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A Day With No Crayons
Excellent Book
Hardcover
First published September 1, 2007
4 people are currently reading
425 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Rusch
30 books71 followersELIZABETH RUSCH is an award-winning book author, magazine writer, editor, writing teacher and speaker. Her wide-ranging passions include astronomy, volcanology, art, music, history, nature, waves, jokes, crayons, and mud — anything that catches her fancy. She is inspired by stories of exploration and discovery, stories that have been overlooked by history, and stories that grapple with persistent questions. Whether writing fiction or nonfiction for children or adults or teaching workshops, she hopes her work opens doors, opens minds, opens possibilities.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
July 14, 2010
Oh, this seemed so cliché because I’ve read other very similar books, but I loved it anyway.
The story addresses bad vs. good behavior, punishment (a reasonable kind), and most of all the joy of being an artist, of seeing as an artist sees. I also love the humor; it’s very funny.
When Liza doesn’t have her crayons to draw with anymore, at first the world looks gray, but then her inner artist sees more possibilities.
I love that the words denoting a color are printed in that color, and I love the illustrations. I want to pet that dog! The way the illustrations are done is so creative, and aesthetically appealing too.
Oh, and I guess I’m a bad adult, because I liked the way Liza’s crayoned wall looked as well, though I do think the punishment fit the crime, and it’s delightful that the punishment led to LIza’s further artistic development.
ETA: I wanted to add that this story’s message is not at all didactic; in fact, it’s the tiniest bit subversive. AND also, the illustrator’s biographical blurb on the inside back cover is quite amusing!
The story addresses bad vs. good behavior, punishment (a reasonable kind), and most of all the joy of being an artist, of seeing as an artist sees. I also love the humor; it’s very funny.
When Liza doesn’t have her crayons to draw with anymore, at first the world looks gray, but then her inner artist sees more possibilities.
I love that the words denoting a color are printed in that color, and I love the illustrations. I want to pet that dog! The way the illustrations are done is so creative, and aesthetically appealing too.
Oh, and I guess I’m a bad adult, because I liked the way Liza’s crayoned wall looked as well, though I do think the punishment fit the crime, and it’s delightful that the punishment led to LIza’s further artistic development.
ETA: I wanted to add that this story’s message is not at all didactic; in fact, it’s the tiniest bit subversive. AND also, the illustrator’s biographical blurb on the inside back cover is quite amusing!
July 27, 2010
What a gem! I'm so glad my GoodReads friend Lisa brought this to my attention. I love the creativity in this story. Liza loves to draw with crayons--the variety of colors fills her artistic soul and she just has to express herself. Which is all well and good until she runs out of paper and decides to color on the big, white wall! Her mom takes away the crayons for the day and at first life seems colorless. But Liza's imagination and exploration of nature soon lead her to see that life is full of color, even without crayons! I actually loved to see Liza's boundless enthusiasm and thought her mural was very nice and I think it's great to give kids a chance to express themselves in their own room--but, of course, she ought to have asked her mom first and I think that is why she was punished. It's great that she is able to find further artistic development from being deprived of those crayons. And the ending is just perfect :-) Highly recommended. And be sure to read the author and illustrator bios--they are great!
August 3, 2010
After Liza draws on the wall, her mother takes her crayons away. At first Liza can't imagine how she'll get through the day, but gradually she learns to see color and beauty in the world around her.
I really like the positive message about imagination and enjoyed seeing Liza's excitement at her discovery of the artistic potential of everyday objects and places. However, I was a little bothered by Liza's destructive behavior in public places (tearing up the flowers in the playground, smearing mud all over the basketball court). Why is she out unsupervised? I wasn't clear as to her exact age, but would imagine that if she is too young to know better than draw on walls and tear up plants that aren't hers, she would be too young to go to the park alone. She seems to be out quite a long time. Likewise, she covered several feet of wall before her mother noticed. Doesn't this kid get any supervision?
I really like the positive message about imagination and enjoyed seeing Liza's excitement at her discovery of the artistic potential of everyday objects and places. However, I was a little bothered by Liza's destructive behavior in public places (tearing up the flowers in the playground, smearing mud all over the basketball court). Why is she out unsupervised? I wasn't clear as to her exact age, but would imagine that if she is too young to know better than draw on walls and tear up plants that aren't hers, she would be too young to go to the park alone. She seems to be out quite a long time. Likewise, she covered several feet of wall before her mother noticed. Doesn't this kid get any supervision?
