RED: A CRAYON'S STORY BY MICHAEL HALL PRE-K-2

"He was red...But he wasn't very good at it."








GRADE LEVEL: PRE-K-2
AUTHOR: Michael Hall
BOOK AWARDS: 
(Info gathered from Junior Library Guild)
Goodreads Choice Awards 2015, Picture Books
Booklist Best Picture Books of 2015
Amazon.com Best Books of the Year 2015, Ages 3–5
Booklist Lasting Connections, 2015
2016 CCBC Choices–Picture Books for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers
2016 Rainbow List, Picture Books
2015 Cybils Awards Nomination, Fiction Picture Books
Irma Black Award, 2016 Finalist
2016 E. B. White Read-Aloud Award, Picture Book
Children’s Literature Assembly, 2016 Notable Children’s Books in the English Language Arts
Children’s Book Committee Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of 2016, Under 5

REVIEW 
This is the first book I ever read that I felt helped build empathy and understanding in regards to gender identity. Michael Hall's children's book, Red: A Crayon's Story does not explicitly use words like gender identity, transgender, or nonbinary, but it does help children to see that their labels don't always match their identities.I have read this book with my children, friends' children, and young relatives.The book has prompted some great discussions and questions the children have about the people in their families and communities who don't feel their gender labels match they way they feel on the inside. 

The story follows a crayon that has been labeled red, but that feels blue. Many of the other crayon's in Red's life express opinions and give advice on how Red should handle this very unique feeling. Eventually Red meets Purple and through the friendship begins to feel accepted for his true identity. Eventually the other crayons in Red's life change the messages they give him and Red is able to see how he can be a purposeful and beautiful Blue. 

I have given this book to classroom teachers who have a young trans or gender nonconforming student. As more and more students are socially transitioning at younger ages, teachers can feel confused about how to answer questions from other students who see their friend and classmate socially transition.The book is a wonderful and age appropriate way to begin the discussion with young kids about identity and help them understand that for some people, their identities don't always match their labels. A book like, Red: A Crayon's Story will help share the responsibility of the discussion and give a place for the students' questions to be focused on rather than putting the onus on the child going through the transition. 

CLASSROOM TOOLBOX

• This book makes for a great read-aloud. The discussions that follows will be rich and meaningful. 
• As a writing teacher I think this would make a great prompt for a personal narrative. Every kid can relate to feeling of not fitting in. The children could even illustrate their narrative with crayons.
• The students could write a review of the book or even do a video book review. 
• Students could write positive messages to Blue. The messages could be displayed on a wall in the classroom. 

LINKS TO OTHER TOOLBOX IDEAS 

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Lesson Plan with Common Core

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