Happy St. Patrick's Day from the Crayons

November 15, 2023
A holiday-centered spinoff from the duo behind the inspired The Day the Crayons Quit (2013). With Green Crayon on vacation, how can the waxy ones pull off a colorful St. Patrick's Day celebration with Duncan, their (unseen) owner? Through their signature combo of cooperation and unwavering enthusiasm, of course. Blue and Yellow collaborate on a field of shamrocks that blends--however spottily--into green. Nearly invisible White Crayon supplies an otherwise unclothed light-skinned leprechaun with undies, and Orange draws a pair of pants that match the wee creature's iconic beard and hair. Pink applies colors to a vest, and Purple, a natty jacket and boots. Chunky Toddler Crayon contributes a "perfect" scribbly blue hat; Beige and Brown team up for the leprechaun's harp. In arguably the best bit, Black exuberantly manifests a decidedly unvariegated rainbow, while Gold's pot of coins is right on the money, hue-wise. Their ardor undimmed by the holiday's missing customary color, everyone assembles to party. Though the repartee among the crayons isn't as developed as in previous outings, the book hews close to Daywalt and Jeffers' winning formula, and there's still enough here to keep readers chuckling. And, in a droll "wait for it" moment nicely calibrated for storytime, Green returns from vacation, sunglasses and suitcase in hand: "Did I miss anything while I was gone?" (The cover illustrations do hint at some Green-inflected remediation.) A predictable series entry, mitigated as usual by the protagonists' perennially energetic positivity. (Picture book. 4-6)

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December 15, 2023

PreS-K-When Green Crayon goes on vacation, the other colors step up to cover St. Patrick's Day. "It'll be an extraordinary collaboration!" Pink declares. Blue and Yellow work together on the shamrocks, while everyone else pitches in to draw a leprechaun, harp, rainbow, and pot of gold. Jeffers's crayon illustrations depict the personified crayon cast from the other books in the series. Humorous highlights include Chunky Toddler Crayon creating a leprechaun hat (a scribble), Black Crayon making an all-black rainbow, and White Crayon drawing underwear. VERDICT Order to satisfy fans of Daywalt's other "Crayons" books.-Rachel Owens

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