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Harold and the Purple Crayon (Harold #1)
One evening Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight. But there wasn't any moon, and Harold needed a moon for a walk in the moonlight. Fortunately, he had brought his purple crayon. So he drew a moon. He also needed something to walk on. So he drew a path...
Hardcover, 64 pages
Published
1983
by HarperCollins
(first published 1955)
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Jun 29, 2009
Kathryn
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
childrens-picture-books
A true classic and for good reason! A marvelous story about all the places imagination (and a purple crayon) can take you! Don't let the book's apparent "simplicity" fool you--this is a treasure.
I'm a creative person, but I'm not especially artistic in terms of drawing/painting/etc. so I could both appreciate Harold's creative spirit and his artistic talents that are beyond me! That said, I think even though Harold uses a purple crayon, the imagination and creativity can be so relevant to variou...more
I'm a creative person, but I'm not especially artistic in terms of drawing/painting/etc. so I could both appreciate Harold's creative spirit and his artistic talents that are beyond me! That said, I think even though Harold uses a purple crayon, the imagination and creativity can be so relevant to variou...more
This book is Amazing! I love this story of imagination & imagery! My favorite part toward the end:
"And then Harold made his bed.
He got in it and he drew up the covers."
This is so perfect on so many levels. The sad thing is I don't remember reading this as a child - I am just discovering The Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon at age 30 - Where have you been all my life Harold? If you're like me or if you've read it before - do yourself a favor and read this book - rediscover a world o...more
"And then Harold made his bed.
He got in it and he drew up the covers."
This is so perfect on so many levels. The sad thing is I don't remember reading this as a child - I am just discovering The Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon at age 30 - Where have you been all my life Harold? If you're like me or if you've read it before - do yourself a favor and read this book - rediscover a world o...more
I read this many, many times to my twins, and they liked it well enough, but they much preferred Where the Wild Things Are and Stone Soup. I wasn't sure why, but I never gave it much thought until now.
Now, you see, my little Scoutie Kat loves Harold and the Purple Crayon, and I think it is because I finally figured out the voice for reading aloud. One night last month we were sitting around, and I was exhausted, so rather than try to muster energy and liven up proceedings, I simply went with my...more
Now, you see, my little Scoutie Kat loves Harold and the Purple Crayon, and I think it is because I finally figured out the voice for reading aloud. One night last month we were sitting around, and I was exhausted, so rather than try to muster energy and liven up proceedings, I simply went with my...more
I've always overlooked this book. It just looked so very 1950s and not in a complimentary way - basically I thought it looked booooring. I finally decided to give it a go after someone mentioned that this was their favorite childhood book. I'm very glad I did and I've proven once again that 'you can't judge a book by its cover' - corny, but true. Izzy and I loved reading about Harold and his magical adventures. Any child that loves to draw and/or has a vivid imagination will appreciate this book...more
Yes, I've read this book many times, but my youngest (Ty -- now 22) commandeered all of the copies for his own library so I picked up another copy for myself. I remember Ty reading this book so many times, and he would giggle and laugh. He used to sneak a flashlight into his bedroom and read this book under the covers, much to his brother's (who at that time shared a room) dismay. I remember hearing, "Mom, Ty is reading again, make him go to sleep." I have been so blessed to have that be somethi...more
Harold is probably the most influential character in all of literature in our family
Mar 28, 2013
Erin Prosser
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
literary-presentation
When i saw this little book in the education library, it brought back such fond memories from my childhood. this was one of my favorite books that my mom ever read to me. it is not very often that you see a book that is a fully purple color and a child with a blue onesie on. The colors collide together to make a good, colorful cover.
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson is a fun, creative book about a young boy who decides one night that he wants to take a walk in the mooniight, howe...more
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson is a fun, creative book about a young boy who decides one night that he wants to take a walk in the mooniight, howe...more
Harold and the Purple Crayon is a fun book, especially for smaller children that have a large tendency to draw. While the art is nothing to write home about, it's very simplistic. Harold is different from his own drawings, mostly because the purple lines are made to resemble actually crayon marks, while Harold himself is the only non-purple person in the book, allowing him to stick out no matter what.
The fact that the story continuously changes throughout the course of the book, makes it excitin...more
The fact that the story continuously changes throughout the course of the book, makes it excitin...more
This is an adorable book about Harold and his adventure in the moonlight. However, as he went walking there was no moonlight so he decided to make it, he also made a path for which to walk on. He went to a forest and from then on continued to draw the adventure he went on. This book is not only good for a child because of the illustrations but because the story itself teaches a lot for the readers. It shows them how far imagination can go in a story. Any child reading this book can see that they...more
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett-is a very cute book that instantly grabbed my attention because the boy Harold is drawing on the wall and I thought he was going to get into trouble. But I found out that it wasn’t that at all. It’s about a little boy who draws what he need and it comes to life. The text and illustrations are as one because they need each other to tell the story. Harold can’t tell the story without his purple crayon (illustrations) and readers can’t follow the story witho...more
Harold and the Purple Crayon is fun book with simple yet entertaining pictures. The story follows Harold who has a special crayon that allows him to draw things that come to life. He first draws a moon that follows him around as he goes on his purple drawing adventure. Harold is constantly coming up with new things. He starts out with an apple tree and eventually creates an ocean. He draws himself a boat and makes his way to the beach where he creates himself a pie picnic. After enjoying his fav...more
"Harold and the Purple Crayon" starts off with a young boy named Harold on a blank page, holding only a purple crayon. Harold decides to draw his surroundings so that he can go wherever he wishes. He starts off with a sidewalk and a moon which follows him throughout the story. Along the way Harold creates a dragon that scares him so much that he falls into the ocean and nearly drowns before creating a boat. When he gets hungry he creates nine of his favorite pies which he eats until he is stuffe...more
Harold and the Purple Crayon is about a little baby boy who has a purple crayon. In the beginning of the book he wants to go for a walk under the moon, So the boy draws the moon and the ground that he will walk on. On his adventure he draws trees, dragons, and in the end he becomes tired and just wants to go to bed. He draws many windows to try and figure out where his window is, he remembers the moon and draws his window, a bed and falls asleep with his purple crayon on his side. This book is a...more
What an adventure Harold and the Purple Crayon can lead you on. I love the idea of going on an adventure with only a crayon. He draws up everything that he wants to see or needs for his other drawings. This book can lead your mind down a wild road of imagination. The book reminds adults (when they are reading this book to their child) that it is very important to use your imagination. With an imagination you can relax, learn and relate to your children. Imagination is also important as an adult...more
I really enjoyed Harold and the Purple Crayon. I had never read this book before and it definitely makes you use your imagination. This book starts with Harold and his crayon. You are placed in his world with just a purple crayon to take you on his adventures as well as your own. Harold's purple crayon is like his best friend. When Harold needs something, he can rely on his purple crayon to fit it. For example, when Harold finds himself with the ocean over his head, he draws a boat that is there...more
Although this book has little artistic detail from the illustrator i think thats the point. The whole book was drawn by this little boy and his purple crayon. His imagination was vast and wild. He could create whatever his heart desired. This is a beautiful story. This little boy created a world of his own him and his purple crayon. He travel far and wide and in search of new adventures. This is how children should think. We should be promoting children to use their imaginations and not constrai...more
Harold and the Purple Crayon has had a tremendous impact on my life. I mean, it says it right there in my bio:
“The book that changed Emlyn’s life is Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crocket Johnson. It opened her eyes to the world that could exist if only she was willing to create it—a lesson she has never forgotten.”
I mean, c’mon a precocious, round-headed child takes flights of fancies in his PJs with his favorite—not necessarily gender appropriate—colored crayon. It has all the makings of a cl...more
“The book that changed Emlyn’s life is Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crocket Johnson. It opened her eyes to the world that could exist if only she was willing to create it—a lesson she has never forgotten.”
I mean, c’mon a precocious, round-headed child takes flights of fancies in his PJs with his favorite—not necessarily gender appropriate—colored crayon. It has all the makings of a cl...more
This book made me think of my nephew: he doesn’t talk at all, but he draws and colors all the time. Harold is the same way. This book, targeted toward preschool-aged children, is small, yet has a portrait orientation, which makes it easier for Harold to draw his pictures as tall as he needs them to be. Every aspect of this book is designed so that Harold can do whatever his imagination wants, and so that the children reading this book will be able to easily identify what is happening by simply l...more
My first impression of this book when I decided to pick it out of the list for this week's reading was that it would be about a boy learning to write or draw with a purple crayon. However, when I started flipping through the pages, doing my initial check - my eyes saw pages of a monster, the boy at sea, climbing a mountain, and immediately I had flipped back to the first page and started reading. The shape of the book is landscape. The author's purpose in doing so might be because the story is p...more
Oh dear, this one is tough to rate. My niece and nephew had *completely* different opinions of this book. My niece loved it, and she told me to, "give that one five stars on Goodreads." Well, that isn't going to happen, because my nephew *hated* it. He was sighing, he was squirming, and it was just obvious that while he was interested in what Harold was drawing, this book was also boring him to tears. When we finished the book he said, "Amy, I don't like that story. I just want a cool book!" So...more
The first thing I noticed about this book was how small it was. It was the size of my palm, which would make it perfect for a young child’s hands. It had a deep purple cover, with a gray toned Harold on it. He really stuck out against the dark background. The cover is a wrap-around image, connecting Harold’s scribbles with his purple crayon. The illustrations inside are all white, and seemingly drawn by Harold and his purple crayon. It really looked like Harold was illustrating his story. The te...more
this is one of those books where not only do the children in my life enjoy this book, but i do as well. for a kid’s book, it’s pretty existential. A boy goes through this world where nothing exists and with his purple crayon, creates his world. What makes it more than just a kids book, what gives it the philosophical premise is that even though harold starts the story with this crayon, and has the power to draw anything, become anything, because all he need do is draw whatever he wants to be or...more
I remember reading Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson, as a child, so when I saw the book on the library shelves, I decided to check it out for my older daughter. When I read it to her, the feelings of disquietude that had plagued me as a child when I read the book (and which I had forgotten) were reawakened. Harold and the Purple Crayon is upsetting because it is not a journey into the imagination or even into a real yet magical world (a la Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things...more
Harold and the Purple Crayon is magical in a very relatable way, proving to children that with a little imagination and a drawing tool, even just one crayon like Harold’s, you can create your own adventure. The use of white space is great because it doesn’t confine Harold to a “ground”, but instead he can draw wherever he pleases, drawing way up high where he wouldn’t be able to reach to draw the moon. The lack of setting may be unsettling for parents who fear their children might take after Ha...more
Crockett Johnson's allegorical retelling of Books 1-6 of Vergil's Aeneid is still as powerful today as when it was originally published in 1955. After being startled by a "dragon" guarding apples - a reference to the Achaian menace brought on by the Golden Apple of Discord - Harold/Aeneas is forced into an involuntary sea voyage, accompanied only by the moon (here a stand-in for his patroness/mother Venus). He lands in a pleasant country, and enjoys a seaside feast (the wealth and luxury of Cart...more
Our story opens with a wild tangle of purple lines, which guide our eyes to the next page, upon which the source of the morass is revealed to be none other than intrepid, young Harold and his creative tool of choice, the titular Purple Crayon. Emerging from this sea of unfiltered imagination, he decides to take a walk in the moonlight--that is, to undertake a journey which acts both as a vehicle for the endless purple creations spawned head and crayon, and as fuel for that very same vehicle, in...more
May 02, 2012
Lauren McKinney
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
classical-picture-book
If you ask anyone now days they will know this book and rave about it! It is a wonderful story about a restless child, names Harold, who has such a vivid imagination he just wants to explore it. He takes his purple crayon and creates the world inside his head. The purple crayon allows him to explore his imagination and create whatever he wants. No matter what situation he gets himself into within the story, he can draw his way out of it. He literally draws his own fate and adventure. The illustr...more
Aug 13, 2007
Robert Tabb
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone with an Imagination
Shelves:
topten
I just love this book (even though my wife insists I never pronounce the word crayon correctly. She says I say "crown"). As an author I try to emulate what Harold does in this book. First, go looking for an adventure. Next, add some obstacles, a little humor, a moose, some pie, and some narrow escapes. Finally, when you're all done, find your way home and get some rest. If I was ever stranded on a desert island, this would be the book I'd want to have with me.
I love Harold, I love his imagination! I also want a purple crayon and start my imaginative traval with my crayon. Oh, no, I don't want the purple one, I need blue one, I love blue! Now my adventure starts with an airplane. Then I land on Paris and Eiffel Tower appears in front of my eyes. I hand a paper with my name in blue on the top of Eiffel. And then I arrive at Triumphal Arch. Wow, how tall it is! Next I take my plane to Italy. Venice, I'm coming! I row my blue boat on the river and feel t...more
Apr 10, 2012
Keri Payton
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children,
picture-books
One night, Harold decides he would like to take a walk in the moonlight. With his purple crayon in hand, he sets out on a series of adventures, powered by his imagination.
Where has this book been all my life? My mum seems to know it well but it wasn't until I spotted it in the book store (and promptly purchased it) that I knew it existed.
Apart from Harold himself, everything in the story is illustrated in purple lines. Harold decides where he is going to go and what he is going to do, facing obs...more
Where has this book been all my life? My mum seems to know it well but it wasn't until I spotted it in the book store (and promptly purchased it) that I knew it existed.
Apart from Harold himself, everything in the story is illustrated in purple lines. Harold decides where he is going to go and what he is going to do, facing obs...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| discussion post 1-6 | 1 | 5 | Apr 03, 2013 09:17pm | |
| post #1 Ortega | 1 | 5 | Jan 16, 2013 07:00pm | |
| ! | 2 | 14 | Jan 04, 2013 08:11pm | |
| Were they alive? | 8 | 20 | Jun 22, 2012 10:33pm | |
| Wonderful | 13 | 40 | Jun 17, 2012 03:21pm |
Jun 29, 2009 08:05am