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Children's Literature Association Series
Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children's Literature
An illustrated biography of the innovative geniuses who created children's classics.
Crockett Johnson (born David Johnson Leisk, 1906-1975) and Ruth Krauss (1901- 1993) were a husband-and-wife team that created such popular children's books as The Carrot Seed and How to Make an Earthquake. Separately, Johnson created the enduring children's classic Harold and the Purple Crayon and the groundbreaking comic strip Barnaby. Krauss wrote over a dozen children's books illustrated by others and pioneered the use of spontaneous, loose-tongued kids in children's literature. Together, Johnson and Krauss's style--whimsical writing, clear and minimalist drawing, and a child's point of view--is among the most revered and influential in children's literature and cartooning, inspiring the work of Maurice Sendak, Charles M. Schulz, Chris Van Allsburg, and Jon Scieszka.
This critical biography examines their lives and careers, including their separate achievements when not collaborating. Using correspondence, sketches, contemporary newspaper and magazine accounts, archived and personal interviews, author Philip Nel draws a compelling portrait of a couple whose output encompassed children's literature, comics, graphic design, and the fine arts. Their mentorship of now famous illustrator Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are) is examined at length, as is the couple's appeal to adult contemporaries such as Duke Ellington and Dorothy Parker. Defiantly leftist in an era of McCarthyism and Cold War paranoia, Johnson and Krauss risked collaborations that often contained subtly rendered liberal themes. Indeed, they were under FBI surveillance for years. Their legacy of considerable success invites readers to dream and to imagine, drawing paths that take them anywhere they want to go.
Crockett Johnson (born David Johnson Leisk, 1906-1975) and Ruth Krauss (1901- 1993) were a husband-and-wife team that created such popular children's books as The Carrot Seed and How to Make an Earthquake. Separately, Johnson created the enduring children's classic Harold and the Purple Crayon and the groundbreaking comic strip Barnaby. Krauss wrote over a dozen children's books illustrated by others and pioneered the use of spontaneous, loose-tongued kids in children's literature. Together, Johnson and Krauss's style--whimsical writing, clear and minimalist drawing, and a child's point of view--is among the most revered and influential in children's literature and cartooning, inspiring the work of Maurice Sendak, Charles M. Schulz, Chris Van Allsburg, and Jon Scieszka.
This critical biography examines their lives and careers, including their separate achievements when not collaborating. Using correspondence, sketches, contemporary newspaper and magazine accounts, archived and personal interviews, author Philip Nel draws a compelling portrait of a couple whose output encompassed children's literature, comics, graphic design, and the fine arts. Their mentorship of now famous illustrator Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are) is examined at length, as is the couple's appeal to adult contemporaries such as Duke Ellington and Dorothy Parker. Defiantly leftist in an era of McCarthyism and Cold War paranoia, Johnson and Krauss risked collaborations that often contained subtly rendered liberal themes. Indeed, they were under FBI surveillance for years. Their legacy of considerable success invites readers to dream and to imagine, drawing paths that take them anywhere they want to go.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
About the author
Philip Nel
26 books46 followersBooks include Keywords for Children's Literature Second Edition (co-edited with Lissa Paul and Nina Christensen, NYU Press, 2021), Was the Cat in the Hat Black?: The Hidden Racism of Children's Literature and the Need for Diverse Books (Oxford UP, 2017), Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children's Literature (UP Mississippi, 2012), Keywords for Children's Literature (co-edited with Lissa Paul, NYU Press, 2011), Tales for Little Rebels: A Collection of Radical Children's Literature (co-edited with Julia Mickenberg, NYU Press, 2008), The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats (Random House, 2007), Dr. Seuss: American Icon (Continuum, 2004), The Avant-Garde and American Postmodernity: Small Incisive Shocks (UP Mississippi, 2002), J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter Novels: A Reader's Guide (Continuum, 2001), and Crockett Johnson's Barnaby (five volumes, co-edited with Eric Reynolds, Fantagraphics, 2013-2024).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
January 14, 2013
A beautifully researched dual biography of two of my favorite children's book authors: Harold and the Purple Crayon's Crockett Johnson and A Hole is to Dig's Ruth Krauss. Giants in the field of Children's Literature, Krauss and Johnson paved the way for a fresher approach in storytelling both in words and pictures. Krauss, with her background in anthropology, often collected children's words and phrases and used them to tell a story, capturing their surprising and refreshing worldview and phrasing. Johnson's minimal approach in line and word, his humor and also his sophistication (never talking down) made his books unlike anyone else's and beloved by so many.
Unlike so many biographers, Philip Nel does not take a psychoanalytical view or speculate unnecessarily. Instead he writes from the record, using interviews, notes, and above all, the many works these prolific artists created. An unlikely couple, as different in background as temperament, Johnson and Krauss's marriage and sometimes artistic partnership not only endured but also apparently prospered as well. Krauss's partnership with Maurice Sendak also launched Sendak's career and the couple's friendship with Sendak was a formative one for him. One of the things I love about the book is that it shows us how these two artists worked all their lives on their art, supporting themselves, while also continually growing and evolving as artists. Krauss studied poetry with Kenneth Koch and became part of the New York Poetry School, writing poem plays that were staged and performed. Late in life Johnson began painting visual representations of mathematical theorems and had gallery shows of his art. Friends with many avant-garde artists of their day, the couple's story is an inspiring and historically important one.
