Book
Harold and the Purple Crayon
written and illustrated by Crockett Johnson
Citation
Johnson, C. (1955). Harold and the purple crayon. New York: HarperCollins.
Summary
The main character, a little boy named Harold, goes on a nighttime adventure, drawing his way through a forest, an ocean, and up a mountain. Harold is responsible for moving the story along, drawing the next set of events with his purple crayon. Eventually, Harold begins to wonder where his house, bedroom, and bed but is resigned to draw them, with the help of the position of the moon, as they were when the tale began.
Reviews
The Critics: Harold's fiftieth birthday (he appeared in 1955) finds him much the same as ever except for an anniversary sticker and a brighter jumpsuit on the cover. At the time, his creator, Crockett Johnson, was already known for political cartoons in New Masses, his comic strip Barnaby, and pictures for children's books by his wife Ruth Krauss. In the last decade of his life, Johnson turned to painting large abstracts based on geometric theorems. The paintings are mostly forgotten, but Harold has delighted children for generations with his insouciant look and his big purple crayon, with which he creates an entire universe of imaginative adventures on perfectly blank pages. Harold's graphic journey takes him through a wood (containing one apple tree), into the sea and a sailboat, up a mountain, and onto a balloon. He can conjure up anything with a line, including a fearsome dragon, a picnic of nine pies, a whole city of windowed buildings, and finally, his own window with the moon outside. As he settles into his cozy bed, young children breathe a sigh of relief and wonder. Johnson's style is, as he explained, "simplified, almost diagrammatic for clear storytelling, avoiding all arbitrary decoration." Baby Harold and his crayon live on—admired by artists like Chris Van Allsburg and Maurice Sendak, praised by critics, loved by children—as a celebration of the power of art and imagination. 1955, HarperCollins, Ages 2 to 7.
Kirkus (October 1, 2011): Harold takes a walk in the moonlight down the path of imagination and although this time the bunnies hop and the winds blow, nothing of the dreamy simplicity of the journey is lost. Elegantly adapted by Trilogy Studios to the iPad and featuring the same minimalist lines of Johnson's 1955 original, this app allows children to join in as Harold wields his purple crayon to create his gently perilous adventure. Along the way, the many hidden interactions allow readers to animate the scenes, shaking apples from the tree and making the guard dragon catch them in his mouth. Kids can fill the moonlit sky with stars and zoom in on hatchling birds in the mountains; they can cause a swirling wind to fill the sails of Harold's boat and help him sample all nine flavors of pie. All the while, it maintains the flavor of a simple line-drawn story. When touched, most objects and characters are identified both verbally and in text to add an extra level of learning for early readers. Options include Read to Me, in which each word appears as it is spoken by the narrator; Touch Tale, a fully interactive version prefaced with a clear tutorial; and Read to Myself. All modes are accompanied by tinkly music. Readers will be charmed as Harold draws himself in and out of trouble and finally home to bed in this subtle blend of animation and story.
Suggested Use
Librarians can tack a large, long piece of butcher paper up on the wall and allow students to pick a crayon or marker to illustrate where they would go if they were completely responsible for creating their next move. Students can use predicting skills along with the story to help them establish sequence and problems and solutions. The butcher paper mural will help keep students engaged.
Impression
A classic tale, I think this book has potential for presentation of so many reading strategies: cause and effect, problem and solution, prediction, etc. Imagination and creativity abound, making this book the perfect resource for students who are reluctant to read or who don't see the imagination needed for reading. I think new readers and seasoned readers, alike, can benefit from this classic and it's simple but profound concepts.
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