The Day The Crayons Quit Analysis

Analysis of The Day the Crayons Quit

Physical Elements The beloved children’s story, The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt has reached classrooms and homes all over the world. The book spans 40 pages with 31 of those pages dedicated to the actual story. The story has just around 1,000 words. The number of words per page varies significantly between 5 and 96. However, the pages with letters from each of the 12 crayons span between 50 and 96 words per page. The illustrations by Oliver Jeffers carry the story through. Jeffers designed the story to have simple illustrations that are reminiscent of a young child’s own abilities. In fact, these drawings could almost be done by a child. This makes the story more accessible to children

The main purpose of this story is too teach children a lesson on empathy. In other words, it is showing children how it feels to walk in another’s shoes through the use of an inanimate object used primarily by children. Each crayon portrays the emotions of people in an easy and relatable way. It goes through emotions such as anger, frustration, and sadness. In addition to teaching empathy, it also teaches children how to overcome peer challenges and solve problems in a healthy and peaceful way. This is a skill children will use throughout their education and well into their adulthood as the enter into careers working with colleagues. After reading this story, children may be able to reflect on how each crayon felt and why to better understand where that character was coming

Daywalt took an item that children use on a daily basis and created a conflict that they would understand. The theme, as previously discussed, is successful in teaching a lesson without stating it obviously. This makes the book perfect for read alouds in classrooms from which teachers can create extensive lesson plans for an elementary class. Middle school teachers may also use this story because of the mature nature of its theme in a fun and humorous way. Both adults and children would be attracted to this story as a buyer. The child would be hooked in by the simplicity of the drawings as it is reflective of their own skill level. The title alone is enough to capture the attention of both an adult and child. “The Day the Crayons Quit” would strike curiosity in any passerby by posing the question, “Why DID the crayons quit?” The humor of the story makes this an entertaining read for both children and adults. This is the kind of story that parents would enjoy reading to their kids day after day. The marketability of this story makes it a timeless tale that will stay in homes and schools for many years. It will never lose its appeal as long as children are still coloring with