The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons

It's easy to take today's ubiquitous colored crayons for granted, but they were the result of one individual's innovation. Biebow introduces Edwin Binney--a mustachioed man and head of a carbon black factory--who wished to make color-pigmented wax crayons that reflected the world outside. Salerno's illustrations reflect the formality of the era, which he playfully disrupts with splashes of color: in one spread, a line of pigment-spattered workers end a day of crayon experimentation. Readers are likely to be fascinated by the process of "grinding, grinding, grinding up rocks and minerals into fine powders" and the rich colors that result. Back matter is attention-grabbing as well, with photographs of crayon production today. Ages 6-9. (Mar.)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 1-4-For many children, crayons are ubiquitous, everyday items, but as this informational picture book attests, that wasn't always the case. The hero of this tale is Edwin Binney, American businessman and inventor. In the early 1900s, Binney (who'd already pioneered dustless chalk for teachers) listened to his customers and family when they clamored for a new product: inexpensive, easy-to-use crayons for children. After a lot of messy experimentation with various materials and colors--aspiring scientists and makers may feel a surge of recognition--Binney finally struck the "top-secret formula" that eventually became Crayola crayons. Indeed, the scenes in which Binney and his team wind up covered in splotches of experimental powdered pigment stand out among Salerno's winsome, earnestly old-fashioned illustrations (which are rendered in a Crayola-inspired palette, of course). Inset text boxes on several spreads provide scientific and historical context without disrupting the narrative, and back matter includes a bibliography, biographical facts about Binney, and a photographic guide to "How Crayola Crayons Are Made Today." VERDICT A colorful addition to the shelves of picture books about inventors and inventions and all things STEAM.--Rebecca Honeycutt, NoveList, Durham, NC

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"British author Biebow's first nonfiction picture book flows with conversational smoothness....The attractive full-page—and, accordingly, brightly colorful—illustrations mix realism and whimsy in Salerno's recognizable style."-Booklist

"A colorful addition to the shelves of picture books about inventors and inventions and all things STEAM."-School Library Journal

"Readers are likely to be fascinated."-Publishers Weekly

"In this chatty, engaging picture book, Biebow provides the historical context around the invention of Crayola crayons....What [Caldecott Medalist] Jon Klassen achieves emotionally in his characters' eyes, Salerno manages with eyebrows here."-Kirkus

"Biebow conveys just how revolutionary this now-mundane product was at its inception....Salerno's illustrations of the Binney and Smith workforce, marching around the factory in color-splotched overalls and pursuing their experiments with the zeal of alchemists, keep the visual excitement building."-The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books