The Crayon Man

January 1, 2019
Through persistent experimentation Edward Binney gave children a cheap and safe coloring medium. In this chatty, engaging picture book, Biebow provides the historical context around the invention of Crayola crayons. The story covers the media predecessors (breakable, often poisonous artists' crayons; clay) that were the basis for the Crayola and the trial-and-error process Binney undertook to create a safe, colorful product that children from diverse economic backgrounds could afford. Such visual cues as boldface type for the names of colors throughout the story aid readers in recognizing the colors that Binney developed and that they might encounter in their own crayon boxes. Biebow moves past the invention to recognize the impact this product has had on childhood worldwide. Salerno brings readers close to the story through his illustrations, right onto the lab table where Binney and his team (both impressively mustachioed men and women, all white) developed the crayon. What Jon Klassen achieves emotionally in his characters' eyes, Salerno manages with eyebrows here. He uses crayon pencils for the bulk of the work; children's pictures in a couple of later spreads are done, appropriately enough, with Crayolas. A well-organized bibliography with both primary and secondary sources, including interviews with Binney's great-granddaughter, is supplemented by text boxes throughout the book that offer additional informational snippets such as the composition of Crayola's pigments. A suitably colorful introduction to the life of a person whose name readers may not know but whose invention they all use. (factory snapshots, author's note) (Picture book/biography. 6-9)

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February 1, 2019

Gr 1-4-For many children, crayons are ubiquitous, everyday items, but as this informational picture book attests, that wasn't always the case. The hero of this tale is Edwin Binney, American businessman and inventor. In the early 1900s, Binney (who'd already pioneered dustless chalk for teachers) listened to his customers and family when they clamored for a new product: inexpensive, easy-to-use crayons for children. After a lot of messy experimentation with various materials and colors-aspiring scientists and makers may feel a surge of recognition-Binney finally struck the "top-secret formula" that eventually became Crayola crayons. Indeed, the scenes in which Binney and his team wind up covered in splotches of experimental powdered pigment stand out among Salerno's winsome, earnestly old-fashioned illustrations (which are rendered in a Crayola-inspired palette, of course). Inset text boxes on several spreads provide scientific and historical context without disrupting the narrative, and back matter includes a bibliography, biographical facts about Binney, and a photographic guide to "How Crayola Crayons Are Made Today." VERDICT A colorful addition to the shelves of picture books about inventors and inventions and all things STEAM.-Rebecca Honeycutt, NoveList, Durham, NC

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2018
Grades 1-3 This entertaining history of how a universally recognizable object came to be tells of businessman and inventor Edwin Binney's knack for listening and making what people needed. And when he realized that being able to affordably draw in color was what folks wanted, his creative process kicked into high gear. British author Biebow's first nonfiction picture book flows with conversational smoothness while occasional text boxes add additional insight, such as why students in the 1800s used slates in school instead of paper. It tells how Binney explored the problems he was trying to solve, experimented with chemistry and color, and brainstormed unique names until finally school crayons for educational color work were ready for kids' hands. The attractive full-page?and, accordingly, brightly colorful?illustrations mix realism and whimsy in Salerno's recognizable style. Back matter features a photo demonstration of how 12 million Crayolas a day are now made, a strong bibliography, and additional biographical notes on Binney and his creation.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)