A respectful and well-written biography, one that gives both of these seminal American artists and storytellers their due.
Unlike so many biographers, Philip Nel does not take a psychoanalytical view or speculate unnecessarily. Instead he writes from the record, using interviews, notes, and above all, the many works these prolific artists created. An unlikely couple, as different in background as temperament, Johnson and Krauss's marriage and sometimes artistic partnership not only endured but also apparently prospered as well. Krauss's partnership with Maurice Sendak also launched Sendak's career and the couple's friendship with Sendak was a formative one for him. One of the things I love about the book is that it shows us how these two artists worked all their lives on their art, supporting themselves, while also continually growing and evolving as artists. Krauss studied poetry with Kenneth Koch and became part of the New York Poetry School, writing poem plays that were staged and performed. Late in life Johnson began painting visual representations of mathematical theorems and had gallery shows of his art. Friends with many avant-garde artists of their day, the couple's story is an inspiring and historically important one.
A respectful and well-written biography, one that gives both of these seminal American artists and storytellers their due.
April 15, 2016
"Mommy, don't step on my words," said a cross four-year-old to her mother when she interrupted her. Children phrase words in such unique ways that I wish I was a better record-keeper. So here is my first recording of a comment told to me by a grandma about a phrase her granddaughter likes to use on adults. Why tell you this? Ruth Krauss used to go and listen to children speak at a nursery and kindergarten school near her home. Her picture books were innovative in that she tried to replicate how young children actually spoke in her stories creating an authenticity not seen before in the children's literary field. Her unorthodox use of language and poetic skills gave her text a rhythm and imagery that appealed to children and adults: "Mud is to jump in and slide in and yell doodleedoodleedoo" or "Rugs are so dogs have napkins" or the neologism "bears, bears... everywheres." Ruth Krauss was a spitfire that never stopped moving or talking while her husband, Crockett Johnson, was the calm, pragmatic person. The two creative geniuses worked together and had a long-lasting marriage and careers as children's book authors, comic writers, poets, and artists. This well-written book gives a glimpse into their lives, the history of McCarthyism and how it affected them, and the impact they had on other artists.
Maurice Sendak was a frequent visitor to the Johnson-Krauss home collaborating on picture books with Krauss. When he branched out on his own it was Crockett Johnson that came up with the word, "rumpus," in his famous book, "Where the Wild Things Are." Crockett started his career in writing the comic strip "Barnaby" that was a social satire on American society. Although not as widely popular as other comic strips of the time, it had fiercely loyal followers and is regarded as one of the top comics in the twentieth century according to Comics Journal. After a decade of producing "Barnaby," Crockett turned to children's books because he needed a break from the intense schedule of producing a comic strip. "Harold and the Purple Crayon" rocketed him into children's literary stardom. It has sold millions of copies and shows how a person can invent his or her own world using a big imagination.
Crockett kept reinventing himself as an artist so it is easy to see a bit of Harold in him. When he got tired of creating children's books he turned to art using his love of mathematics to create geometric forms that were exhibited and sold in galleries. Ruth Krauss was a prolific writer cranking out 36 children's books before turning to poetry. Krauss was an experimental writer that was willing to take risks and not deterred by mistakes. Her poetry is now all out of print and has not sustained over time. Philip Nel shows her verse as a "curious blend of progressive education, children's literature, and the twentieth-century avant-garde"; however her emphasis was on freshness and surprise and this worked as an impediment as the surprise wore off. She even questioned whether "good poetry should necessarily be astonishing and surprising all the time." While her poetry was extremely popular, it is not studied today.
Ruth and Crockett's relationship with Ursula Nordstrom shows angst and humor. After reading "Dear Ursula: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom," by Leonard Marcus, I found this an interesting follow-up on her as a director of children's books at Harper Publishing. Nordstrom is a hoot and Nel shows how sensitive she had to be with the authors she worked with critiquing their works. She could get tough need be though. There is one letter she sends to Crockett Johnson that shows anger when he accuses publishers of withholding a printing of Harold books. Nordstrom, Johnson and Krauss respected each other inspite of occasional differences and she was critical in their success as a meticulous editor demanding a high quality of work from them as writers and artists. A terrific glimpse into the creative process and life of two very successful artists.
Maurice Sendak was a frequent visitor to the Johnson-Krauss home collaborating on picture books with Krauss. When he branched out on his own it was Crockett Johnson that came up with the word, "rumpus," in his famous book, "Where the Wild Things Are." Crockett started his career in writing the comic strip "Barnaby" that was a social satire on American society. Although not as widely popular as other comic strips of the time, it had fiercely loyal followers and is regarded as one of the top comics in the twentieth century according to Comics Journal. After a decade of producing "Barnaby," Crockett turned to children's books because he needed a break from the intense schedule of producing a comic strip. "Harold and the Purple Crayon" rocketed him into children's literary stardom. It has sold millions of copies and shows how a person can invent his or her own world using a big imagination.
