his drawings. Maruyama’s clever illustrations displaying crayon-resistant art can easily be replicated by young readers. The illustrations throughout the book play on the use of white space as well. The dark interior of the crayon box contrasts with bright light that appears when Olivia or Lucas open the box. This technique is also featured in the human world. For example, in Olivia’s house the dark interior contrasts sharply with the white snow outside.
My son loves this book! It has been in nightly rotation since we first read it a week ago. The Forgotten Crayon is a great book for helping children understand the importance of inclusivity and makes a creative addition for home, school, and public libraries.
minedition, 2020 | ISBN 978-9888341986
National Crayon Day Activity
Have fun recreating Olivia’s jellyfish painting from your own crayon box!
- Printable Jellyfish and Fish Stencil Template
- Paper (I found regular paper to work better than watercolor paper)
- White crayon
- Print out stencil template
- Starting in the center of each figure cut out the jellyfish and the fish
- Place template on paper. Using your white crayon, trace and color in your jellyfish and fish
- Use blue watercolors and paint your paper
- Let dry
You can find The Forgotten Crayon at these booksellers
Picture Book Review