The Day the Crayons Quit: Drew Daywalt, Oliver Jeffers: 9780399255373: Amazon.com: Books

Posted by LetsShrug 11 years, 9 months ago to Books
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I saw this book on the back table in a Kindergarten classroom yesterday and picked it up to see what it was about. Here is the review I left for it on Amazon:
"Thankfully I did not spend money on this book. I happened to see it on a teacher's table and picked it up to see what kind of message was inside for the kindergartners in the classroom. What I found was not only annoying, but also riddled with complaint after complaint intended to instill guilt over offending inanimate objects. Each crayon was so so upset, or had it's feelings hurt, or felt used, or not used enough, or used only for certain things all the time.... So after many pages of each color having their sob story rant fest, (at this point little Duncan should've noticed how much more worn down the crayons made themselves by writing long whining letters, and just thrown them all away, and gotten new quiet ones with nice pointy tips to use), but, instead, he caved and appeased them by coloring a large picture using all the colors in equal measure (Insert Angels singing here.) I almost gagged. (Although the picture was really cute, but that wasn't the point). This book is telling small kids that they should always be worried about offending someone to the point of paranoia. Books should teach kids to be themselves, to do their best, to THINK, to use reason, and to not let others manipulate them. Too many people use the "I'm offended" thing to manipulate and gain appeasement from others and this is the LAST thing we should be teaching kids to accept as normal. (The crayons reminded me of a box of spoiled brats, if they had feet they would have been stomping them.)"


All Comments

  • Posted by Herb7734 11 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Polonius: What do you read, my lord?
    Hamlet: Words, words, words.
    That's about it. Most school boards send out these words that are like a cream pie, but once you get past the cream, you find that there's no pie.
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  • Posted by 11 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I just received our bi annual public school magazine "Achieve" (how much does this cost us?) It has a section about the Governing Board Members....it says:
    Our Vision: Unprecedented excellence in education
    Our Mission: The Mission of _____ public schools is to develop a highly educated and productive community, one student at a time.
    Our Core Values:
    --each child is important
    --learning is our focus
    --collaboration and innovation are indispensable
    --sound fiscal stewardship is essential
    --diversity increases opportunity
    --success is expected and celebrated

    Maybe I'm nuts but this is a shit pile of feel good wordery. And I wonder how much it differs from every other school boards' mottos these days. (The uninformed easily convinced that the public school puppets want, and can, turn their kids suddenly into brainiacs.) Not much different, I suspect. Wouldn't it just be easier, and more honest, to say, "we are in pursuit of your child's mind, to make them part of the many, to always work together for the greater good."
    Plus, while I was reading it it started to have the voice of the lady who did the repetitious radio announcements for Terminus in The Walking Dead. "All who arrive, survive." Which is really code for, 'get here before you get bit because we want easy fresh meat to eat.'
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  • Posted by khalling 11 years, 9 months ago
    Hahahaha. Good one. Nice new quiet ones with pointy tips.
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  • Posted by 11 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    And the name "Pepper" for a dog always bugged me. I immediately thought about sneezing whenever I read it.
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  • Posted by 11 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Yes... The One 'I'. (I would really like to slap the person who decided to make the upper case "i" to suddenly look just like a lower case L... it can really kill a joke. Plus, when you're testing kindergartners on letter naming it throws a monkey wrench into it...so does the fancy "a" and the fancy "g" type."
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  • Posted by KYFHO 11 years, 9 months ago
    You wrote an interesting and amusing review. Thank-you for today's smile. And being offended is their problem. Pffftttt! on 'em.
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  • Posted by jimjamesjames 11 years, 9 months ago
    Since the "Flower Children" of the 1960s became today's "teachers," education, the three Rs, have been replaced by indoctrination.
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  • Posted by kathywiso 11 years, 9 months ago
    Great review LS... I've never seen the book but will laugh about all the colors stomping their feet if I run across it in my travels.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 11 years, 9 months ago
    The never-ending attack on individual initiative and achievement. .How many parents that are not progressives are aware of this assault on the minds of their children? "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." Yes, indeed.
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  • Posted by teri-amborn 11 years, 9 months ago
    AMEN. Spoiled rotten brats rule through playing on emotional turmoil. Glad that someone else is able to discern this nononsense.
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  • Posted by $ Mimi 11 years, 9 months ago
    I just want a book to tell our children how Dick and Jane kick the ball.

    Leave the rest to me.
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  • Posted by Notperfect 11 years, 9 months ago
    I helped raise 4 beautiful children and one night my wife and I will never forget is when it was time for chores as in wash the dishes. Having 4 children to do their share was really simple when you figure in there would not be many dishes to do and boy it was my son Adam's turn. I told him once and he did not move from the telly. Then I picket him up by the collar and belt loop led him into the kitchen and in about 15 minutes he was done. He was angry and the other children were too. I took them all into the kitchen and asked them how hard was it to wash just a few dishes. No answer. Then one said you know Dad you could call getting Adam to the kitchen abuse and could go to jail for that. The phone was right in front of us and I picked it up and asked who wanted to make the call. No answer. I set the phone back in it's cradle and told all of them if you ever decide to make that call remember one thing when they lock those handcuffs on my hands and I am walking out the door remember "I will be back". As a child I never ever questioned my Dad I just did it. Offending someone is more hogwash. Respect someone and there will not be any offending of the sort. Those children of mine tell that story now and laugh when telling it. They tell it to their own now and something must have worked that night because that is what you call respect.
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  • Posted by 9286cinder 11 years, 9 months ago
    To think, exactly. That makes me so mad. Good for you for the review. To do their best. That sounds like someone at my work could have wrote it, although she's probably way to stupid and lazy.
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  • Posted by 11 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    And guess who planted the seed of calling the cops on their parents. Public schools. I remember us having the same type talk with our oldest son when he was in elementary school. Discipline is not abuse. Or taking a bedroom door off the hinges when they slammed it out of anger. Or removing all their electronics from their room when they act like they own the place. I had flashbacks of my own dad saying, "You own nothing. If it's under this roof then I paid for it and it belongs to me." I tested that when I was a teen making my own money. I put some leftover take out food in if he for lunch the next day. He ate it. When I complained that he ate my food he said, "who's fridge was it in?" Lol
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  • Posted by Hiraghm 11 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Imagine the voice of a prim, but exasperated, little old lady coming over the PA system at Wal-mart:

    "We do not play with our balls in the store!"

    (in response to customers taking plastic balls out of the feature display and bouncing them noisily...)
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  • Posted by flanap 11 years, 9 months ago
    It is designed to teach collectivism, which in this case the message is all have to receive equal treatment, even if that treatment is substandard to excellence.

    Oh wait...isn't that Common Core?
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