ALA Booklist (Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

This entertaining history of how a universally recognizable object came to be tells of businessman and inventor Edwin Binney's "knack for listening and making what people needed." And when he realized that being able to affordably draw in color was what folks wanted, his creative process kicked into high gear. British author Biebow's first nonfiction picture book flows with conversational smoothness while occasional text boxes add additional insight, such as why students in the 1800s used slates in school instead of paper. It tells how Binney explored the problems he was trying to solve, experimented with chemistry and color, and brainstormed unique names until finally "school crayons for educational color work" were ready for kids' hands. The attractive full-page d, accordingly, brightly colorful lustrations mix realism and whimsy in Salerno's recognizable style. Back matter features a photo demonstration of how 12 million Crayolas a day are now made, a strong bibliography, and additional biographical notes on Binney and his creation.

Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

Fascinated by the natural world's many colors, Edwin Binney developed eight different colors of nontoxic crayons at his company in June 1903; they were an instant hit and are still made today. Whenever the text mentions a color, the word is set in bold for easy recognition by children. Salerno's dynamic spreads aptly burst with a variety of colors. Occasional helpful sidebars provide further explanations, particularly about the Crayola invention process. Bib.

Kirkus Reviews

Through persistent experimentation Edward Binney gave children a cheap and safe coloring medium. In this chatty, engaging picture book, Biebow provides the historical context around the invention of Crayola crayons. The story covers the media predecessors (breakable, often poisonous artists' crayons; clay) that were the basis for the Crayola and the trial-and-error process Binney undertook to create a safe, colorful product that children from diverse economic backgrounds could afford. Such visual cues as boldface type for the names of colors throughout the story aid readers in recognizing the colors that Binney developed and that they might encounter in their own crayon boxes. Biebow moves past the invention to recognize the impact this product has had on childhood worldwide. Salerno brings readers close to the story through his illustrations, right onto the lab table where Binney and his team (both impressively mustachioed men and women, all white) developed the crayon. What Jon Klassen achieves emotionally in his characters' eyes, Salerno manages with eyebrows here. He uses crayon pencils for the bulk of the work; children's pictures in a couple of later spreads are done, appropriately enough, with Crayolas. A well-organized bibliography with both primary and secondary sources, including interviews with Binney's great-granddaughter, is supplemented by text boxes throughout the book that offer additional informational snippets such as the composition of Crayola's pigments. A suitably colorful introduction to the life of a person whose name readers may not know but whose invention they all use. (factory snapshots, author's note) (Picture book/biography. 6-9)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

It-s easy to take today-s ubiquitous colored crayons for granted, but they were the result of one individual-s innovation. Biebow introduces Edwin Binney-a mustachioed man and head of a carbon black factory-who wished to make color-pigmented wax crayons that reflected the world outside. Salerno-s illustrations reflect the formality of the era, which he playfully disrupts with splashes of color: in one spread, a line of pigment-spattered workers end a day of crayon experimentation. Readers are likely to be fascinated by the process of -grinding, grinding, grinding up rocks and minerals into fine powders- and the rich colors that result. Back matter is attention-grabbing as well, with photographs of crayon production today. Ages 6-9. (Mar.)