Crockett kept reinventing himself as an artist so it is easy to see a bit of Harold in him. When he got tired of creating children's books he turned to art using his love of mathematics to create geometric forms that were exhibited and sold in galleries. Ruth Krauss was a prolific writer cranking out 36 children's books before turning to poetry. Krauss was an experimental writer that was willing to take risks and not deterred by mistakes. Her poetry is now all out of print and has not sustained over time. Philip Nel shows her verse as a "curious blend of progressive education, children's literature, and the twentieth-century avant-garde"; however her emphasis was on freshness and surprise and this worked as an impediment as the surprise wore off. She even questioned whether "good poetry should necessarily be astonishing and surprising all the time." While her poetry was extremely popular, it is not studied today.
Ruth and Crockett's relationship with Ursula Nordstrom shows angst and humor. After reading "Dear Ursula: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom," by Leonard Marcus, I found this an interesting follow-up on her as a director of children's books at Harper Publishing. Nordstrom is a hoot and Nel shows how sensitive she had to be with the authors she worked with critiquing their works. She could get tough need be though. There is one letter she sends to Crockett Johnson that shows anger when he accuses publishers of withholding a printing of Harold books. Nordstrom, Johnson and Krauss respected each other inspite of occasional differences and she was critical in their success as a meticulous editor demanding a high quality of work from them as writers and artists. A terrific glimpse into the creative process and life of two very successful artists.
Read
October 15, 2013For anyone interested in children's literature: after you read DEAR GENIUS, read this next.
December 10, 2020
I know very little about children's literature; I don't think that I had even heard of Ruth Krauss before reading this book. But I knew Crockett Johnson as having drawn one of my favorite comic strips, Barnaby. Barnaby appeared in the Boston Globe in the early 1960s when I was a child. I had no idea, either then or for many years thereafter, that this was a revision of a strip from the 1940s. At some point in the years since then I became aware that Johnson had also written some books for children, including one titled Harold and the Purple Crayon; I didn't read any of these at the time though.
One thing that reading this book has accomplished is that I have now read (or watched, or listened to) a number of the works of Johnson and Krauss on the internet. There is a fine animated version of Harold and the Purple Crayon; I liked it very much. There is a decent reading of Krauss's book Bears and an excellent one of what seems to be her most highly regarded children's book, A Hole Is to Dig; I liked those less. There are a number of others as well. (I couldn't find any of the live action or animated versions of Barnaby though.) There is a reading of one chapter of Johnson's Ellen's Lion which I liked so much that I may track down a copy to read the rest of the book. (Nel's comparison of Ellen's Lion to Bill Watterson's wonderful comic strip Calvin and Hobbes seems quite apt.) Although I did not much care for A Hole Is to Dig, the number of people after that was published who then wrote similar (in some cases very similar) books show how influential it was; Mad Magazine even did a parody.
And as interesting as the recounting of the writing and publishing of their books for children is, that is only a small part of the story. This is also a love story. This was a second marriage for each of them, and evidently quite a happy one. Johnson and Krauss seem to have been truly devoted to each other. When Johnson died, Krauss found it very difficult to carry on. (She outlived him by eighteen years.) If they had serious squabbles - as all couples, I think, do - I am not sorry that Nel did not mention them.
They each had other notable accomplishments. Johnson (whose real name was David Johnson Leisk) was an illustrator, a serious artist, and something of a mathematician. Many of his paintings turned mathematics into art. He was passionate about making a better world, and that involved him forthrightly espousing political causes throughout his life. That accounts for the phrase "dodged the FBI" in the title of this book; that was really pretty inconsequential.
Ruth Krauss developed a new passion of her own later in life. She became a poet and a playwright, and gained some renown as each of these.
I want to quote one brief passage about their life together, simply because I found it hard to believe, especially since not only Johnson but also many of their friends were artists:
Though Johnson and Krauss had the wall space for paintings, they hung only one, an ersatz Mondrian, positioning it above the telephone to serve as a message board. As [their friend, filmmaker] Gene Searchinger said, "It was kind of a mock painting to show what he thought. And he expressed contempt...for paintings on walls - you know, you didn't do that."
There is what appears to be a terrific bibliography, which includes not only books and articles by and about Krauss and Johnson, it also lists Johnson's paintings and many of his cartoons.
There are many photographs and reproductions of drawings and paintings in the book. Unfortunately, none of this is in color, so much of this, the paintings in particular, is not very effective. There is one cartoon from a single panel comic strip about a dog called Barkis that Johnson drew in 1955; I think it's very funny, and I wish the strip had lasted longer and were better known.
The wraparound cover by Chris Ware is marvelous. It would be attractive but meaningless to folks who have not read the book; for those who have, it is funny, lovely, and touching. The contents of the bookcase are especially nice.
As I write this in 2019, there are so many very fine earlier reviews of this book here on Goodreads that I considered just making my review a recommendation to read those. Ones that I think are of particular interest are by Barb Middleton, J., and Jessica.
