The Pink Crayon

By: Radhika Nair
Illustrated by: Noor Alshalabi
Publisher: Independently Published
Publication Date: December 15, 2023
ISBN: 979-8-9878652-2-4
Reviewed by: Katie Specht
Review Date: December 18, 2023

From author and artist Radhika Nair comes her first children’s book, The Pink Crayon, an adorable story of a young girl who ventures into her backyard to color a picture of a forest scene and the subsequent events that transpire.

Mimi was very excited to color the house in her picture pink, as pink was her favorite color. As she sat down with her picture and her crayons, some unexpected visitors soon showed up at her table. As Mimi colored her picture, five curious pigeons kept flying down next to her. As they approached her, they stared and pecked at her crayons. Mimi kindly offered them all the colors of her crayons until all she had remaining was her favorite pink crayon. Finally, one lone pigeon flew down, landed on her table, and looked at the last lingering pink crayon. Though the bird seemed very sweet, and Mimi had enjoyed sharing her other crayons with him and his friends, she was hesitant to give up her last crayon, and her favorite color at that. This was a dilemma that young Mimi would need to use her problem-solving abilities to resolve.

Nair’s story is a beautiful representation of sharing, empathy, and brainstorming at its best. Our young protagonist, Mimi, loves her colorful crayons, yet she shares them with her new bird friends and even works through a predicament at the end with a successful result that leaves all involved pleased. The story is written using easy-to-understand words that even the youngest of readers will be able to recognize and read themselves. The illustrations are vibrant and colorful, and complement the story perfectly. Another lovely aspect of Nair’s book is that once the story concludes, there is more fun to be had as she includes two activity pages at the end. One page is the picture that Mimi colors in the story, which young artists are sure to appreciate, while the other page is a maze to help Mimi find her pink crayon. These activities are sure to entertain the youngest of children, and parents are sure to value the extra effort Nair took to include these interactive pages in her book.

Quill says: The Pink Crayon is a sweet, simple story with numerous valuable lessons to be imparted to its readers. Nair has crafted an endearing story about a loveable young girl while the illustrator did a fantastic job of bringing the story to life with delightful, bright pictures.

For more information on The Pink Crayon, please visit the author's website at: www.radhikanair.me