duncan tend to be extremely long and it made me a bit frustrated since I think that the humor in the letters still would have been there, if they were to shorten the letters down to a few sentences and still get the crayons’ points across. Winner of over 60 national and international awards, including the coveted E.B. White Read-Aloud Award That’s my next book!” I yelped gleefully, “If the other crayons were all bent out of shape over how they were being used, imagine how THESE ones feel??!”I embarrassed myself at the circulation desk reading it because I kept barking out laughter. The illustrations are fantastic (same guy who illustrated "This Moose Belongs to Me", another one of my faves) and the text is spot on. Peach Crayon is upset because Duncan peeled his wrapper off and now he is 'naked.' I found this storyline strained, but okay. A cute little books about Duncan's box of crayons. He goes to use them and discovers a pile of letters from various colors. The letters are mildly amusing, but the accompanying pictures are even better, illustrating each crayon's issue in a spot-on child-like style.

But here’s an interesting thing to ponder: There’s this book from 1997 called The Crayon Box That Talked (Shane Derolf/Michael Letzig). It’s also about a box of crayons that don’t get along, are complaining about each other and refuse to work together. Sound familiar? Except when their owner draws a picture, the crayons see how beautiful the others are and even more so when they all color together. It’s not funny or snarky or clever. It’s sweet. I mean, hey, it’s about diversity and appreciating how different we all are. Makes you want to hug and get all Kumbaya-ya. This is the kind of picture book that adults will love and kids will find hysterical. A sure win-win and one that a family could read together over and over again. Loads to look at it in the illustrations and the individual personalities of the crayons really comes through. I don't always review books that my son brings home from the school library (unless I love or HATE them haha) but this one made the 2013 Goodreads Choice Awards and several of you have it on your "to-read" list. Laugh-out-loud funny and outrageous at times, this read-aloud will have listeners jumping out of their seats. This is the sort of story that makes children love to read.” While walking into my living room one morning, cup of coffee in hand, I saw that my pug dog Sam had thrown up all over the rug. Sam, you see, loved to eat things he shouldn’t eat, and then throw them up in as many hidden little places around the house as he could, like some kind of awful aberration of the Easter Bunny.

BB-8 on the Run

This colorful title should make for an uproarious storytime.” –School Library Journal, starred review

I guess some reviewers find the crayons too "whiny," but I see nothing wrong with an inanimate object objecting to being used improperly. And, Duncan's crayons have a litany of complaints from overuse to who makes a better sun - yellow or orange. And the poor peach crayon - it's all naked 'cos Duncan peeled off its paper! Once again, Daywalt and Jeffers create rich emotional lives and personalities for their colorful cast, and it’s hard to imagine a reader who won’t be delighted.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

The Day the Crayons Came Home

The earnest gravity of the fighters’ quests paired with the mundane setting and melodramatic tone are perfectly balanced to produce a brand of purely absurd, sidesplitting humor that kids will gobble up.” I haven’t been reading many picture books lately, but with large groups of college students above and below me (don’t get me started) while I can’t focus on my current novel, I was able to concentrate on a picture book, and thanks to Goodreads friend Kathryn for encouraging me to read this particular book, and due to it being due at the library Monday, I just read it, and I’m glad I did. Yellow Crayon and Orange Crayon each write in separately, seemingly they each believe they are the "true" color of the sun. White Crayon is sad he is so invisible. This lament is accompanied by a hilarious illustration titled: White Cat in the Snow by Duncan. LOL LOL