- Picture Books
- Ages 2–6
- Everyday Life
Love from the Crayons
Part of the The Crayons universeOpen the collection
Each crayon expresses what love looks like in its colour, red is bold and warm, blue is calm and deep. A gentle, lyrical companion to the main Crayons books, illustrated by Lori Richmond with a softer palette than Oliver Jeffers. A lovely gift book for young children.
- Best for2–6
- FormatPicture
- Length40 pp
- Read aloud~8 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
What’s it about?
The story.
Less a story than a meditation, Love from the Crayons gives each colour a voice to express what love means in its particular shade. Red love is fiery and warm. Blue love is calm and vast. Yellow love is bright and cheerful. Green love grows. The book repurposes the franchise's central conceit, crayons with distinct personalities, for an emotional register that's very different from the workplace comedy of the main series. Drew Daywalt's text is spare and lyrical, and Lori Richmond's softer, rounder illustration style suits the quieter mood perfectly, offering a visual contrast with Oliver Jeffers' deadpan lines. The result is a companion that doesn't need the other books to work: it functions equally well as a standalone gift, a Valentine's Day read, or a quiet bedtime book. Less comedically sharp than The Day the Crayons Quit but emotionally richer, and well suited to younger children who aren't quite ready for the epistolary humour of the main series.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 2–6
- Read aloud · 2–7
- Independent · 5–7
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
4 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Gift book
- Warm and cosy
- Art lovers
- Young readers
- Valentines day
Avoid if
No common reasons to avoid this one — a rare clean sweep on the sensitivity flags.
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Interested in art and creativity
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A warm, colourful Crayons read-aloud about love — a cheerful pick for the youngest.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific charm is each colour's love — red love is hot, blue love is calm, green love grows, black love holds everything together. The Crayons book for a quieter, more tender register. Reads as a Valentine but works year-round.
- Friendship and belonging
- Magic powers
Why parents love it
The Crayons in soft mode — Lori Richmond's gentler illustration replaces Jeffers, the franchise's comic voice quietened into something tender. Useful gift book for any occasion that calls for warmth without sentimentality.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Bedtime appropriate
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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