Meet the author

Drew Daywalt.

Writer · United States

Drew Daywalt: American author of The Day the Crayons Quit and its sequels (with Oliver Jeffers on art) — the high-concept picture-book series about colour, voice and identity that's become a near-universal gift-shelf staple.

Drew Daywalt is an American author known primarily for The Day the Crayons Quit (2013) and its sequels The Day the Crayons Came Home and The Crayons' Book of Colors, all illustrated by Oliver Jeffers. The Crayons series is built on a deceptively simple high-concept, a box of crayons writes letters to their owner complaining about how they're being used, which Daywalt mines for steady character humour, gentle subversion and read-aloud bounce. Before children's books, Daywalt worked in horror screenwriting; the picture-book voice is funnier and warmer but retains a sharp sense of structure. The Crayons titles have been multiple-year picture-book bestsellers and remain a giftable, dependable hit for ages 3–7.