The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons by Natascha Biebow, Steven Salerno
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on March 19th 2019
ISBN: 132886684X
Pages: 48
Goodreads

“The Crayon Man,” written by Natascha Biebow and illustrated by Steven Salerno, is a picture book biography of the inventor of Crayola crayons. Biebow gives a thorough explanation of Edwin Binney’s pursuit of the perfect crayon without inundating the reader with too many details.

Binney starts by inventing a new kind of gray slate pencil, and then a less dusty chalk, and a black wax crayon. The crayons of the day were large, broke easily, and too expensive, so Binney experimented until he was able to create the perfect colorful crayon.

The illustrations are beautiful. They are extremely colorful and detailed, but don’t overwhelm the reader or overtake the text. The text is made up of short sentences and is almost lyrical without rhyming. There is a bibliography of primary and secondary sources at the back of the book and historical photos of Binney. They also included a brief photo essay of how crayons are currently made in the factory.

Aimed at children aged six to nine, “The Crayon Man” is a well-written and beautiful biography of the inventor of Crayola crayons. I would say that it is a must-buy if you have a children’s biography section or know a kid who loves coloring and might be interested in how their crayons came to be.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook.