Harold and the Purple Crayon

When Harold decides that he wants to go for a walk in the moonlight, the youngster doesn't allow the lack of either moon or path to stand in his way. Taking his magical purple crayon, he creates them both, drawing the world into existence around him, as he proceeds from adventure to adventure. Falling into the sea, but then drawing himself a sailing boat; plummeting off a one-sided mountain, but creating a hot-air balloon in mid-tumble - Harold has everything he needs in his purple crayon...

Originally published in 1955, this classic picture-book for younger children is one of those universally beloved books that I somehow missed, in my own girlhood reading. I'm glad that it was chosen as one of our November titles over in The show more Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is "Classic Picture-Book Characters," as this gave me the impetus I needed to finally pick it up. What an incredibly perceptive portrait of a child's imaginative process it contains! How true it is that we create the world around us (and not just as children) through our imaginative lives. The starkly minimal artwork here perfectly complements the simple but effective text, which builds the story outward at first - outward into the blank unknown, where Harold has the freedom to be and do anything, safe in the knowledge that his purple crayon (his creative power) will keep him safe - before returning it to the safety of home and of bed. Amusing, clever, perceptive - Harold and the Purple Crayon is children's literature at its best, demonstrating yet again that for those with the true vision, great artistic and intellectual merit can be found in the simple and the small. show less

Hidden within the wonderfully imaginative story of an insomniac toddler who gets out of bed and goes wandering around at night armed with a magic crayon is an allegorical retelling of Books 1-6 of Vergil's Aeneid. It is marvelous and adorable and disquieting.

Harold and the Purple Crayon has been a favorite of the picture book genre for quite some time, and the reputation is well deserved. In this charming story about creativity, Harold decides to go for a walk in the moonlight. He needs some moon for a moonlight walk, though, so he draws one. He also draws the path, and the field, and the forest he finds. With his wonderful purple crayon, he draws everything he sees and experiences along his journey, mostly by intention, but occasionally by accident. When he draws a dragon to guard the apple tree, he is so frightened by his own invention that his hand shakes, creating water waves into which he stumbles. Good thing he keeps his head and draws a boat. Or when he draws a mountain to look for show more his house, but trips at the top; he hasn't drawn the other side of the mountain yet, so he is falling through the air, when he thinks about drawing a hot air balloon, and saves himself. Eventually, Harold finds his way back to his own familiar room. He draws up his covers, and falls asleep.

Harold's adventures show his creativity and the power of his imagination, which sweep him up so completely that sometimes he's controlling it, and sometimes it's controlling him. Each page uses just a small amount of simple sentences, because the illustrations convey so much of the story. This narrative is perfect for reading aloud, not only because the word count is small, but also because the text is readable. The rhythm is just right, the concise descriptions embed sly humor (drew up the covers, and so on). The subject matter is brilliant - children love to draw. My oldest daughter is in a phase right now where she draws all over the place. The act of creation is a powerful force, and children are especially attuned to this gift. Harold's story, about a boy drawing an entire world around him, is therefore quite appealing. My girls, who are just beginning to sit still for simpler picture books, listen closely to this whole narrative, even though it has more pages than others. I definitely agree with this picture book's standing as a child's classic, and recommend it to families. show less

I absolutely loved this book when I was a kid. Our copy was at the lake, so I have memories of cozying up with my parents on the couch after a long day of playing to hear about Harold's adventures.

Harold's a little boy with a purple crayon who uses said crayon to go for a walk in the moonlight...by drawing the moon, drawing the path, and then drawing his way off the beaten path and into exciting new things. With his crayon to express his imagination, he creates places, animals, transportation, cities...and, finally, a cozy bedroom, where his crayon falls to the floor as he falls asleep. Along the way, there are clever turns of phrase--"Harold made land", "Harold made his bed", "drew up the covers"--and playful reference to the plain show more white background, such as Harold falling into plain, white nothing.

A great example of what a simple picture book can be: imaginatively and visually playful. Can't wait to read this one to Alina!

(I'm totally cheating by putting this on my "great world building" shelf, but hey, Harold literally builds/draws his own world!) show less

Harold and the Purple Crayon is an instant classic: a transient storytelling of a boy who is both demiurge and innocence. We travel with Harold throughout his pilgrimage with his magical purple crayon and see the unbelievable in the creative force that creates and destroys

Back in 2018, I was one of my library's representatives at our town’s annual extravaganza. When we gave away free copies of Crayon to the children, I thought it looked like a good book at the time. Yet, I got sidetracked and never read it. Fast forward to now, and I definitely wish I had not waited as long to read it as I had. Most of all, I liked how whimsical it gets with all of the objects Harold draws when he leaves and tries to return back to his room. Because I was able to enjoy how crazy it gets, I am sure that kids reading this book would also be able to revel in the fact that literally anything could happen. Since all Harold has to do is draw an object and it comes to life, I would definitely incorporate this book into a show more lesson plan for an elementary school class where students can draw an object they would like to see Harold interact with next. show less

I loved reading this book. I thought that this book was excellent when it came to a plot. The plot of the story was to show a little boys journey through his imagination, it was very organized and showed clear event changes. For example when he didn't feel like going on a straight walkway anymore he took a short cut through a "field", and where he felt a forest would be he drew trees. I also really liked the illustrations. Even though the illustrations were just very simple pictures of Harold, who was black and white, and his imaginations drawn with his purple crayon they were incredible. I thought that these illustrations were meant to really have readers think about what Harold was drawing and had them think about what type of places show more Harold would go, imagining our own forest or beach or moonlit walk. The only character in the book was Harold and I thought that he was well-developed and believable. I feel that I could relate to Harold because when he cant fall asleep he lets his mind run free and imagines things you never thought were possible. I myself do the same thing. The main idea of this book would be to let your imagination run free and to not be afraid to express yourself through your own imagination. show less