Author: Drew Daywalt

Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers

Publisher/Year: Philomel Books, 2013

Pages: 32

Genre: Fiction

Analysis:

In The Day the Crayons Quit, Duncan receives a stack of letters written by his twelve crayons: red, purple, beige, gray, white, black, green, yellow, orange, blue, pink, and peach. In their own letter, each crayon describes his or her unique woes, including being used too much or too little, being a “girl” color, or only being used for outlines. Duncan’s responds by using all twelve colors in his next drawing, scoring him As for creativity and coloring.

The Day the Crayons Quit acts as both a mirror and a door. Although indirectly, each crayon’s woe is not too far related to the real life struggles of young readers. The red, gray, and blue crayons describe how they often work harder than other crayons because there are so many (large) things of their color. Readers who have ever felt used, overworked, or underappreciated can personally identify with these three crayons. Likewise, just as Beige is tired of being incorrectly labeled “’light brown’” or “’dark tan,’” elementary aged students have surely dealt with threats to their individuality. Finally, Pink complains of never being used because of her association as “girl” color; this woe can speak to both girls and boys who have felt swayed to act in a certain way because of their gender. Woes a reader cannot personally identify with can help expand their world view, maybe even alerting them to the troubles their peers are experiencing. For very young readers, Daywalt’s book provides a basic understanding of the colors used to draw certain things. Duncan’s response also functions as an appropriate model of behavior, for he not only addresses the complaints of each crayon but uses their unique ability to create an interesting illustration.

Power rests with Duncan for only he can attend to the woes he unknowingly wreaked upon his crayons. Through each crayon’s letter, Daywalt creatively and humorously explores the concept of power struggles.

Exclamations, purposeful capitalization and underlining, and humor captivate the intense desire of each crayon to have their concerns met. The signature and closing of each letter communicates very briefly the situation each crayon wants recognized and fixed (e.g. “Your very stubby friend” (p. 22)) and type that mimics a child’s handwriting helps give each crayon personality. Jeffers’ illustrations mirror the text but more symbolically and literally show the emotions felt by each crayon. For example, as Beige complains of being used only for wheat he is drawn with a sorrow expression and weak posture like that of a lonely stalk of wheat. White complains of meaning nothing without a black outline, and is thus illustrated by Jeffers without a black outline, causing White to be nearly invisible and easily overlooked by readers, myself included. The illustrations also contrast the current and ideal worlds perceived by each crayon. The placement of the majority of crayons lower on the page signifies their low spirits and power so long as Duncan does not respond as they please. Many themes in The Day the Crayons Quit deal with social justice concerns, such as challenging gender norms, oppression, and the democratic right to free speech and expression (i.e. striking). The theme of teamwork without the loss of individuality is also explored, as exemplified by Duncan equally addressing the unique needs and wants of each crayon.