Crayon Man…The true story of the invention of CRAYOLA Crayons, Written by Natascha Biebow & Illustrated by Steven Slalerno

This is the story of a man named Edwin Binney and colors made him very happy. He owned a company that sold a black pigment called carbon black, which was used in printing inks among other things.

Edwin was the inventor and work alongside his cousin, C. Harold Smith. Together they made a dynamic team. One was a salesman (Harold) and the other always curios and inventing (Edwin).

One day Edwin invented a slate gray pencil, known today as chalk! He also invented a super black wax crayon and teachers and children loved both of his inventions!

But his wife (a super smart teacher!) told him that the crayon can be better and cheaper, while Edwin envisioned a crayon of different colors. And so he began experimenting, mixing, inventing, and more mixing until Edwin and his team created the perfect crayon recipe.

And when they did…his wife Alice had the idea on what to call the new crayons. She combined the French word, craie meaning a stick of chalk…and the word oleaginous, meaning oily texture…to invent a new word…CRAYOLA!

With a new name and a selection of vibrant colors, Binney and his cousin shipped out their first box of CRAYOLA crayons to children..and they LOVED them!

Excitement grew and people came from all over to see for themselves the marvelous invention of the cousins at the St. Louis Fair. Color creations kept continuing as Edwin drew his inspiration from vibrant bouquets of flowers. He even invited children to name the colors. Today CRAYOLA crayons are oh, so famous and enjoyed from children all around the world!

Natascha Biebow details the the extraordinary life of Edwin Binney and takes us along on his journey of inventing the most popular coloring supplies of all time! Edwin saw color everywhere and he never compromised his vision in creating the perfect crayon, just the right size for tiny hands. His passion and commitment to fulfill his dream, after much practice, resulted in a lifetime of creativity for the generations that followed.

The illustrations by Steven Salerno are whimsical, vibrant, and lively. The colors dance across the pages as you read the story. I found the illustrations to be just as innovative and original as Edwin himself! With every turn of the page, the reader will be captivated by Edwin’s innovation process and ignited with a sense of wonder.

Children of primary and elementary grades will enjoy this fascinating story of how one man’s curiosity forever changed the way we color our world!

Rainbow Teaching Tip: At the end of the story, the author has provided a visual step-by-step process of how crayons are made today. Students can read this part of the text and it would be fun for them to watch a video of how the crayons are made as well. Using their own CRAYOLA crayons, they can create a picture book, comic, diagram, or concept map about this process.

Something that was very important to Edwin was having students become part of the color naming process. Teaming up with the art teacher…and experimenting with various pigments or paints, allow students to invent a new color and name it. Giant butcher paper crayons can be cut out and painted with their specific paint color with a label and name. These can be displayed in the classroom or hallway to share!

A fun writing activity for students of all ages is for them to invent something. What would they invent? This can be a great creative writing piece and the students can physically make a prototype or a visual representation of their invention! Another extension would be to have each student research a famous inventor and complete a creative presentation of their learning.

You can visit the CRAYOLA website here to learn more about their creative projects on the market, and also educational resources and activities to invite into your classroom instruction!

To incorporate the CRAYOLA crayon making process into your instruction…view this video.

To learn more about Natascha Biebow visit her website.

To learn more about Illustrator Steven Salerno visit his website.