The Crayons Love Our Planet

December 15, 2023
Daywalt and Jeffers' wildly popular Crayons have an important ecological message. Though climate change is never mentioned, the book nevertheless gently introduces responsibility for Planet Earth. As in previous titles, the main text is in a large black font, while the Crayons' dialogue is presented in a smaller, gray font. Blue begins by showing off a blue-tinged image of the globe (land masses are depicted in a darker hue). Green takes over: "Yay, Trees! I did those!" Beige breaks in, pointing to a tiny wheat plant next to two large trees: "And wheat! I did the WHEAT!" Beige puts wheat front and center throughout--even on White's drawing of mountaintop ice caps. When Red, Yellow, and Orange display drawings of various fruits, Beige interjects, "And WHEAT. Wheat is totally fruit." Diplomatic Purple politely responds, "Um. NO. It is not." Purple attempts to dissuade self-important Beige, but it all ends happily as the Crayons join hands and proclaim: "Our planet has all of us too, in many shapes, colors, and sizes." Beige and Purple reconcile, with Beige adding, "And it's our job to keep the planet safe." Young children will easily absorb this positive message. Although these characters have had many outings, their quiet humor still succeeds, and fans will definitely want this new entry. A droll exploration of color and nature--and a welcome reminder to safeguard our planet. (Picture book. 3-5)

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January 26, 2024

PreS-Gr 2-Those silly crayons are back again, celebrating our colorful planet. Each crayon is proud of their contribution, from overworked Blue to cheerful Green. Beige adds the humor in this entry, insisting on adding stalks of wheat to every image. Purple consistently calls Beige out: no, wheat is not a fruit, nor an animal, nor a canoeing afficionado. However, at the end Purple is forced to agree with Beige's proclamation: "it's our job to keep the planet safe." The concise text is similar to recent crayon entries, instead of the original pair of lengthy titles, and thus is likely to appeal more to younger readers. While the main text of the story is accessible to early readers, the font of the crayons' contributions may prove difficult for some children to read independently. The crayons are reliable in their charm and humor, and many children will be happy to read another entry in the series. VERDICT Recommended for purchase where the crayon books are popular, and certainly to celebrate Earth Day.-Elizabeth Lovsin

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