This book was brilliant in the way the main character uses drawing and cues to work through her feelings, I love the concept and the way it walks a child through handling the emotions but I would love to have a book that does the same without a religious focus so it would be useful to all not just people who believe in god. I think the author has a really solid concept and great ideas paired with absolutely beautiful art!

“You can do hard things” , dad squeezed her, “even when your scared’’

Toni’s book “brave enough to be broken” changed my life. So needless to say I had to pick up her new children’s book. I originally picked up her adult book at the library on a whim and was immediately drawn in by her beauty and her testimony. I had to go out and buy my own copy to annotate. This children’s book made me feel the same way. I love how it affirms the feelings that come up in the child’s life instead of discouraging them. I also adore how she used the colors to relate to emotions, I feel like that is just such a beautiful way for children to connect with this story even more. I am so grateful for Toni’s wisdom and will have to go get a copy of this one for myself as well. I recommend this story for anyone and everyone who has ever felt too messy to be loved.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me the E-ARC.

ARC reader for NetGalley

A great book to help your little learn to express their feelings. Avery loves to color and gets a new box of crayons when her family moves to a new home. Tomorrow she starts at a new school and she has big feelings. She gets help from some special colorful friends in expressing her feelings & making new friends. Your little will enjoy the characters, artwork and story.

Books that help kids understand and express their feelings are an instant buy for me and our library. The fact that this was written so well and illustrated so beautifully with really warm and inviting illustrations makes this book a double win.

"Broken Crayons Still Color" is a well-intentioned picture book that tackles the theme of handling emotions, embracing creativity, and finding hope. The story follows Avery, a young girl with big emotions and anxieties, who discovers that her crayons have personalities and feelings of their own.

While the book offers an important message, it may be somewhat complex for its intended age group of 4 to 8 years. The numerous named crayon characters and their interactions can be overwhelming, making it challenging for young children to stay engaged. Additionally, the religious element, though well-intentioned, is introduced only briefly, leaving room for confusion and making it a book that not everyone would be willing to glean from.

The book's real strengths lie in the practical coping strategies it presents, the engaging illustrations, and the emotion color chart, which can aid children in identifying their feelings. Despite some of its shortcomings, "Broken Crayons Still Color" has the potential to be a helpful tool for children dealing with powerful emotions. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this advanced review copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review on the book!

"Broken Crayons Still Color" is a wonderfully creative and emotionally resonant book that addresses the challenging task of helping kids process their big feelings. Toni Collier, a podcast host, speaker, and mom, delivers a story that embodies the hope of the gospel, making it not only entertaining but also spiritually uplifting.

The story follows Avery, a relatable character for many children, as she navigates her big emotions and anxieties about life's changes. The concept of her crayons having personalities and feelings is a unique and engaging way to illustrate the idea that even in the face of adversity, there is beauty to be found. As Avery learns to manage her overwhelming emotions and embrace curiosity and joy, the book effectively imparts valuable lessons about coping, creativity, and positive thinking.

The practical guidance provided in the book, including drawing worries, affirmations, and breathing exercises, can be beneficial for children struggling with powerful emotions, insecurity, and perfectionism. It encourages kids to express their emotions and explore their creativity in a way that is both therapeutic and constructive.

The book's presentation is visually engaging, with an inventive illustration style that encourages children to draw their own feelings. The emotion color chart is a helpful tool for children to identify and express how they feel, making it a practical addition to the book.

Overall, "Broken Crayons Still Color" is a four-star book that not only entertains but also educates and inspires children. It serves as an invaluable resource for parents, caregivers, and educators looking to help children cope with their emotions, embrace their creativity, and understand the transformative power of faith and resilience. This book is a beautiful gift that can comfort and encourage children facing new experiences and challenging situations.

This is an intelligent and helpful story about how Avery learns to regulate her difficult emotions. The illustrations are very nicely done in the book.

Because she is nervous about starting school, Avery is having big and messy feelings. And things get even worse when she breaks her new crayons by accident.

But to her amazement, her broken crayons come to life and advise Avery on how to deal with her emotions - including her nerves over making friends and starting a new school year.

By using the methods that the friendly gang of crayons suggest, including drawing some of her emotions, Avery is able to handle things much better.