February 25, 2020
When Liza runs out of paper, the fervent young artist, looking about for an alternative canvas to use, discovers the beautifully blank surface of her bedroom wall, and proceeds to fill it with her colorful creations. Unfortunately, her mother is slightly less-than-impressed with this innovation, and confiscates her crayons. A day with no crayons?!? Whatever will she do, Liza wonders. And then she discovers the beautiful palette of the natural world around her - the browns of a mud puddle, the greens of a grass stain, the yellows of a dandelion - and realizes that there are many ways of creating art, and that she doesn't necessarily need her crayons after all...
I found A Day With No Crayons to be a fairly engaging tale of a creative young person who is forced by circumstance to find inspiration in unlikely places, but I confess that I simply didn't enjoy it as much as I'd expected, after reading the rave reviews of my goodreads friends. I really loved Elizabeth Rusch's The Planet Hunter: The Story Behind What Happened to Pluto , and was curious to see what she would do with this story, but I never felt particularly excited by her narrative, and Chad Cameron's illustrations didn't really speak to me. Perhaps I was just in the wrong mood for this one...? In any case, everyone else seems to love it - both idea and execution - so if you're in the market for picture-books about the artistic process, then you might want to consider it.
I found A Day With No Crayons to be a fairly engaging tale of a creative young person who is forced by circumstance to find inspiration in unlikely places, but I confess that I simply didn't enjoy it as much as I'd expected, after reading the rave reviews of my goodreads friends. I really loved Elizabeth Rusch's The Planet Hunter: The Story Behind What Happened to Pluto , and was curious to see what she would do with this story, but I never felt particularly excited by her narrative, and Chad Cameron's illustrations didn't really speak to me. Perhaps I was just in the wrong mood for this one...? In any case, everyone else seems to love it - both idea and execution - so if you're in the market for picture-books about the artistic process, then you might want to consider it.
August 27, 2010
What a wonderful concept that was delightfully carried out!
When our protagonist is so in love with color and drawing that she draws on the walls, her mother takes away her crayons for the day. But, what I loved about this book, was that, by not having her crayons, our heroine must find the color in the world itself, and she is so creative that she discovers there are more ways to create art than with just crayons.
This is great read anyway, but really great for buddings artists!
When our protagonist is so in love with color and drawing that she draws on the walls, her mother takes away her crayons for the day. But, what I loved about this book, was that, by not having her crayons, our heroine must find the color in the world itself, and she is so creative that she discovers there are more ways to create art than with just crayons.
This is great read anyway, but really great for buddings artists!
October 31, 2017
Text-to-Teaching Connection:
In this particular reading, I found the main character Liza to be very captivated by drawing inside of her coloring book daily, until it was suddenly taken away. Meanwhile, throughout the book, I often found color recognition and/or color association. For example, Liza often associated a color with things, which can greatly help with children's learning ability as far as memory. Liza then found a deeper appreciation for nature and the organic art that it possesses. By doing so, children can often find "beauty" within nature. It allows children to explore the unknowns of nature and to see things differently. Art brings out a sense of creativity, imagination, and a form of expression. One creative art activity that I would present would consist of, reading this book and allowing my children to go outside and draw anything that they see or comes to mind. With doing so, I would also provide a multitude of art materials (ex. crayons, color pencils, markers etc.) In addition, as well as dirt, mud, rocks and leaves etc.
In this particular reading, I found the main character Liza to be very captivated by drawing inside of her coloring book daily, until it was suddenly taken away. Meanwhile, throughout the book, I often found color recognition and/or color association. For example, Liza often associated a color with things, which can greatly help with children's learning ability as far as memory. Liza then found a deeper appreciation for nature and the organic art that it possesses. By doing so, children can often find "beauty" within nature. It allows children to explore the unknowns of nature and to see things differently. Art brings out a sense of creativity, imagination, and a form of expression. One creative art activity that I would present would consist of, reading this book and allowing my children to go outside and draw anything that they see or comes to mind. With doing so, I would also provide a multitude of art materials (ex. crayons, color pencils, markers etc.) In addition, as well as dirt, mud, rocks and leaves etc.
