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    Red: A Crayon's Story
    Red: A Crayon's Story
    Red: A Crayon's Story
    Audiobook5 minutes

    Red: A Crayon's Story

    Written by Michael Hall

    Narrated by Robin Miles

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A blue crayon mistakenly labeled as ""red"" suffers an identity crisis in this picture book by the New York Times–bestselling creator of My Heart Is Like a Zoo and It's an Orange Aardvark! Funny, insightful, and colorful, Red: A Crayon's Story, by Michael Hall, is about being true to your inner self and following your own path despite obstacles that may come your way. Red will appeal to fans of Lois Ehlert, Eric Carle, and The Day the Crayons Quit, and makes a great gift for readers of any age!

    Red has a bright red label, but he is, in fact, blue. His teacher tries to help him be red (let's draw strawberries!), his mother tries to help him be red by sending him out on a playdate with a yellow classmate (go draw a nice orange!), and the scissors try to help him be red by snipping his label so that he has room to breathe. But Red is miserable. He just can't be red, no matter how hard he tries! Finally, a brand-new friend offers a brand-new perspective, and Red discovers what readers have known all along. He's blue! This funny, heartwarming, colorful picture book about finding the courage to be true to your inner self can be read on multiple levels, and it offers something for everyone.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateFeb 3, 2015
    ISBN9780062415813
    Red: A Crayon's Story
    Author

    Michael Hall

    Michael Hall grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and lives with his family in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is the creator of numerous acclaimed picture books for children, including Frankencrayon, Red: A Crayon’s Story, My Heart Is Like a Zoo, Perfect Square, and It’s an Orange Aardvark! 

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    Reviews for Red

    4.5/5

    192 ratings14 reviews

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    • 4/5
      It was a very unique perspective and creative. I liked it.
    • 5/5
      AHHHHHHHH!!! How perfect is this book? I can clearly see what all the fuss is about. You may be born with a label, but all that matters is to be who you are, not who the label is. LOVE everything about this.
    • 4/5
      Red is searching for his identity in a world that defines him differently. This is a big story playfully disguised in a little story. It's fun and original and silly, and deeper underneath there's a more powerful message to people to always follow their heart and their true self.This would be a fun read-aloud book where kids play the roles of the different colors. Acting and dramatization of voices should be encouraged. It could be a lot of fun! (I think this is called "reader's theatre".)
    • 3/5
      Although he worked hard and tried the best he could, Red just wasn't very successful as a crayon. He couldn't seem to live up to his label, always producing blue instead of red. Everyone had an opinion as to where the trouble lay, and what to do to fix it, but nothing seemed to help. The one day Berry came along and asked him to create a blue ocean. Finally, our crayon hero found something he could do, leading him to a better understanding of who he really was...The third title I have read recently from author/artist Michael Hall, following upon Wonderfall and Frankencrayon, Red: A Crayons's Story taps into the recent fascination with crayons as picture-book heroes - see also: Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers' The Day the Crayons Quit, and its sequel - and offers an interesting exploration of issues of identity and social expectation. Although not explicitly addressed to any specific issue, I can see the narrative here working as a first exploration/explanation of something like transgender identity, or perhaps gender non-conformity. Because it only obliquely addresses such themes, it reminds me a bit of the Spanish picture-book, Bow-Wow-Meow, by Blanca Lacasa, which depicts a dog who enjoys cat activities. The artwork here, as in Hall's other books, is bold and colorful, with all of the crayon scribbles one would expect, given the story-line. Recommended to anyone looking for stories about individuals who (for whatever reason) don't seem to fit the role which society has allotted them.
    • 5/5
      Red is the name on his label, but this crayon is decidedly not red. All the other crayons and art supplies try to be helpful by telling him things along the vein of try harder, apply yourself, etc. Nevertheless, his artworks never come out the right way -- red. Finally, a new friend comes along who encourages him to try something different and, lo and behold, being blue is so much easier and natural!This was a delightful and, dare I say it, adorable picture book. The title popped up on a suggested reading list for LGBT kids and families and while I definitely see the applicability there, it is just a good book for talking about differences and being true to oneself on any level. I highly recommend it.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. It talks about how the red crayon think he is blue. His teacher tried to help him become red but he fails. His mother tried to help him by sending him on a play date but red is miserable and he cant be red. Its a super cute story and also talks about color mixing throughout the story.
    • 5/5
      This story is about a crayon that is labeled as red but is only coloring in blue. The red crayon is confused and feels like something is wrong with him. Other crayons try to help him by trying to fix him but it doesn't work. The red crayon starts to feel sad and hopeless but soon he meets the berry crayon and it asks him to draw a ocean. The read crayon is confused because his label says red so how could he draw an ocean. But he tired and he realized he was blue, not red! He realized his difference is a good things and he can help other crayons with their drawings. This is a good fantasy book because the book uses crayons as people to talk about being different and how it is okay to be different.
    • 5/5
      Although I haven't struggled with coming out as transgender; I have had the fear of coming out as a lesbian in a very conservative household. That fear can consume a child. This book is an amazing way book for any child you may think would be going through some sort of identity crisis. I love love loved this book and want to read it to children as often as I can.
    • 5/5
      Red: A Crayon's Story is about a young crayon named Red who is trying to find out who he is. All the other crayons and office supplies are trying to fix Red because he doesn't quite know how to color typically red items red - they keep coming out blue! This makes Red sad and doubt himself. It isn't until a new friend asks Red to draw her an ocean for her new ship, that Red finds the courage and self esteem to start coloring items that show off his real color - blue!
    • 3/5
      Identity crisis for blue crayon mistakenly labeled red.
    • 5/5
      Red was really a BLUE crayon, with a RED label.Nice story!!!!
    • 4/5
      Read on March 17, 2015This is another story with a message. Everyone eventually finds what they're good at and where they fit in -- sometimes it just takes time and it might not be totally obvious. No matter what, just be yourself.I wouldn't recommend this one for bedtime reading though, definitely for an older kid who can read it with their parent instead of simply being read to. (The things you learn once you have a kid to read to.)
    • 4/5
      A blue crayon, mistakenly labeled red, has a hard time of things as he is constantly bombarded by others to be red: his teachers try to get Red to draw strawberries; Red's mother sends him on a playdate with a yellow crayon and tries to convince him to draw an orange with her; the scissors trim his label down, thinking maybe it's too tight. Yet no matter how hard he tries, Red simply cannot be anything other than what he is: blue. Finally, through a new friend who see's him for what he really is, Red finally accepts his blue self and learns to love himself despite the label that others think he should be following. A charming, clever tale letting kids know that it's ok to be who you are, despite what others say, Michael Hall's Red: A Crayon's Story is a story that adults can enjoy just as much as kids will.
    • 3/5
      As a color book, nothing special. As a book about differences between what is on the inside and what is on the outside, better (4 stars).