One thing that reading this book has accomplished is that I have now read (or watched, or listened to) a number of the works of Johnson and Krauss on the internet. There is a fine animated version of Harold and the Purple Crayon; I liked it very much. There is a decent reading of Krauss's book Bears and an excellent one of what seems to be her most highly regarded children's book, A Hole Is to Dig; I liked those less. There are a number of others as well. (I couldn't find any of the live action or animated versions of Barnaby though.) There is a reading of one chapter of Johnson's Ellen's Lion which I liked so much that I may track down a copy to read the rest of the book. (Nel's comparison of Ellen's Lion to Bill Watterson's wonderful comic strip Calvin and Hobbes seems quite apt.) Although I did not much care for A Hole Is to Dig, the number of people after that was published who then wrote similar (in some cases very similar) books show how influential it was; Mad Magazine even did a parody.
And as interesting as the recounting of the writing and publishing of their books for children is, that is only a small part of the story. This is also a love story. This was a second marriage for each of them, and evidently quite a happy one. Johnson and Krauss seem to have been truly devoted to each other. When Johnson died, Krauss found it very difficult to carry on. (She outlived him by eighteen years.) If they had serious squabbles - as all couples, I think, do - I am not sorry that Nel did not mention them.
They each had other notable accomplishments. Johnson (whose real name was David Johnson Leisk) was an illustrator, a serious artist, and something of a mathematician. Many of his paintings turned mathematics into art. He was passionate about making a better world, and that involved him forthrightly espousing political causes throughout his life. That accounts for the phrase "dodged the FBI" in the title of this book; that was really pretty inconsequential.
Ruth Krauss developed a new passion of her own later in life. She became a poet and a playwright, and gained some renown as each of these.
I want to quote one brief passage about their life together, simply because I found it hard to believe, especially since not only Johnson but also many of their friends were artists:
Though Johnson and Krauss had the wall space for paintings, they hung only one, an ersatz Mondrian, positioning it above the telephone to serve as a message board. As [their friend, filmmaker] Gene Searchinger said, "It was kind of a mock painting to show what he thought. And he expressed contempt...for paintings on walls - you know, you didn't do that."
There is what appears to be a terrific bibliography, which includes not only books and articles by and about Krauss and Johnson, it also lists Johnson's paintings and many of his cartoons.
There are many photographs and reproductions of drawings and paintings in the book. Unfortunately, none of this is in color, so much of this, the paintings in particular, is not very effective. There is one cartoon from a single panel comic strip about a dog called Barkis that Johnson drew in 1955; I think it's very funny, and I wish the strip had lasted longer and were better known.
The wraparound cover by Chris Ware is marvelous. It would be attractive but meaningless to folks who have not read the book; for those who have, it is funny, lovely, and touching. The contents of the bookcase are especially nice.
As I write this in 2019, there are so many very fine earlier reviews of this book here on Goodreads that I considered just making my review a recommendation to read those. Ones that I think are of particular interest are by Barb Middleton, J., and Jessica.
September 4, 2018
"Crockett Johnson shows us that a crayon can create a world, while Ruth Krauss demonstrates that dreams can be as large as a giant orange carrot" (275). This sentence summarizes and concludes a fabulous biography about two important figures in American children's literature. Nel's book is meticulously researched and well-written. A pleasure to read.
xx-dnf-skim-reference
July 18, 2021Oh I wish I had time to read the whole thing. As I was skimming I kept falling into it. So fascinating. I probably would give it four stars. Consider the value of the 37 page bibliography alone!
One of the reasons they were so effective is that they had other passions. They were into politics, and fine art, and he did advertising work and was earlier more famous for Barnaby, and she published some fine avant-garde poetry. They wanted their works to get children to think about peace, which got them in trouble during the Cold War and even earlier, for example. And her poet's ear helped her choose and arrange the children's declarations in A Hole is to Dig and related books.
Maurice Sendak, Bank Street college, Ursula Nordstrom, Marc Simont.... so many interesting references... so much was going on during their long careers.
I'm going to look harder on Open Library and elsewhere to view their books. There were actually a lot more than I'd ever guessed... I have no idea why they've fallen out of print.
July 2021
One of the reasons they were so effective is that they had other passions. They were into politics, and fine art, and he did advertising work and was earlier more famous for Barnaby, and she published some fine avant-garde poetry. They wanted their works to get children to think about peace, which got them in trouble during the Cold War and even earlier, for example. And her poet's ear helped her choose and arrange the children's declarations in A Hole is to Dig and related books.
Maurice Sendak, Bank Street college, Ursula Nordstrom, Marc Simont.... so many interesting references... so much was going on during their long careers.
I'm going to look harder on Open Library and elsewhere to view their books. There were actually a lot more than I'd ever guessed... I have no idea why they've fallen out of print.
July 2021
January 31, 2014
Things to love about this book:
Nel adores his subjects and the warmth and fun come shining through, making this an easy and delightful read.
Crockett Johnson grew up in the Queens my elementary school teachers told us existed, but we never saw: marshes, wild lands, bodies of water you could touch, open space. I had a school principal who swore there were pheasants in our neighborhood when he was a young man. (He was twelve-thousand years old when he was our principal.) We did not believe him.
It's wonderful to be reading this just after the Pete Seeger audiobook -- Krauss and Johnson traveled in related political circles in the same era. I also crazy love the concept that we might owe some of the richness of the art and writing in the picture book world to the House Un-American Activities Committee blacklisting all those creative geniuses. Art will out!
