“Red, A Crayon’s Story” by Michael Hall—
Who is Red? Well that’s the point, Red starts to raise questions about Identity. Red is a blue crayon but with a red label and he just hasn’t been feeling himself. Everyone expects him to draw red but no matter how hard he tries, he just can’t. Some don’t get it; they just think he needs practice or that he’s not very smart. Through all of this poor Red is miserable and feels like he is a failure for not being able to draw anything red. But one day when his friend asks him to draw the ocean he is great at it! He finally feels like himself, he’s blue not red and he knows his purpose. Once his friends recognize he is a blue crayon, they praise and celebrate him!
Through this heartwarming, amusing, and very colorful book you learn aspects of identity crisis, self-discovery, and personal growth. I think this is an amazing story for early learners to start understanding some of these topics and learn that sometimes there are things we can and can’t change about ourselves and that’s okay! I think it’s also a great way of showing acceptance to our young ones and how to help others in situations like this; to not push them out of their comfort zone but more to support them through their journey of feeling good in their own skin.