December 28, 2024
Akin to Emma's Rug.
August 4, 2017
I liked that she drawed, and the rainbow pants.
August 27, 2023
This book has really lovely illustrations by Chad Cameron, and a lovely message of all the colors in the universe ... in nature, in our lives, and in the crayon box.
January 22, 2013
I really enjoyed this cute story of Liza, who loves her crayons. She draws and colors all day long. Then one day she runs out of paper and she draws on her bedroom wall. Her mom takes her crayons away for the rest of the day. Liza is so sad, she goes outside, and her day is gray (literally...these pages are drawn in gray shades). But then she gets grass stains on her pants and notices their shade of green. She observes the color of the dandelions and smears them on her pants. SOon she realizes the world is full of color (and the illustrations match her awareness) and she begins using found objects to create art, using her imagination and finding beauty all around her.
This book made me think about The Boy on Fairfield Street and how Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss)'s mom allowed him to draw on his bedroom walls. I think she wasn't wrong (look how Dr. Seuss turned out!)...but I have definitely taken this mom's approach and not allowed the drawing on walls. :)
This book made me think about The Boy on Fairfield Street and how Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss)'s mom allowed him to draw on his bedroom walls. I think she wasn't wrong (look how Dr. Seuss turned out!)...but I have definitely taken this mom's approach and not allowed the drawing on walls. :)
February 20, 2008
There's a wonderful Harry Chapin song about a little boy whose art teacher insists that "flower are red, and green fields are green", but he responds "there are so many colors in the flowers, and I see everyone"
And that's the underlying message here--to look beyond and discover ALL the colors in the world. But kids will just enjoy the story of Liza, who loses her crayons for drawing on the walls and suddenly sees colors EVERYWHERE!
And that's the underlying message here--to look beyond and discover ALL the colors in the world. But kids will just enjoy the story of Liza, who loses her crayons for drawing on the walls and suddenly sees colors EVERYWHERE!
September 7, 2024
A Day with No Crayons by Elizabeth Rusch is about a little girl named Liza and her love of coloring with crayons. Liza colors in her coloring pages every day until she runs out of paper and decides to color on her bedroom wall. When Liza’s mother figured out that Liza had done this, she took Liza’s crayons away for one day. Liza’s world became gray and boring very quickly until she found value in the colors of nature and the rearranging of various objects to create masterpieces. I enjoyed reading this book, as it promotes the idea that art can be anywhere and everywhere, which is neat. The illustrations are beautiful and look like pages drawn in a sketchbook. I think this book is appropriate for preschool to second graders as it contains unique, high-level vocabulary words pertaining to different colors and explains how to use crayons properly. I would use this book to teach about the rules of various art supplies in my classroom, like markers and crayons, and how they should be used properly. I could also take my class on a nature walk and have them identify the various colors they see in nature.
September 19, 2018
I think this is an excellent concept picture book for children below the age of five. It relays and important life lesson and inspires creativity in children. The book follows Liza's journey after her mother takes her beautiful crayons from her. In a tantrumous whirlwind of emotions, Liza realizes the other ways to create in the world. The images are not exactly realistic, however they are appropriate for young children to enjoy. A possible idea for this in the classroom would be to read the book aloud and then give each table a random assortment of items and ask them to make art to be displayed in the classroom.
June 9, 2018
A day with no crayons by Elizabeth Rusch and Illustrated by Chad Cameron is about a young artist Liza who loves to draw. One day she runs out of paper and decides to draw all over her white bedroom wall. You can imagine this didn't please her mother who decided to take the crayons away for the day. Liza's world goes gray, she's devastated. Then she starts to see color in her daily life and finds ways to create colorful masterpieces. I didn't post the last picture because you have to see it for yourself! It's a charming and inspiring book for every young artist.
September 7, 2020
Liza loves to color with her crayons. She spends each day coloring, until one day she runs out of paper and tries coloring on a blank wall. As punishment, her mother takes away her crayons for the day. Though she can't use her colorful crayons for a while, Liza starts seeing the colors of her crayons other places.
