Sometimes, things get too be too much and you just have to stop and say “no more”. Duncan’s crayons feel that way in The Day the Crayons Quit written by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers.
They are tired of being abused and want to stick it to the man. That man happens to be Duncan, who, according to the crayons, has unrealistic expectations of them.
Each page features a letter to Duncan from a particular color, outlining that color’s grievances, and an illustration proving their point. Here’s a sample from the green crayon:
I will admit that the copy I have on hold at the library has not yet arrived, so I read this, standing up in Powell’s. I laughed out loud and worried people noticed me.
This book has me thinking about all the ways you can use it n the classroom: letter writing, persuasive writing, humor, imagining what another inanimate object might write…..OOOO imagine what a chair might say! Scandalous.
Definitely a must have. I think this is one I will add to my teacher read aloud book club for this year. It looks like it will be a “go” for 2013-14.