More to love: Ruth Krauss studied anthropology with Margaret Mead. Knowing that "children quickly absorb the values of their culture; effecting change would require reaching children early in life" (p.66), she actively used her writing for children to advance the concept that we have one world and one human race, and that we should care for one another and protect everyone's basic human rights. (Exclamation point!)
I am captivated by the richness of both their lives. They continually reinvented themselves professionally while remaining themselves in their personal lives. Krauss was an anthropologist on a mission, a writer for children, a mentor for young illustrators, a poet, an older woman still sure of her right to romance and sex. Johnson was a political cartoonist, worked in advertising, found his fame with Harold, and fell in love with mathematics in his last chapter, painting abstract concepts and even writing well-respected proofs for an academic audience! We should all be so driven, so creative, so lucky!
Nel adores his subjects and the warmth and fun come shining through, making this an easy and delightful read.
Crockett Johnson grew up in the Queens my elementary school teachers told us existed, but we never saw: marshes, wild lands, bodies of water you could touch, open space. I had a school principal who swore there were pheasants in our neighborhood when he was a young man. (He was twelve-thousand years old when he was our principal.) We did not believe him.
It's wonderful to be reading this just after the Pete Seeger audiobook -- Krauss and Johnson traveled in related political circles in the same era. I also crazy love the concept that we might owe some of the richness of the art and writing in the picture book world to the House Un-American Activities Committee blacklisting all those creative geniuses. Art will out!
More to love: Ruth Krauss studied anthropology with Margaret Mead. Knowing that "children quickly absorb the values of their culture; effecting change would require reaching children early in life" (p.66), she actively used her writing for children to advance the concept that we have one world and one human race, and that we should care for one another and protect everyone's basic human rights. (Exclamation point!)
I am captivated by the richness of both their lives. They continually reinvented themselves professionally while remaining themselves in their personal lives. Krauss was an anthropologist on a mission, a writer for children, a mentor for young illustrators, a poet, an older woman still sure of her right to romance and sex. Johnson was a political cartoonist, worked in advertising, found his fame with Harold, and fell in love with mathematics in his last chapter, painting abstract concepts and even writing well-respected proofs for an academic audience! We should all be so driven, so creative, so lucky!
May 25, 2013
I saw this book on the New Arrivals shelf at the library and had to take the chance on it. I have been a fan of Crockett Johnson's Barnaby strip ever since I read its all too brief revival in 1960 or 61. I have no idea what struck me then about the strip then and why it has remained so fondly remembered by me all these years. But the subtle and gentle charms of his work are still there when I reread the strips these days. Unfortunately, there is not enough examples of their art work in this book. But it does provide a gentle and well researched book about his life and his wife Ruth Krauss. There is, frankly, not a great deal of drama or excitement in their lives, especially after they got their feet firmly on the successful children's book writing path. The FBI investigation of their "red" activities passes fairly quickly. But it was interesting to see the wide ranging scope of their interests, political and social justice beliefs, and their many famous friends. I have not been a great fan of Ruth Krauss's works. Perhaps because when you are reading stories to three boys something like Open House For Butterflies just doesn't have the right kind of ooomph to it. But now knowing more of her work, I will take a second look at her books when I am buying books for my granddaughters.
their connection to Maurice Sendak's early career was particularity interesting as was the brief mention of his fear of the water. The Johnson's loved living near the water in Connecticut. Sendak lived his latter life in Connecticut but well inland. He used to take walks on the country roads there and the stone bench he would take a break on is now marked with small pebbles that fans leave in remembrance.
their connection to Maurice Sendak's early career was particularity interesting as was the brief mention of his fear of the water. The Johnson's loved living near the water in Connecticut. Sendak lived his latter life in Connecticut but well inland. He used to take walks on the country roads there and the stone bench he would take a break on is now marked with small pebbles that fans leave in remembrance.
June 15, 2013
Crocket Johnson (David Johnson Leisk) and Ruth Krauss wrote some immortal children's books and sustained a multi-decade marriage. You'd think that would be a good set up for a fascinating biography but...this is not it. While I enjoyed finding out more about two interesting authors, this book was dry going. There are no insights that I couldn't have come to on my own with a few hours research. Oh, and the "dodging the FBI"? They were socialists (at least in theory) and the FBI had files on them. Join the extensive club, I guess. It's a non-issue in the book and also, I think we can surmise, in their life.
And then there's the editing. Oh my stars: the editing. Typos. Missed words. Sentences that have obviously been re-written and are missing connections.
There's no excuse for that in a book ABOUT writing and authors.
I gave this three stars because the subjects themselves were interesting. This book: not so much.
And then there's the editing. Oh my stars: the editing. Typos. Missed words. Sentences that have obviously been re-written and are missing connections.
There's no excuse for that in a book ABOUT writing and authors.
I gave this three stars because the subjects themselves were interesting. This book: not so much.
December 12, 2012
Fairly interesting stories, but shockingly poorly written/edited. You would think a book about authors, editors, publishers, etc. would have it more together in that area.
July 16, 2025
Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dogged the FBI, and Transformed Children’s Literature by Philip Nel (University Press of Mississippi 2012) (Biography) (4069).
Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss were an absolutely brilliant husband and wife pair of children’s books authors, each of whom separately authored one (but only one each) legendary children’s book. Ruth Krauss wrote The Carrot Seed (1945) (which Johnson illustrated for her), and Crockett Johnson wrote and illustrated Harold and the Purple Crayon (1955). Those two titles are among the greatest books of all time, and I mean all books - not just children’s literature.
Later in life Ruth Krauss shifted her focus from kid’s books to writing poetry, and Crockett Johnson took up the study of mathematics and painting. He left a series of paintings of geometric shapes and became immersed in the private study of the application of mathematics to art.
Johnson is also remembered for his “thinking man’s comic strip” called “Barnaby” which ran in several dozen newspapers from the 1930s to the 1950s. It featured a young boy who had an Irish “fairy godfather” named Mr. O’Malley that only Barnaby could see and interact with. (And all this time I thought that Bill Watterson had invented the concept in his 1990s comic strip “Calvin & Hobbes.”)
Johnson and Krauss were politically suspect during the McCarthy Era. Though author/biographer Philip Nel duly explores the couple’s political views, there are no smoking guns or much of interest to be found in this section of the author’s recounting.
It seems that Johnson and Krauss spent most of their adult lives attempting to match their early artistic successes. Suffice it to say that neither of the two ever produced any subsequent work that matched the acclaim accorded to The Carrot Seed or Harold and the Purple Crayon.
Here’s an interesting piece of trivia from the book: In 1959, a television pilot was filmed by CBS for a new series called Barnaby and Mr. O’Malley, which starred Ronnie Howard (as Barnaby) with Bert Lahr and Mel Blanc. Though the pilot did not lead to a series of Barnaby shows, five-year-old Ronnie Howard was soon cast as Opie Taylor on the television series The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968). (p.191).
In sum, I’d say that this book was well researched, informative, and thorough. Whether or not it was particularly interesting is a topic for individual readers to decide.
My rating: 7/10, finished 7/16/25 (4069).
February 14, 2023
What a work of love. I was enraptured by their lives. (Admittedly I'm a nerd and particularly biased to this topic) Then like a fool I forgot bios end because their lives do. Nearly broke into tears in the library. Side note: slightly bemusing how many times and in how many contexts the author uses the word bemused... I sometimes got a bit of the old Inigo Montoya - You keep on using that word... ;) I don't think I've ever seen it used so many times in one book before! Did it set a record? Now hunting down as much as I can of Ruth's writing... Johnson's paintings I've already had on my list to see someday in the Smithsonian if I ever can.
June 5, 2021
It is a most fascinating book. There were times when I thought author Philip Nel went into more detail than I needed, but the narrative moved along well enough. I was recently acquainted with Ruth Krauss's The Carrot Seed, illustrated by Johnson - a book I loved - which led me at a later point to discover the series of books filled with Johnson's Barnaby comic strips. I really loved those and I think I've read most of them, sometimes more than once. Of course, Crockett is best remembered for Harold and the Purple Crayon, which I'd heard of, but have not read. I preferred the interactions between Barnaby and Mr. O'Malley, one of the best sets of stories ever created that can thrill children and adults alike.
I had found references to the investigation of Crockett Johnson by the FBI, and how his early interest in Russia when it was a U.S. ally turned into a fascination with socialism, but Johnson and Krauss were more interested in peace for all humankind than politics or revolutions. Ruth Krauss, a very prolific writer of beloved children's books, always hoped to write for adults, and turned to poetry and theater in her later years, usually combining the two.
Crockett Johnson himself turned to mathematics in his later years, both discovering new mathematical relationships and creating paintings based on them, as for example, how to draw a regular hepatagon and other odd-numbered polygons. He actually created mathematical formulas for doing so, using π divided by the number of polygon sides. He also solved a couple of mathematical problems involving circles and squares and such that had fascinated people for centuries.
If you're a fan of children's books, or just Barnaby and Mr. O'Malley, The Carrot Seed, or Harold and the Purple Crayon, you owe it to yourself to read this book and discover where those ideas came from, and who David Johnson Leisk (aka Crockett Johnson) and Ruth Ida Krauss were.
I highly recommend you read it if you are a fan of any of those books.
I had found references to the investigation of Crockett Johnson by the FBI, and how his early interest in Russia when it was a U.S. ally turned into a fascination with socialism, but Johnson and Krauss were more interested in peace for all humankind than politics or revolutions. Ruth Krauss, a very prolific writer of beloved children's books, always hoped to write for adults, and turned to poetry and theater in her later years, usually combining the two.
Crockett Johnson himself turned to mathematics in his later years, both discovering new mathematical relationships and creating paintings based on them, as for example, how to draw a regular hepatagon and other odd-numbered polygons. He actually created mathematical formulas for doing so, using π divided by the number of polygon sides. He also solved a couple of mathematical problems involving circles and squares and such that had fascinated people for centuries.
If you're a fan of children's books, or just Barnaby and Mr. O'Malley, The Carrot Seed, or Harold and the Purple Crayon, you owe it to yourself to read this book and discover where those ideas came from, and who David Johnson Leisk (aka Crockett Johnson) and Ruth Ida Krauss were.
