The Day the Crayons Quit book cover
Pre K - 3

The Day the Crayons Quit

By Drew Daywalt

Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers

The hilarious, colorful #1 New York Times bestselling phenomenon that every kid wants! Gift a copy to someone you love today.

Poor Duncan just wants to color. But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing: His crayons have had enough! They quit! Beige Crayon is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown Crayon. Black wants to be used for more than just outlining. Blue needs a break from coloring all those bodies of water. And Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking—each believes he is the true color of the sun.

What can Duncan possibly do to appease all of the crayons and get them back to doing what they do best?

Kids will be imagining their own humorous conversations with crayons and coloring a blue streak after sharing laughs with Drew Daywalt and New York Times bestseller Oliver Jeffers. This story is perfect as a back-to-school gift, for all budding artists, for fans of humorous books such as Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Sciezka and Lane Smith, and for fans of Oliver Jeffers’ Stuck, The Incredible Book Eating Boy, Lost and Found, and This Moose Belongs to Me.

Praise for The Day the Crayons Quit

Amazon’s 2013 Best Picture Book of the Year

A Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2013

Goodreads’ 2013 Best Picture Book of the Year 

Winner of the E.B. White Read-Aloud Award

* “Hilarious . . . Move over, Click, Clack, Moo; we’ve got a new contender for the most successful picture-book strike.” –BCCB, starred review 

“Jeffers . . . elevates crayon drawing to remarkable heights.” –Booklist

“Fresh and funny.” –The Wall Street Journal

“This book will have children asking to have it read again and again.” –Library Media Connection

* “This colorful title should make for an uproarious storytime.” –School Library Journal, starred review 

* “These memorable personalities will leave readers glancing apprehensively at their own crayon boxes.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review 

“Utterly original.” –San Francisco Chronicle

Educator Resources

State Awards

Recommended reading lists from your state's teacher or librarian associations!
  • Colorado
    • Colorado Children's Book Award, 2015
  • Connecticut
    • Nutmeg Book Award, 2015
  • Illinois
    • Illinois Monarch Award, 2015
  • Minnesota
    • Wanda Gag Book Award, 2014
    • Star of the North Picture Book Award, 2015-2016
  • Mississippi
    • The Magnolia Book Awards, 2015
  • New Hampshire
    • Ladybug Picture Book Award, 2015
  • New York
    • NYC Reads 365 Reading List
  • Washington
    • Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award, 2015
  • Wisconsin
    • Golden Archer Award, 2015
  • Delaware
    • Diamond Primary Book Award, 2015-2016
  • California
    • California Young Reader Medal, 2015-2016
  • Utah
    • Beehive Book Award, 2014-2015
  • Kansas
    • Bill Martin Jr. Picture Book Award, 2014-2015
  • Maryland
    • Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, 2014-2015
  • Nebraska
    • Golden Sower Award, 2015-2016
  • Iowa
    • Goldfinch Award, 2015-2016
  • Arizona
    • Grand Canyon Reader Award, 2014-2015
  • Pennsylvania
    • Keystone to Reading Book Award, 2014-2015
  • North Carolina
    • North Carolina Children's Book Award, 2014-2015
  • Vermont
    • Red Clover Book Award, 2014-2015
  • Missouri
    • Show Me Readers Award, 2015-2016
  • South Carolina
    • South Carolina Children's Book Awards, 2015-2016
  • Texas
    • Texas Bluebonnet Award, 2013-2014
  • Indiana
    • Young Hoosier Book Award, 2015-2016

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