The Day the Crayons Came Home
By Regan McMahon,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Crayons send postcards, beg to return in hilarious sequel.
Add your rating
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this book.
Where to Read
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
The same crayons that sent young boy Duncan letters in The Day the Crayons Quit, telling him why were mad about how he used them, send him postcards from afar in THE DAY THE CRAYONS CAME HOME. Here, they tell Duncan how they got lost or left behind -- for example, Maroon got lost in the couch two years ago "and your Dad sat on me," Neon Red was left by a pool eight months ago during Duncan's family vacation, Yellow and Orange got melted together after Duncan left them outside in the sun, and Tan got eaten by the family dog and "puked up on the rug." Each color makes an impassioned plea to come back, and in the end Duncan makes a special sort of crayon castle to make them feel at home, since they're all too broken and misshapen to fit in the crayon box anymore.
Is It Any Good?
This second crayon tale is even funnier than the first, as the colors that left in a huff in Book 1 write hilarious postcards recounting their time away and begging to come back to Duncan's house. They've been battered, bitten by baby brother, eaten and spit up by the dog, and spun in the dryer, and at least one has traveled far: A fun motif is Neon Red misidentifying the places he's been, sending a picture of himself on a camel in front of the pyramids, saying he's crossing New Jersey, and later a shot of himself in mid-ski jump, saying, "Greetings from the Amazon Rain Forest." It's all very clever and loads of fun.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about crayons. What's fun and special about them? What qualities do they have that markers don't?
What do you think of telling a story in postcards? Have you sent postcards to friends or family when you were away from home?
What's the funniest postcard in the book? Who's the funniest crayon. Why?
Book Details
- Author: Drew Daywalt
- Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
- Genre: Picture Book
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Philomel
- Publication date: August 18, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 5 - 8
- Number of pages: 48
- Available on: Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Read
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate