Green is for Christmas by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers

Fans of the The day the crayons quit and The day the crayons came home will be delighted to have another book about these cute little crayons. This time they are arguing about what colour is the colour for Christmas. Green Crayon declares that it is green because holly and fir trees are green but Red Crayon thinks that red is for Christmas because of candy canes and Santa Claus. Of course, white, silver and brown know that they are for Christmas as well. In fact, all the colours are Christmas colours and the crayons come together in the final pages of the book, saying ‘You can’t have Christmas without any of us’.

The illustrations are very appealing, as always in the books featuring the crayons. A little Christmas elf appears on many of the double page spreads and adds to the fun of reading. The crayons appear against a white background and catch the eye immediately, with their tiny dot eyes and mouths. The text is sparse and tiny asides are very humorous and will delight the adult reader. Very young children will have fun identifying the colours and then finding coloured things in their own surroundings that are important for Christmas.

Another Christmas book to read aloud during the festive seasons, Green is for Christmas would also make a lovely gift for children who enjoyed the antics of the crayons in the other books.

Themes: Christmas, Colours, Crayons.

Pat Pledger