Vassall’s “The Black Crayon” Picked Up as Part of Compassionate Crayon Series

A fifth grade teacher at Cheltenham Elementary, Dr. Andrew Vassall recently announced his book, “The Black Crayon” has been picked up as book one in the 10-book Compassionate Crayon Series: Helping Children Embrace Differences in a Colorful World — a powerful new children’s collection that helps kids discover their value, embrace differences, and understand that every color (and every child) has a unique place in life’s masterpiece. Vassall is working on the Blue and Red Crayons’ stories next.

According to Vassall, The Black Crayon is a colorful, vibrant and captivating story of a box of colorful crayons with one black crayon who struggles to be accepted. With the love of a little girl, Laila, the black crayon begins to see his inner beauty. 

“This book teaches self-awareness and cultural awareness to young children,” Vassall said. “The journey of the Black Crayon is especially meaningful to me because it reminds children (and adults too!) that every child matters, every gift is valuable, and every person has a place.”

The Compassionate Crayon Series focuses on identity, self-love and social acceptance in a colorful world. Educators and parents can use them as resources to teach Social Emotional Learning (SEL). Each book in the series has two companion pieces: a coloring book; and a workbook aligned with common core standards. The Blue Crayon is next, followed by the Red Crayon.

“My mission is to provide engaging social emotional learning resources that inspire children and parents with hope, joy, and emotional literacy, all while creating a love of reading!” said Vassall.