The Girl with the Brown Crayon: How Childen Use Stories to Shape Their Lives

by Vivian Gussin Paley

Once again Vivian Paley takes us into the inquiring minds and the dramatic worlds of young children learning in the kindergarten classroom.

As she enters her final year of teaching, Paley tells in this book a story of farewell and a story of self-discovery―through the thoughts and blossoming spirit of Reeny, a little girl with a fondness for the color brown and an astonishing sense of herself. "This brown girl dancing is me," Reeny announces, as her crayoned figures flit across the classroom walls. Soon enough we are drawn into Reeny's remarkable dance of self-revelation and celebration, and into the literary turn it takes when Reeny discovers a kindred spirit in Leo Lionni―a writer of books and a teller of tales. Led by Reeny, Paley takes us on a tour through the landscape of characters created by Lionni. These characters come to dominate a whole year of discussion and debate, as the children argue the virtues and weaknesses of Lionni's creations and his themes of self-definition and an individual's place in the community.

The Girl with the Brown Crayon tells a simple personal story of a teacher and a child, interweaving the themes of race, identity, gender, and the essential human needs to create and to belong. With characteristic charm and wonder, Paley discovers how the unexplored territory unfolding before her and Reeny comes to mark the very essence of school, a common core of reference, something to ponder deeply and expand on extravagantly.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, Childrens, Memoir, Professional Development, Narrative

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Vivian Gussin Paley was an American pre-school and kindergarten teacher, early childhood education researcher, and author.

She taught and did most of her research at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship. Despite her status in the field today, she has described the first thirteen years of her teaching career as being an "uninspired and uninspiring teacher."

Reviews

[Izy Lusk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it for class — somehow made me really emotional and I don’t know why.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for the first time 14 years ago as an education major. Now, 10 years into my teaching career, the big-hearted characters and stories of classroom inclusivity make my heart sing even more.

[Dilyana Karadzhova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vivian Gussin Paley is my inspiration and gives me an immense amount of motivation to continue to listen to young children’s voices.

This book made me think about race and the power of stories to shape our moral, social and spiritual beliefs.

Do we have to sustain a member of our society who gives us pleasure through their art, poetry and music, but otherwise does not “work” in the traditional sense of the word?

Do we have to stand down and not shine too brightly so our friends don’t feel intimidated?

Children and adults need stories in our lives to deeper these questions and others and understand our feelings.

This is an inspiring book of how storytelling can do this.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I too require passion in the classroom. I need the intense preoccupation of a group of children and teachers inventing new worlds as they learn to know each other's dreams. To invent is to come alive.

[MilesTeller Shirtless · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool blend of ethnography and storytelling that is ... dare I say ... inspirational...

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esta maestra ofrece una perspectiva del aula y reflexiona sobre aspectos que me hicieron reflexionar sobre mi futuro como maestra.

[Leah Zalenski · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fine

[lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read this book for school, there are interesting concepts and I would recommend for other college students in the field of education to take a look at this book. It is a bit outdated and you have to read it over a couple times to truly understand what's happening but I thought it was a great read once everything came together.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The girl with the brown crayon is an interesting and educational book, great for anyone interested in child development, education, or if you just want a good read. Vivian Gussin Paley gives an interesting look at both the classroom and ideas and feelings of the students inside. Paley’s teaching styles along with her love for the children in her class shine through and help us to understand what it is to be a good teacher.
The book brings us in to a Kindergarten class room where Paley is entering her final year of teaching. There is one in particular student who seems to stick out to Paley. Reeny is a little girl who has a fondness for drawing herself in brown crayon and an ability to understand and help those around her while having an amazing sense of self. Reeny is the only African American girl in the classroom. She is extremely creative, she keeps the other students amused with her songs and stories and she fills the room with her pictures.
Reeny also introduces us to Leo Lionni. She comes upon the book Frederick and instantly identifies with the mouse in the story because they share a love for telling stories and because they are both brown. Paley then decides to let Leo Lionni become a focal point to this kindergarten class and Reeny becomes our tour guide. Taking us through book after book and showing us how Paley, Reeny and the other students understand and relate to Lionni’s characters. Several students seem to find books that they each relate to, (Bruce relates to the inch worm in Inch by Inch, Walter is associated to Pezzettino) by understanding the way the children relate to the characters Paley finds it easier to understand and help them. The children act out the books as plays, make posters with drawings of all the characters and even write letters to Leo Lionni. The classroom becomes a year centered on discussions and debates about the stories and the morals or weaknesses they present.
This book teaches us about the importance of friendship, diversity, fitting in and most of all identity. We see that the children in the story are able to accept each other and treat each other equally even though the adults in this story struggle with the concept. We see the importance of play and creativity in a classroom and how it benefits the students. Also we can learn from this book that even if our students are very young or if we have been teaching for many years, as educators we are always learning new things from our students.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is adorable. Little 5yr old Reeny is better at finding meaning in the books of Leo Lionni then I am, but I suppose I'm not surprised, children are good like that. This short and easy read is a wonderful true account of one teacher's year in a classroom (with a curriculum focused on Lionni's books) and illustrates how children use stories to make meaning of their lives (and find meaning in books due to life experience). So cute!

