Crayola Creators: Edward Binney and C. Harold Smith

Toy Trailblazers

by Lee Slater

In this engaging biography, readers will learn about the creators of Crayolas, cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith. Follow their story from childhood, their early work at Edwin's father's Peekskill Chemical Works, and the company's evolution into the Binney & Smith Company. Binney and Smith create a wax pencil, slate pencils, and dustless chalk, culminating in the invention of the Crayola. Learn how Crayolas are made, who came up with the name, and about other Binney & Smith Company products. Binney and Smith families, retirements, and community contributions are included. Sidebars, historic photos, and a glossary enhance readers' understanding of this topic. Additional features include a table of contents, an index, a timeline and fun facts. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Lorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edward Binney and his cousin C. Harold Smith created one of the most popular and most recognizable toys for children (of all ages), the Crayola crayon. This title from ABDO’s Toy Trailblazers series explores the history of the crayon and the Crayola brand with a clear explanation about how the Binney and Smith Company began and its evolution from chemical company in the 1800’s to the leader in children’s art supplies today.

Informational prose paragraphs, corresponding photographs, and interesting fun fact boxes make this a good format for proficient readers. Those curious about the history of the crayon will not be disappointed with this title. Book extras include a table of contents, a pictorial timeline, a glossary, index, and the www link to ABDO’s online format which has monitored links to online content. I would recommend this title for purchase to any school or public library. This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This well-worded and interesting biography introduces children to the creators of Crayola - makers of the crayons that they all love so much.

Chapters and sentences are kept short and sweet so as to not bore young readers, as the photographs and illustrations are colorful and compelling. The subject matter included in this biography is age appropriate for young readers, making this work a great resource for not just pleasure reading, but also book reports!

[Eva S]

It's interesting.......