Students at Preston Hollow Presbyterian School knew that Drew Daywalt’s creative stories about disgruntled crayons, a paper fortune teller with fortitude, and a hero pug were unique.
When Daywalt visited their school on March 24, they learned that the bestselling author is as well.
School was “13 years of one long learning difference,” the author of The Day the Crayons Quit, The Day the Crayons Came Home, and other acclaimed children’s books told students.
“I wasn’t like any of the other kids,” Daywalt said during a student-led podcast. “I went to a traditional school, and I had pretty bad dyslexia.”
He added that he also has dyscalculia, a learning disability similar to dyslexia that affects a student’s ability to do math. Daywalt said that his dyscalculia wasn’t diagnosed until college, after he earned years of failing grades in the subject.
“I studied writing because I did well in writing,” he said. “But I struggled with (math) all the time. And no one ever knew.”
After the podcast, Daywalt made parents and children at an assembly laugh out loud by describing the idea behind his book about letter-writing crayons that go on strike (the characters are based on grown-ups, not whiny children) and his process for creating a story about a noble, crime-fighting pug.
“I wrote this book with my dog, and he’s terrible at spelling,” Daywalt said, showing students a picture of his tie-clad pup at a laptop. “Look how he types. There are lots of typos in there.”
When Daywalt introduced his book, The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors, to students, he described himself as “the world grand champion” of the classic playground game. But he was quickly defeated by fifth-grader Penn Rowsey after he challenged a student volunteer to a match.
Rowsey explained later that he wasn’t surprised by the win. His rock, paper, scissors strategy gives him a 75% chance of victory. Rowsey added that he’d enjoyed Daywalt’s presentation, as well as the signature hairstyle that Daywalt has been told makes him look like a crayon himself.
Daywalt read from his newest book, Forty the Fortune Teller, before calling students to the front of the room and introducing them to the real paper Forty, who revealed their humorous futures.
“Forty says that you are now the keeper of the chicken of power. As fate would have it, I happen to have a chicken of power with me, by total coincidence,” Daywalt told Blake Booher before handing the laughing second grader a rubber chicken. He reminded Booher that “with great power comes great responsibility,” and suggested she squeak the chicken when her teacher starts talking.
Students also appreciated Daywalt’s personal story of growing up with learning differences. Preston Hollow Presbyterian School provides a supportive environment for students with learning differences, helping them reach their potential and equipping them with strategies for future success.
“Most of the struggles that he’s had, I have too,” said fifth-grader Penny Teicher, one of the leaders of the podcast who introduced Daywalt at the assembly. She added that it was cool that Daywalt had achieved so much success.
The event’s organizers hope that Daywalt’s message of resilience stays with students.
Sara Lund, a member of the school’s library committee, can still recall the motivational speakers who visited the Shelton School while she was a student there. Those experiences were inspiring for her as a child, and she’s working with other committee members to bring more guest authors to Preston Hollow Presbyterian School.
“It was a way to rethink my learning disability,” Lund said. “You could move on from that and go on to be a successful adult and have an interesting career. There was hope at the end of the tunnel.”
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