I enjoyed this book, but was not impressed that while Liza was being punished, she went around an made even more messes (tearing up flowers, coloring on the sidewalk with a brick, etc.).
I enjoyed this book, but was not impressed that while Liza was being punished, she went around an made even more messes (tearing up flowers, coloring on the sidewalk with a brick, etc.).
May 6, 2017
A little girl runs out of paper and decides to draw on her nice blank wall. The consequence is that her mother takes her crayons away from her for a whole day. But it is then that the little girl discovers a whole world of color around her. From the blue-green toothpaste in her bathroom to the grass-stained knees of her pants. From dandelions that are "beyond laser yellow" to gray-blue pebbles she uses to create an ocean.
A celebration of imagination and creativity.
A celebration of imagination and creativity.
January 19, 2019
This was a really neat book! I was obsessed with crayons when I was growing up and it would have been devastating for someone to take my crayons away. This book shows a different way of looking at the world and seeing all the colors around us. I'm looking forward to using this in toddler story time.
June 3, 2019
A cute story about a girl who loves drawing, but looses the rights to her crayons after drawing on the wall. She soon discovers the colors of her house, nature (a big kid version of Dog's Colorful Day), and her own bedroom.
April 24, 2019
I really liked this book and like how the child was being creative and finding color different ways. I could see this being applied with children doing similar things at home and taking pictures of their creations.
August 9, 2021
The book is all colorful, until the crayons are taken away. Then everything is gray. Slowly color is reintroduced once Liza figured out that color is everywhere and that art can be created with more than just crayons.
February 17, 2017
In a celebration of the diversity of nature and creativity, this book is a sheer joy to read.
Given the explosion of adult coloring books, it is obviously an activity that all ages continue to enjoy. When Liza's mom took away her crayons, I feared her creativity would be stifled. The sudden shift to grey and sepia tones, further highlighted Liza's misery. But as her day progressed, Liza discovered the blue of toothpaste swirls, the brown of splattered mud, and the green of grass stains. As she explored outdoors, Liza discovered the vibrancy of colors in nature and all around her. Using nature to draw and color, Liza created imaginative images all throughout her neighborhood. The final image is amazing, representing both Liza's and the illustrator's immense creativity. I love the invitation offered to children (an adults) to look at nature for color and materials. Some of my fondest memories involve creating beach pictures with my grandmother. Hunting for that perfect rock, driftwood stick, or clump of seaweed to finish the image. I hope this book inspires kids and adults to get outdoors and create in new ways.
Given the explosion of adult coloring books, it is obviously an activity that all ages continue to enjoy. When Liza's mom took away her crayons, I feared her creativity would be stifled. The sudden shift to grey and sepia tones, further highlighted Liza's misery. But as her day progressed, Liza discovered the blue of toothpaste swirls, the brown of splattered mud, and the green of grass stains. As she explored outdoors, Liza discovered the vibrancy of colors in nature and all around her. Using nature to draw and color, Liza created imaginative images all throughout her neighborhood. The final image is amazing, representing both Liza's and the illustrator's immense creativity. I love the invitation offered to children (an adults) to look at nature for color and materials. Some of my fondest memories involve creating beach pictures with my grandmother. Hunting for that perfect rock, driftwood stick, or clump of seaweed to finish the image. I hope this book inspires kids and adults to get outdoors and create in new ways.
August 3, 2017
There are a ton of other books with very similar themes and ideas, but this one's just a cut above and it warmed my indiscriminately color-loving heart.
November 21, 2017
After drawing on her bedroom wall, a young girl learns to explore the colors in the world beyond her crayons.
Use for making discoveries in the world around us and using imagination.
Use for making discoveries in the world around us and using imagination.
May 17, 2018
I feel like this book is the perfect advertisement for those 64 count boxes of Crayolas. ;)
September 19, 2018
They liked how her world turned B&W, and then slowly colored in. Their favorite part was the collage of different items from around her room on the last page.
December 20, 2018
Lovely celebration of art and imagination.
May 4, 2020
Outside the box thinking for creative kids.
August 14, 2020
Lovely illustrations, great message about expanding one’s artistic vision and not coloring on the walls!
November 28, 2021
It looks like Liza has ADHD if you ask me.
February 20, 2022
4 - 8 years
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews