Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this title. Sweet story of perseverance for an anxious girl who is helped by her faith.

3.5/5, rounded up to 4

Beautiful illustrations however I did not know it was a religious read. The lessons in it are good but maybe not the best choice for non Christians.

The story Broken Crayons Still Colour is a wonderfully written story about a young girl beginning school and dealing with all the feelings that come with such a big change.

This would be a great story to share with a young person who is just about to begin their school journey because it goes over some of the biggest things that they may be thinking about before the big day arrives.

As a parent, I really like this idea about broken crayons still being useful - as the title states "broken crayons still colour" because this really spells out that things don't have to be perfect to work out and I think that is a lesson best learned early for children.

The story itself was easy enough for my emerging reader to read on their own and I really appreciate that as well. They are at the stage where they want to try and read as independently as possible and this story allows them that opportunity.

So, if you have a young person about to start school, I think this is a must have for your library!

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to share this story with my children. I received an advance review copy for free and am voluntarily leaving this review. All of the opinions are my own.

First of all, I want to thank the author and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Broken crayons still color by toni Collier is coming out on August 29, 2023.

This is such a cute book and has a great message!! Smell the roses and blowout the candles is one of the best things I have taught my children. When I read them this book, they knew exactly what the book meant. #BrokenCrayonsStillColor #NetGalley

I very much enjoyed reading this book with my seven year old. She loves the illustrations and story. It gave us great talking points as she has had similar emotions and situations. It gave us talking points on those situations and those messy emotions!
The story did have spiritual elements which may limit the audience, but it was presented in such a wonderful way.

The illustrations are my favorite! The messages are so strong and such an important book. I loved the colors and feelings. So many different tools to learn.

This is going to be an insta-buy for me when it's out! I love the message, that it's okay not to be perfect, and I love that it connects God and self affirmations and emotional awareness. We do the "smell the flowers, blow out the candles" already at home, and will definitely be adding some of the affirmation words to our days now too! Love love love it!

Absolutely loved this book and getting to share it with my two toddlers.
The story was incredibly thoughtful, with lessons for kids and parents both. this book was more than just another childrens book. It gave important lessons on feelings and emtions in a way that was still easy for kids to understand.
the illustrations are a fantastic edition to the book and message it sent.
Many parts of that book stuck with me as a parent, but one i am constantly reminding my toddler is "You're not a mess because you have messy feelings."
I will be definitely adding my own physical copy to my personal library as well as recommending this book as often as possible!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson: CHILDREN'S and Netgalley for the ARC

A cute children's book about a little girl, Avery. Avery is about to start kindergarten and is looking forward to bringing her new crayons to school. Avery loves to color, but as she's coloring about what she's looking forward to about her first day of school, her crayons begin to break. Her crayons come to life and help her work through all of her feelings. Highly recommend for children of all ages!

"You're not a mess because you have messy feelings."

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you NetGallery and the Publisher for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed reading this book with my children (8 & 5) - we loved the colors and illustrations in this book and the general message that even when things are not perfect we are still valuable as people. I did not originally realize when requesting a copy of this book that there would be religious connotations and feel that the rest of the story is such a great lesson that the religious "give it up to god" undertones may limit the amount of children who get to enjoy this book in a classroom.

an interesting book to learn about colors, recognize emotions, and also feelings. Many quotes feel warm for me, such as “We don’t have to be perfect to be useful!”

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of "Broken Crayons Still Color". All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Right off the bat, I was immediately drawn to the colors and the artwork on the cover. They are extremely inviting and eye-catching for both adults and kids. I really enjoyed how it discussed cadet blue instead of just saying blue. As a teacher, I think it is vital that children learn that there are more colors. The family dynamic displayed was amazing; you can tell that the love is there. When Avery breaks her crayons, it is easily relatable from a kid's perspective. I did not like that the crayons kept calling her "girl". I feel that it made Avery nameless and that the crayons did not care about her. I did like when the crayons acknowledged that Avery was allowed to feel like a mess but it could not dictate her actions. Giving her a breathing technique was a nice touch. I did also enjoy the simple reference to God. It did not feel forced and came in at good points throughout the story. The color wheel at the end was nice and easy for children to relate their feelings to.

Super cute book with gorgeous illustrations! Seriously the illustrations are so amazing!

Avery just moved and is anxious to go to her new school. She breaks some of her new crayons and feels guilty. But then, they come to life and show her how to cope with her BIG feelings.

I really liked this book. I loved that coping skills and breathing techniques are taught, and that feelings are associated with colors. I especially love the color wheel at the end. I didn't really care for the way the crayons talked, and there were times that God was mentioned but that confused me because the book as a whole didn't seem like it was meant to be a faith based book.

All in all, the illustrations were gorgeous and I would read this to my kiddos.

I definitely have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand I like the general positive messaging. This book appears to be intended to help children process big feelings and anxiety. There is a lot of faith driven messaging with reference to God.
On the other hand, do I like the way the Crayons talk? Not really. "So why are you crying, girlfriend?" Ruby asked OR "Girl, don't you know?" Ruby said.
The graphics in this book are colorful and adorable.
I personally do not see myself reading this to my young nieces and nephews.
Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
A sincere thank you to NetGallery and the Publisher for the ARC of this book.

Avery feels big emotions and her broken crayons give her a pep talk, name the emotions she's feeling and give her strategies to cope. This cute picture book features fun and colorful pictures and pearls of wisdom. The writing flows well and breaks big emotions down to a kid's level. I tucked the coping strategies away as something to remember and they are written in a very approachable way. I did not realize from the description that God is mentioned (only twice) and it describes how he makes masterpieces out of broken things. An enjoyable and informative read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Publishing group for granting this ARC. The book itself is beautifully illustrated and the story inside is good. The crayons try their best to emulate being hip by calling the child; girlfriend and girl. Which is a bit on the old school style of talking; as well if the reader isn't aware they may not pick it up to read to a class or library only because most choose to use books that do not mention God.

Other than that the book is cute, and has a nice story plot. That no matter how messy we might feel we are all still useful and good.

Broken Crayons Still Color is about a young girl named Avery who is gifted a box of crayons with a large variety of colors. She is so excited to bring her new box of crayons to her new school the following day, but is also experiencing some big feelings surrounding the first day and having to meet new friends. With the help of her new crayon friends who give her coping strategies and invite her to express her feelings through art, Avery is able to persevere and embrace her feelings and new school.

This adorable story with charming illustrations is perfect for Christian families to read and discuss feelings and emotions surrounding life events and experiences. I appreciated how the author incorporated art as a way for children to express their feelings as she referenced feelings associated with specific colors on the last page.

Thank you to Toni Collier, Whitney Bak, Thomas Nelson: Children's and NetGalley for the ARC and opportunity to review this book!

This book had beautiful illustrations and a nice message. But it was wordy for young children. Also, it mentions god and praying twice which would make this book hard to read for a diverse population.

This was so powerful. As a parent to a young boy who is still learning his feelings coloring has been a godsend. This book shows that even in times where you don’t understand your feeling doing something creative can help you out. The illustration style was light and easy to follow. The words just enhanced what was being said even further. I truly loved the idea of giving the different colors names. I will absolutely be buying this book for my son when it comes out. The bonus last page with the color correlation to feelings was something I will be working on with my son.

This is a sweet book with a pair I’ve message for young children. I enjoyed the inclusion of colors and feelings at the end of the book. This book helps teach children that drawing is one positive way to help deal with big emotions. The illustrations are beautiful and engaging.