The day the crayons came to Kepler's

Drew Daywalt
at our local independent bookseller (Kepler's) to promote his newest book, The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors

   Folks, Drew Daywalt has got "voice".
   Want to know what a great narrative voice can do for your stories?

• It can induce fits of giggles from a room full of kids.
• It can give readers permission to not just read, but ENACT a story.
• It can transform story time into an EPIC adventure of LEGENDARY proportions that will enter your family's lexicon and live FOREVER. (As in, "Okay kids. In the epic battle for tonight's dinner, who will win? It's Chicken versus Pasta!")

   Before the author talk got started, I wasn't so sure The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors was going to be my cup of tea. But after hearing my 8-year-old giggle her way through Drew's fantastic reading, I promptly changed my mind. The read-aloud quality of this book is an absolute gift to parents. There aren't many picture books that give you this much of an opportunity--a script, really--for  stepping into character. It's so, so fun to transform in that way, and it makes for precious reading moments with kids.
   We met Drew, got our books signed--including a Glow-In-the-Dark edition of The Day the Crayons Came Home--and picked up some lesser-known fun facts, straight from the author:

• There's a Picasso tribute hidden in the crayon  scribbles on one page of The Day the Crayons Came Home (TDTCCH)--it's on the page with Big Chunky Toddler Crayon. I haven't yet figured out which Picasso painting it's based on. For now I'm taking Drew's word for it.
• The crayon fort at the end of TDTCCH is an actual object--a box structure--that still hangs out in a corner of Oliver Jeffers' studio.
• Thanks to Adam Rex's ingenious layout, if you look at the cover of The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors in the right way (maybe squint a little), you can read it as "Drew Daywalt LEGEND".