I remember, as a child, the words "Manufactured by Binney & Smith" being at the bottom of every box of Crayola Crayons. (I don't think those words are there on modern boxes, but it's okay.) That stuck out to me, because my paternal grandparents lived on a street named Binney! They were both artistic, and their children (including my father) were very artistic as well. I believe most of my creativity has come from that side of the family.

I saw this book while I was at work and I had to read about it! I remember watching a video (on Mr. Roger's Neighborhood) about the making of crayons in a factory.... so this book really intrigued me. I enjoyed learning about the very beginning of my favorite coloring tool!

The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons explains how inventor Edwin Binney created everyone's favorite crayons!⁣
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The reader learns how Edwin has several failures before he creates the perfect concoction!⁣
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My students were engaged immediately!⁣
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If readers are reading this book independently, I recommend the book for students in grades 3 and up.⁣

What a fun book! Crayons are one of those items that so many of us use but we don't often see how they're created. I remember watching a show called How It's Made when I was little and absolutely loving the episode about crayons. We see the crayons go from idea to reality here, including the number of people involved and the numerous experiments to get everything right. This book may not give all of the real history because of the target audience, but there is a section in the back for further research if desired.

For: lovers of crayons, inventions, or biographies for a juvenile audience.

Possible red flags: some readers may find this to be too little or too much information on the topic depending on reading level and interest; some may view this as too idyllic of a representation.

This is a good nonfiction story. I was expecting the man to have invented colors, like crayons, and I guess in a sense he did, but the fact that he took wax colors and tweaked and tested them into a more usable format was a little anticlimactic. I loved hearing the history behind the crayola crayons and the origin of the name, though.

Probably my FAVORITE children’s book to date! The conversational writing style, the flow of the storyline, and the beautiful illustration work all combined for a perfect historical reading experience. Honestly considering ordering a copy for my junior high history classroom, as a close reading example. Worthy of (5) stars!

(4.5 STARS)

A delightful and fascinating look into the creation of crayons!

Every person who has ever held a Crayola crayon in their hand needs to read this book. It tells the story of the crayon and how it came to be. Thank goodness that we are no longer coloring with slate or with only black. The world is too vibrant for that!! I loved learning about the history of the name Crayola. Did you know it's French?

Do you know the history behind the Crayola crayon invention? An in depth look into the many steps to creating a crayon. Great growth mindset example. A little too wordy for my kindergarten child.