Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
A Day with no Crayons
Illustrator: Chad Cameron
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Rising Moon, 2007 ISBN: 978-0873589109
Liza was crayon mad. She loved to create pictures bright with color and her artwork filled her coloring books and covered her walls. Then one day she ran out paper and she had nothing, absolutely nothing, to color on. So Liza decided to color on a blank wall. When Liza’s mother saw what she was doing she was furious. In fact she was so angry that she took away Liza’s crayons for a whole day.
Liza was devastated. How could she survive for a whole day without her crayons? Then, when she was outside, she discovered that there are other ways to create art. She found that squashed flowers and other plants could produce vibrant colors. She realized that there was “color everywhere” she looked. All she had to do was tap into it.
So using a stick as her pen, and mud and leaves as her colors, she drew a tree. Using an old red brick she drew camels on a sidewalk. Using petals and pebbles, leaves and dandelions, she created an ocean scene. Liza was learning that she could ‘draw’ with practically anything so long as she used her imagination.
In this magical picture book children will get to meet a young artist who discovers that the world of art is a lot bigger than she ever dreamed it was. With clever pictorial artistic references to famous artists and their works, and an imaginative use of color, the illustrator does a masterful job showing the reader how Liza’s eyes are opened to new possibilities. Chad Cameron’s creative multimedia illustrations are a joy to look at and they capture the lively emotions that Liza experiences as the story unfolds.
