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    • Sep 16, 2019
    • 6 min read

Red: A Crayon's Story

Updated: Sep 17, 2019

A story that teaches readers that you are not defined by how others see you. Embrace yourself and you will change other people's perspective of you.


What is this story about?

This story is about a crayon named Red. Red goes through life accepting that he is a failure because he cannot produce the color red rather, when he tries to write, it comes out blue. The other colors try to help by trying to change him: giving him a warm red scarf to wear, sharpening him, taping him, and snipping his label. One day, the color Berry, asks Red to color her a blue ocean. She believes in Red, shows him that he is useful, and changes his perspective on what his purpose is. He soon realizes that he is meant to be "blue" and embraces it. Soon after, the others' change their thinking and see Red as a blue crayon as well.


Meet the Author/Illustrator:

Michael Hall

Michael Hall is an award-winning author and illustrator. He is a New York Times bestseller, a critically acclaimed author, and a Goodreads Choice Award winner. He has written/illustrated books such as: My Heart is Like a Zoo, Perfect Square, It's an Orange Aardvark, and Frankencrayon. Before becoming a children's book author, he was an award-winning graphic designer. Michael Hall lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Check out his website, https://www.michaelhallstudio.com/index.html, to find out more about his work!

My Critique/Review:


Red, A Crayon's Story, was such a good read. I loved the subtle details and illustrations of the book, allowing the reader to really focus on the words and story. The message behind this book is so important for children. This book teaches children the importance of staying true to yourself, having confidence in your own abilities, and not worrying about what others think of you, to embrace yourself, and other's thinking will follow. Due to the great message and theme of this book, this book would meet my expectations of a good children's book. The book was also very engaging, had fun illustrations, and was very relatable. This book is a must read for children!

Thoughts:

An overall theme of this book was the idea of labels vs. identity. In the book, Red is named red because his label says that he is red. However, when Red tries to draw, his color comes out as blue. Red struggles with his identity throughout the book, thinking he is a failure for not being able to perform his purpose. Once a friend changes his perspective on his true purpose, Red is able to embrace his purpose and find his identity. This proves that labels are just labels and do not define who you are. Red was defined by his label to others and himself, but once he was able to change his perspective and love himself, others changed their perspectives of him as well. This moves into another theme of the book which is to not judge others. The community judged Red because they believed he was not able to fulfill his purpose of being a red crayon. This goes to show that we should not judge others based on if they can "fulfill their purpose" or do something "right" because ultimately, who makes the decision of what is right and wrong? The messages that this book portray are so important and remind readers to get rid of their labels or stereotypes of people; don't judge; and that no matter how hard others try to change you, you cannot change yourself, only your perspective of yourself, so always stay true to who you are.

The illustrations of this book consist of digitally combined and colored crayon drawings and cut paper. I really liked the illustrator's subtle details throughout the book. The first end-page of the book starts out with a plain red sheet of paper. Throughout the book, the pages alternate between black and white pages. Then, the last end-page is blue. This progression represents Red's identity throughout the book. Red first believed he was a red crayon because of his label. Throughout the book, Red is reminded by the community that he is a failure, is not applying himself, and is not serving his purpose, being confused about his identity, represented by black and white. However, once Red begins to accept that he is truly blue, his perspective and others' begin to change. He soon realizes that his true identity is blue, representing why the final end-page is blue. Furthermore, I think the author's use of white and black backgrounds throughout the book, allow for the crayon colors and images to stand out. Lastly, I love how the images are so "child-like" with scribbles and cute drawings. This makes the images look so crayon-like, adding to the idea that the crayons in the book are the ones who drew the images. The images of the book do not outweigh the words, but, visually depict the author's words.





















When thinking about how to include this book into the classroom, I would focus on the idea of identity, having confidence, and loving yourself, which are big themes in the book. One thing I think is important is to promote student's self-confidence. On a sheet of paper, students could write about and illustrate something they are good at. For instance, "I am a good soccer player" and draw a picture of them playing soccer. In the book, Red was not good at being red, but was great at drawing blue. So, students could think of something they are good at and write about it. I think this would promote self-confidence and allow students to think, "yes, I am good at this". Another activity students could do that ties to the book is to talk about their identity. In the book, Red's label says red, however, there is so much more to him than just being red. So, students could draw a picture, fill out a graphic organizer, orally share with a peer, or write things that they are interested in or like/don't like, that others would not know by looking at them. This supports the idea that others can look at us and make their own opinions, but there is so much more to each of us that is under the surface and not visible to the eye.

Making Connections:


One thing I would do when discussing this book in the classroom, is to have students look at Michael Hall's statement about the book (Hall, n.d.). Here, Michael talks about his struggles with dyslexia and how he at first, just accepted this label, just as Red did. He had people in his life who tried to support him but "could not see past the label". I think this is an important piece of information for students to read because it provides the author's personal connection and inspiration behind the book. It gives students a real-life example and may help them better connect the book to their own lives as well. Overall, by students reading this statement, it will help build students' interest, engagement, and will give them a new perspective on the book, aiding in their development of critical literacy.

Another connection I was able to make was between this book and the books: Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship and Last Stop on Market Street. All three of these books are award winning books and share a similar theme of friendship, as well as, accepting and staying true to yourself. In "Red, A Crayon's Story", Red's friendship with Berry helps him find his true purpose and accept his true identity. In "Rescue & Jessica", Jessica and Rescue must deal with the hardships of change. They lean on each other throughout their journey to show the importance of friendship during difficult times. In the end, Jessica must accept that her life will not be the same as it was before and learn to love her new legs. Lastly, "Last Stop on Market Street", incorporates a friendship bond between CJ and his nana. CJ learns from his nana; accepts that he does not have/need everything else the other kids have, such as a car, and accepts what he has; and begins to change his outlook on life. All three of these children's books incorporate a great message to readers and encourages children to have confidence and accept who they are, because ultimately, we cannot change our true selves.

The last connection I was able to make between all three of these books came after doing further research. During my research, I learned that in all the book, the author or the illustrator had a personal connection that influenced the story. In Rescue & Jessica, the book was about an event that happened in the author, Jessica's, life. In Red, A Crayon's Story, the author/illustrator, Michael Hall, shares that Red relates to his story. Growing up, he had dyslexia, which was his label. He at first, just accepted that he was labeled as having dyslexia, just as Red was labeled red. He soon realized that having a learning disorder does not define him, he can still succeed. Lastly, in Last Stop on Market Street, the illustrator, Christian Robinson, depicted the characters to represent his own experiences growing up riding the bus with his nana. By all the authors/illustrators having a personal connection to the story, it makes the stories more meaningful, special, and real to readers.



Useful Links:


Sources:


Hall, M. (2015) Red: A Crayon's Story. New York, New York: HarperCollins


Hall, M. (n.d.) Michael Hall Studio. Retrieved from


Michael Hall. Photo of Author/Illustrator Michael Hall. Reprinted from Audible, 2019. Retrieved from https://www.audible.com/author/Michael-Hall/B003MQFMPW

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