And she learns something very important: big emotions don't have to rule you, and it's about what you do with the resources you have - because broken crayons can still colour just as effectively! Recommended for young children to help them learn about how to deal with difficult feelings

I read this book to my young child, who loved both the story and the bold, colorful, beautiful illustrations. The story is relatable to children who are beginning school and who experience big feelings. We both loved that the authors brought the crayons to life and explored the simple but important concept that having feelings is normal. I especially enjoyed that the authors encourage children to use art as a healthy outlet to express their feelings. Art can be therapeutic and teaching children ways to manage their feelings through art is a wonderful message to convey in a children’s book.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson!

"You're not a mess because you have messy feelings." And "Let's keep big feelings from becoming bad actions."

Those are 2 very strong sentences that everyone could live with.

This book was perfect for my 6 year old. She laughed at the funny crayons and felt sad when Ruby was sad. She loved how the pictures looked like when she draws and colours.

She was connected to the story because she breaks her crayons and it makes her sad too. And she rips the box when the crayons don't fit either.

The book gives parents a way to talk about the hard times for kids without getting heavy with them.

The colour chart at the end of the book should be printed and sold for people to put up around their house and classrooms.

“You can do hard things, even when you’re scared”

Avery is the protagonist to this lovely story. She Ioved to draw using her crayons. She gets a brand new set before her first day at school. Unfortunately they break and this sends Avery into a spiral.

“You’re not a mess, even if you have messy feelings”

The crayons come to life and remind Avery that she can go anything if she puts her mind to it. That it’s ok to be scared.
The crayons personify the feelings children will have. They try and help Avery to work through her feelings by drawing pictures. Avery’s parents and the crayons also speak about how God is always watching over her when she needs it.

Lovely story which can be used as a bedtime story or a PSHE lesson about feelings and regulating emotions.

This book has a great message and the illustrations are so cute! Some of the dialogue seemed a little forced/weird, like when one crayon said, “Avery, girl, “ and another said, “Why are you crying, girlfriend?” It just seemed out of place in the tone of the story, but I did enjoy the message of the book and think it would be useful for young children and discussing feelings.

Beautiful illustrations and a nice lesson about dealing with your emotions. There were a few cringe worthy moments that changed the tone of the story for me.

Perfect little book!
I love this book! I love what it’s trying to convey to the reader in a world of perfection.

What we and the kids see on the screen is all about perfection. Perfect hair to perfect selves and hence the frustration and the anxiety when things do not go perfectly as they must.

The little girl loves to colour with crayons and the crayons do break as crayons do but the little girl thinks something else. She compares herself and her life with the broken crayons (which you know is quite relatable and common these days). Yes, reality is far different from what we expect. The mom tells the little girl why it’s okay to have bad days and bad times. The book is so wholesome. We need more books like this for kids!

The illustrations are so good!

Thank you, Thomas Nelson/Tommy Nelson, for the advance reading copy.

First of all loved that it had touches of God and understanding of our real feelings and God love and understanding of us and those feelings. Great great great, would read this again when times get tough for my girl with her big feelings.

Useful social-emotional story that references God without any adherence to a particular religion. Well done.

I love the story brought out in Broken Crayons Still Color by Toni Collier. Young Avery learns a powerful lesson via her crayons when it comes to her emotions. I love the writing and illustrations and how the story is easy for young kids to understand. I also like the color wheel in the back of the book. I highly recommend Broken Crayons Still Color! Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book. My review is also on Goodreads.

Love the idea and concept in this story! The artwork is gorgeous and the story is great. I also liked the color wheel at the end about how do colors make you feel. It could lead to a great conversation

A social emotional learning book for kids in families with faith traditions who use God as their higher power. See my full review on GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5828680013

A nice story about a girl who is struggling with her emotions. The message was important for children to learn and understand. While there were a few cringy things said by the crayons, I enjoyed that they tried to uplift Avery. Even the illustrations were beautifully done.

Gorgeous illustrations, colourful even. Loved everything about it except the "God comments".

I do believe in God but mention of "God" isn't something I was comfortable with. It was just off putting. To be more clear, I have a 1.5 years old and although we sometimes say prayers, we do not use God in our daily routine and I would like my kid to decide if she wants to believe in God or not so these few mentions just made me go oh no. Otherwise the book was almost perfect.

Also, I definitely do not like phrases like "everything has a purpose or God sees everything" , the blurb also mentions something along the lines that God loves us all the same and he changes our mistakes into something new which annoyed me.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson children's publisher for ARC.