I highly recommend you read it if you are a fan of any of those books.
October 28, 2022
A deeply detailed biography of the revolutionary children's book authors - and cartoonists, poets, all-around artistic searchers. I really enjoyed reading about their political stances and their evolving creative horizons. Nel offers tremendous detail about the development of their stories and their creative and editorial collaborations - at times, honestly, it can almost be too much detail about back-and-forth with editor Nordstrom, but so valuable to have all this information available.
April 7, 2024
What great fun! I knew Crockett Johnson by name, but didn't realize that I knew some of Ruth Krauss' books until I read this. And, good to know I've been fed a steady diet of radicalism since day one :)
September 21, 2024
Rounded up for great bibliography and many illustrations.
March 13, 2025
Everything you want to know about Ruth Krauss & Crockett Johnson; too many lists of names and dry facts but ultimately worth reading.
May 7, 2025
Fascinating. Inspiring. Well researched.
January 4, 2015
I loved this biography of Ruth Krauss and Dave
("Crockett") Johnson. I had the great pleasure of meeting the author at a conference recently, so my interest was sparked in this work, even though I knew little to nothing about these writers, familiar only with Johnson's book Harold and the Purple Crayon. Well, Nel does a beautiful job establishing the zany symbiosis of these two creative, intrepid, imaginative people and giving the reader a full sense of their world of progressive politics, cutting-edge children's books, and independent thinking. They are fascinating figures, as Johnson created critically lauded (and fiercely beloved) comic strip Barnaby, several Harold books, published mathematical theorems, and had successful shows of abstract art based upon them. Ruth Krauss was one of the early stable of important Harper's children's book writers, and she also studied in Columbia University's anthropology department, at the Bank Street lab for education, and with the poets of the New York school, with whom she often published once she turned to experimental poetry. Both were full of joie de vivre and saw in children a refreshing perspective on the world (which they never lost themselves) and an innovative approach to language and imagination. Nel writes eloquently and evocatively, and his research is exhaustive without ever being exhausting. His characterization of the collaborative yet sometimes testy relationship between the young Maurice Sendak and Ruth Krauss is one of the particular pleasures of
the book, as is his careful selection of apt epigraphs from their work to head up each chapter.
I think I loved this book most because it demonstrated what a loving, creative, supportive and evolving force a marriage can be, connecting two people to each other, their communities, and their convictions, and aiding them in their audacious pursuit of their fondest dreams and their unlikeliest adventures. Thus, a treat even for readers like me who knew nothing of Johnson's Barnaby or Krauss's picture books.
("Crockett") Johnson. I had the great pleasure of meeting the author at a conference recently, so my interest was sparked in this work, even though I knew little to nothing about these writers, familiar only with Johnson's book Harold and the Purple Crayon. Well, Nel does a beautiful job establishing the zany symbiosis of these two creative, intrepid, imaginative people and giving the reader a full sense of their world of progressive politics, cutting-edge children's books, and independent thinking. They are fascinating figures, as Johnson created critically lauded (and fiercely beloved) comic strip Barnaby, several Harold books, published mathematical theorems, and had successful shows of abstract art based upon them. Ruth Krauss was one of the early stable of important Harper's children's book writers, and she also studied in Columbia University's anthropology department, at the Bank Street lab for education, and with the poets of the New York school, with whom she often published once she turned to experimental poetry. Both were full of joie de vivre and saw in children a refreshing perspective on the world (which they never lost themselves) and an innovative approach to language and imagination. Nel writes eloquently and evocatively, and his research is exhaustive without ever being exhausting. His characterization of the collaborative yet sometimes testy relationship between the young Maurice Sendak and Ruth Krauss is one of the particular pleasures of
the book, as is his careful selection of apt epigraphs from their work to head up each chapter.
I think I loved this book most because it demonstrated what a loving, creative, supportive and evolving force a marriage can be, connecting two people to each other, their communities, and their convictions, and aiding them in their audacious pursuit of their fondest dreams and their unlikeliest adventures. Thus, a treat even for readers like me who knew nothing of Johnson's Barnaby or Krauss's picture books.
October 22, 2014
A good, well written book, that was very informative about their lives. My only problem with it was the subtitle, which is very misleading. Regarding those three claims:
1. They found love: this is true. It was the one thing that really came through in the narrative.
2. They dodged the FBI: not true at all. They were (sort of) watched by the FBI, but it seems, without them knowing about it most of the time. There was no actual dodging of the FBI, except one time when Johnson noticed agents outside his house one day and simply stayed inside.
3. They transformed children's literature: hard to tell. They were definitely influential, and produced great books (especially Harold and the Purple Crayon), but the book itself doesn't describe how they transformed the genre. They may have, but how would have to be left up to another book.
Otherwise, I liked it, although it was less thrilling than I'd hoped (mainly due to the second claim that raised my expectations). It seems like it was a lot more fun to be Johnson and Krauss than to read about them, because they had a fun-filled life filled with travel and famous people. But as a history of talented writers and artists, along with their artist friends like Sendak and Warhol, it is a good book.