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this for my Children's Literature class and it was absolutely delightful. About a teacher (the author Vivian Paley) who spends a whole year studying Leo Lionni. My class was also asked to read Lionni's books and I have since then bought some to add to my personal collection. A good read for someone aspiring to be a teacher or work with kids.

[Alex Haven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through deep observation and recordings, Vivian Gussin Paley brings her classroom to life in the form of her book. Her different and brave choice to focus on just Leo Lionni books in her kindergarten classrooms and proves that kindergartners are capable of in depth and long periods of analyzing. During this time, Paley looks at things through the eyes of her students, Reeny in particular causes Paley to think in depth about herself and the actions in the classroom. Their journey of Leo Lionni brought the students and teachers together to see new ideas, learn about one another, and become more self aware.

I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. Paley's intent of writing from the students' point of views as well as hers communicated the similarities and differences in their ideas and showed how students can help teachers learn new things as well. I could use this book to help guide students along a similar analyzing and questioning path, and generate ideas to help my students and myself go more in depth of our stories and ourselves.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the story of a teacher and her interactions with her students as she makes a bold choice to only focus on books that were written by Leo Lionni. Her students respond very positively to this and start to share what they are discovering about themselves and others through the discussions concerning the books. The students bring up important topics. They talk about what it means to be a good friend and describe the kinds of friends they want to have. The students are amazing examples of self-reflection, self-awareness, and being aware of others. The students handle great emotions together. This book opened my eyes to the power of self-reflection and the beautiful relationships that can flourish in the classroom. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will use it personally in the classroom for ideas and suggestions. I would recommend it to people who are thinking of becoming teachers or are already teachers.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first heard about this book in my very first graduate course as I was going for my Master's degree in early childhood special education. I read a different book (it was part of a literature circle activity) and just never picked this one up even though I knew about it and it was on my list for quite some time. Overall, at first I was not as impressed as I thought I would be (I thought the praise it received from so many professors was possibly making me expect too much?) As I kept reading, about halfway through the book I started to enjoy the story and found myself wanting to keep reading each very short chapter. Overall, a good story for anyone interested in storytelling and early childhood.

[Madison Cullitan]

I really enjoyed this book and loved how the author explain everything so well. This book was amazing to me because one child was able to influence the whole class (including the teacher) to dive into a particular author's writing pieces and try to find out what the true meaning was. The whole class became involved and were all interested and inspired as well. It was a form of engagement that lead the students to always be on their toes and excited to see what was going to be in store next. I do not think that this approach that was taken in the classroom would have been as successful if the students did not have so much passion for the author and his writing. I would recommend this book for anyone going into the filed of education or who is already in the field.

[Britta · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Girl with the Brown Crayon is a sweet look into what can happen when teachers let students drive the curriculum. This book was written in the 90s, and I did find myself wondering how easy such a project would be in 2021, when standardized test prep often takes over the very ability to work extensively within that realm of creativity. Paley's story is still a beautiful reminder of the connections we can build with students if we allow ourselves to, and the power of young minds to shape our classrooms and our worlds.

[Destiny · Rating 2 out of 5]

**2.75**
Overall, I think this book hit a lot of important points in the development of children through literature in a school setting. That being said I didn't really enjoy the writing style, which personally took away some of the enjoyment for me. I really enjoyed seeing Lionni's books inspire the children.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say I fell in love with the children (Reeny, Oliver, Walter, etc) in this story is a very big understatement. The effect an author and his books had on this group of Kindergarteners was HUGE and brought out so many ideas, thoughts, and creativity in the kids. I LOVED this book, Paley's writing, and her teaching. Her classroom is #classroomgoals.

[Kelsey P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this was a really great read. So much food for thought, in considering the minds of children, and the use of stories to explore who they are and who they are in the world. The ECE nerd in me came out while reading this. I'm excited to bring some of these ideas to my students to discuss. Definitely a book club possibility

[Sara Tiede · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I would be more interested than I was. I realize the children are kindergartners, and my own kids were that age just two years ago, but Paley's tone came across as so utterly patronizing that it became off putting. I lost what the point I was supposed to be getting from the book was, and just put it down. DNF.

[Victoria Whipple]

A teacher's memoir of her final year teaching when a young student propels the whole class into an immersive study of Leo Lionni and all that his books and their thinking about his books teaches them.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third and final book I read for grad school and perhaps the most endearing. Paley's stories about race, identity, and education, through the environs of a kindergarten classroom, are so beautiful and touching. (8)

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a book about education. I’m not a huge fan of the “classroom ethnography” genre of educational writing. Also, the slavery reenactment made me want to throw the book out of the window. I wish I could give it a pass because it was written in 2001. But even back then we knew better.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

[Tami · Rating 2 out of 5]

Required reading for a graduate children's lit course. There were some sweet little nuggets of wisdom from the Kindergartners, but overall this book fell flat for me.

[m · Rating 4 out of 5]

ECED - language & literacy

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a pleasure to sneak a peek into another teacher’s classroom.

[Jamie McLemore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartwarming story for educators that reminds you of the power of viewing children as intellectual beings.

[Michaela Vandygriff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to read this for school and thought it was insightful, but very repetitive. I did like that everything came from first-hand personal experience though.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 - Made me cry! Must read for teachers; let’s remember to imagine and create again.