Red
A Crayon's Story
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
A blue crayon mistakenly labeled as "red" suffers an identity crisis in this picture book by the New York Times–bestselling creator of My Heart Is Like a Zoo. This funny, heartwarming, colorful picture book about finding the courage to be true to your inner self can be read on multiple levels, and it offers something for everyone.
Funny, insightful, and colorful, Red: A Crayon's Story is about being true to your inner self and following your own path despite obstacles that may come your way. Red will appeal to fans of Lois Ehlert, Eric Carle, and The Day the Crayons Quit, and makes a great gift for readers of any age!
Red has a bright red label, but he is, in fact, blue. His teacher tries to help him be red (let's draw strawberries!), his mother tries to help him be red by sending him out on a playdate with a yellow classmate (go draw a nice orange!), and the scissors try to help him be red by snipping his label so that he has room to breathe. But Red is miserable. He just can't be red, no matter how hard he tries!
Finally, a brand-new friend offers a brand-new perspective, and Red discovers what readers have known all along. He's blue!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Red is a crayon, and children will see his problem right away: his label reads "red," but he's blue. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he's a poor performer in school, where his drawings are expected to be red. Hall (It's an Orange Aardvark!) has a fine ear for dialogue, and the overly cheerful encouragement Red endures will sound familiar to any child who's struggled to perform: "I'll draw a red strawberry, then you draw a red strawberry," coaches the scarlet crayon. "You can do this. Really!" But a page turn reveals two rows of strawberries, one scarlet and the other... blue. A Greek chorus of grown-up crayons lined up across a black spread makes patronizing comments: "He's got to press harder." "Really apply himself!" Only when Red is at his wit's end does he meet Berry, a crayon who actually sees him. "Will you make a blue ocean for my boat?" Berry asks quietly, and that's all it takes to change Red's life. Stories about accepting differences abound, but this one delivers its message in an unexpectedly affecting way. Ages 4 8.