1. They found love: this is true. It was the one thing that really came through in the narrative.
2. They dodged the FBI: not true at all. They were (sort of) watched by the FBI, but it seems, without them knowing about it most of the time. There was no actual dodging of the FBI, except one time when Johnson noticed agents outside his house one day and simply stayed inside.
3. They transformed children's literature: hard to tell. They were definitely influential, and produced great books (especially Harold and the Purple Crayon), but the book itself doesn't describe how they transformed the genre. They may have, but how would have to be left up to another book.
Otherwise, I liked it, although it was less thrilling than I'd hoped (mainly due to the second claim that raised my expectations). It seems like it was a lot more fun to be Johnson and Krauss than to read about them, because they had a fun-filled life filled with travel and famous people. But as a history of talented writers and artists, along with their artist friends like Sendak and Warhol, it is a good book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2013
One of my favorite children's books, since I was a child, is "Harold and the Purple Crayon." I was happy to find such a well-researched book about Harold's author and to discover he was married to the author of other well-loved titles, such as "A Hole is to Dig."
Spoiler: There isn't really a lot about dodging the FBI in here. An agent showed up on their porch one day and...that's about it. Some of their friends were called to testify in the McCarthy hearings, but they never were.
Much more of the book is devoted to the writing lives of Johnson and Krauss, with excellent context regarding the state of children's literature throughout the years. If you're interested in a dual biography of these two authors, read this book. If you're interested in writing and/or the history of children's literature publishing, read this book. If you're interested in the McCarthy era, you'll find a couple of chapters to interest you.
p.s. I mourn the Amazon assimilation of goodreads.
Spoiler: There isn't really a lot about dodging the FBI in here. An agent showed up on their porch one day and...that's about it. Some of their friends were called to testify in the McCarthy hearings, but they never were.
Much more of the book is devoted to the writing lives of Johnson and Krauss, with excellent context regarding the state of children's literature throughout the years. If you're interested in a dual biography of these two authors, read this book. If you're interested in writing and/or the history of children's literature publishing, read this book. If you're interested in the McCarthy era, you'll find a couple of chapters to interest you.
p.s. I mourn the Amazon assimilation of goodreads.
April 24, 2013
Interesting portrayal of a fascinating and wildly talented couple, as well as an insight into children's book publishing in previous decades. Ruth Krauss, one-time lover of Isamu Noguchi, and student of renowned anthropologist Ruth Benedict, lobbied for diversity in books for children before multiculturalism was cool. She was most famous for her children's books, but she also published poetry and poem plays. Her husband Crockett Johnson of Harold and the Purple Crayon fame, first won acclaim for his cartoons. Late in life, he became a mathematician and painter. His art was bequeathed to the Smithsonian. Impressive on their own, they also influenced many others, including Maurice Sendak. Johnson actually came up with a certain significant word in one of Sendak's most famous books.
June 2, 2013
I loved learning more about the writing processes & lives of Johnson (whom I've known well for "Barnaby" and the "Harold & the Purple Crayon" series) and Krauss (whom I didn't know at all, outside a couple of her collaborations with her husband--including the wonderful "The Carrot Seed"). I would have loved for the book to have featured more photos & illustrations, but what this biography does contain is an outstanding bibliography, which I intend to use to track down books by Johnson & Krauss and read them up.
July 28, 2013
I love biographies, especially of authors, magazine writers, and others in the publishing business. And I'm a fan of the charming children's books written by Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss. But this dual biography of the couple disappointed me. It's too dry and academic for my taste. Sad to say but I got halfway through and stopped reading. Maybe I will pick it up again next winter, but for now I'm on to other things.
August 7, 2013
I know of both children's authors, but somehow I didn't find this story of their love and careers as interesting as I thought I would. I read the first few chapters and skimmed the rest, learning enough to know that I probably would have found Krauss immensely irritating and would have liked Johnson. Not sure why there were together, but it was apparently as success for both of them.
Read
November 19, 2014Hard to review properly because I skipped around a lot. It is a well-researched, well-written book by a scholar in children's literature, and it is packed with information. I think I was looking for lighter fare, or maybe not as interested in the subject matter as much as I thought I was... Anyway, not for me at this point in time, but not to say this isn't a very well-done book.
May 10, 2015
Phillip Nel has an unbelievable amount of information that he gets to share in this nice biography of two of the most important pioneers in the world of children's literature. Though not as well known as Crockett Johnson and his purple crayoned, Harold, Ruth Krauss' prolific career saw the publication of dozens of books that took children's words and speech and made them memorable stories.
Read
March 27, 2013I was kind of disappointed - I was hoping for more dodging the FBI than conflicts with editors. Still, I enjoyed learning more about the background of some of my favorite children's book authors and seeing how they influenced others, as well as society.
June 28, 2013
I came for Crockett Johnson, but fell in love with Ruth Krauss along the way. I found this an absolutely delightful and highly inspiring account of love and creativity. I'm not sure which desire is more prevailing - to have known Johnson and Krauss, or to be Johnson and Krauss.
February 27, 2016
Filled with all this great stuff I didn't know and I thought I knew a lot about them.
My only critique is that it would have been nice if it were larger and had more art.
But, over-all a great book.
My only critique is that it would have been nice if it were larger and had more art.
But, over-all a great book.
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