Published: 2022
Series: Creepy Carrots
Author: Aaron Reynolds
Illustrator: Peter Brown
Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Horror, Halloween, Fiction, Animals, Storytime, Fantasy, School
Audience (Grade Levels): Grades Pre-K–2
Number of Stars: 5-Stars
Goodreads Link: Creepy Crayon!
Triggers: None
Review By: Kim LeRoy
Publisher’s Summary:
A #1 New York Times bestseller!
From the team behind the New York Times bestselling Creepy Carrots! and Creepy Pair of Underwear! comes the third in this hilariously spooky series about a young rabbit and his peculiar encounters—featuring a sinister crayon!
Jasper Rabbit has a problem: he is NOT doing well in school. His spelling tests? Disasters. His math quizzes? Frightening to behold. But one day, he finds a crayon lying in the gutter. Purple. Pointy. Perfect. Somehow…it looked happy to see him. And it wants to help.
At first, Jasper is excited. Everything is going great. His spelling is fantastic. His math is stupendous. And best of all, he doesn’t have to do ANY work! But then the crayon starts acting weird. It’s everywhere, and it wants to do everything. And Jasper must find a way to get rid of it before it takes over his life. The only problem? The creepy crayon will not leave.
Review:
This is another incredibly fun story in the beloved Creepy Tales! book set. In this installment, Jasper the rabbit is excited to find a mysterious purple crayon that is more than willing to do all of his schoolwork for him. Since Jasper heavily struggles in school, he decides to take full advantage of this convenient opportunity. However, when the crayon starts to aggressively control Jasper’s artwork and refuse his boundaries, he gets a little creeped out. Eventually, Jasper begins to feel a heavy sense of guilt about letting the crayon do all his work for him, and he decides to get rid of it. If only it were that easy!
Children will absolutely enjoy the suspense that comes with finding out if the Creepy Crayon ultimately takes over Jasper’s life. For those readers who have heard the other two Creepy stories illustrated by Peter Brown, they will delight in noticing the subtle visual hints and Easter eggs connecting this book to the first two stories in the series. I read this book to my students around Halloween while wearing my own purple crayon costume, and it was a massive hit. Although it is not strictly a Halloween story, the students were completely captivated and eager to find out what happens with this overbearing crayon.
While some children may still enjoy Creepy Carrots! or Creepy Pair of Underwear! just a bit more, this book is definitely a great addition to any elementary library collection. It serves as a perfect, gentle introduction to spooky stories for younger children who want something a little eerie but aren’t ready for anything genuinely scary. Peter Brown’s signature grayscale illustrations—punctuated by the brilliant, glowing purple of the crayon—expertly drive the storytelling and set an unmatched, hilariously gothic mood. This is a five-star must-have for early childhood classrooms and libraries.
Classroom & Curricular Connections:
- Social-Emotional Learning (Academic Honesty & Integrity): This book is a stellar springboard for discussing honesty, personal responsibility, and the consequences of taking shortcuts or cheating. Students can discuss why Jasper felt guilty even though he was getting perfect grades, exploring the intrinsic value of doing your own work.
- English Language Arts (Visual Literacy & Intertextuality): Teachers can guide students to spot the subtle Easter eggs connecting Creepy Crayon! to its sister books, prompting discussions on how illustrators use recurring characters or objects to build a shared universe.
- “My Creepy School Supply” Creative Writing & Art: Have students select an everyday school utility (like an eraser, a ruler, or a glue stick) and write or draw a short story about what would happen if that item came to life to “help” them, using a single neon color overlay on a pencil sketch just like Peter Brown’s style.
- Purple Crayon Interactive Read-Aloud: Encourage librarians or teachers to pair this read-aloud with purple props or a simple purple crayon costume to make the story come alive, asking prediction-based questions at suspenseful cliffhangers.
Readalikes:
- Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds
- Creepy Pair of Underwear! by Aaron Reynolds
- The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt
