Harold and the Purple Crayon: Dinosaur Days

by Liza Baker, Don Gillies, Andy Chiang (Illustrator)

Harold loves to read about dinosaurs -- flying dinosaurs, spiky dinosaurs, and the big, long-necked kind. With his trusty purple crayon in hand he goes to visit them. Harold quickly finds himself in all sorts of trouble! He meets some unfriendly dinosaurs and is even chased by hot lava. Luckily, Harold is quick on his feet and quick on the draw. He is able to save himself and all his new prehistoric friends. Generations of children have enjoyed Harold's imaginative adventures. This engaging new story will delight fans, old and new.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Storytime, Dinosaurs, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2002

About the author

Liza Baker is a children's book editor and the author of several books for young readers, including two previous titles illustrated by David McPhail, I Love You Because You're You, and Mama's Right Here. Liza lives in Westchester, New York, with her husband, Aaron, a Lieutenant in the New York City Fire Department, and her three very busy young sons, Gardner, Byron, and Caleb. [From Scholastic.com.]

Reviews

[J9 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Harold and the purple crayon that I picked up from the Half Price Book store. This one was a little different, because everything he drew had color in it, and my children couldn't understand how he could draw a rainbow bridge with only a purple crayon. They still enjoyed it, Harold is a big favorite in our house, and I'm slowly trying to collect the whole series. This could probably be considered a level 2 reading book, in case you have beginning reader's and are looking for books for them to read themselves. Overall, a fun read for the whole family.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book gets check out a lot because it's about Harold but this books isn't very good. The original story is a classic and all others pale in comparison. (It's important to note that this book isn't even written by Crockett Johnson, as he's no longer living).

[Elizabeth S · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Harold, but this book seemed like a cheap ripoff of the wonderful Harold books by Crockett Johnson.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. It wasn’t my favorite story ever, but it was an enjoyable read that took you on a journey. I think the Harold and the Purple Crayon books have a nostalgic sweetness to them, and it was nice to see a young toddler character in a book that my toddler could potentially relate to. I noticed that the sentence structure felt rather choppy as I was reading it, but I think the short sentences throughout the book could help younger readers follow along with the plot more easily and it could be a good independent reading stepping stone for some kids.

[Kary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harold and dinosaurs? Can't go wrong!

[Madi Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never been a huge fan of harold and the purple crayon, but I am a huge fan of dino books. This was a really fun book!

[Tiffany Pitts · Rating 2 out of 5]

Harold loves to read, especially about dinosaurs-flying dinosaurs, spiky dinosaurs, and the big long-necked kind. With his purple crayon he sets on an adventure to visit them. While searching for the dinosaurs he finds himself in all sorts of trouble. Luckily, Harold is quick on his feet and quick on the draw.

The craft that the author uses in the story is a sense of place. By creating a believable world and a convincing place, the author implemented this craft well. A sense of imagination was created for the reader; connecting them to the world of the author. Also, the author uses tension as a writing craft. Specifically, a person versus nature conflict was implemented well throughout the story. After the author created the foundation of the story in an imaginary world, he presented conflict which engaged the reader even more by a sense of anticipation.

Primarily, the writing craft of this book was a sense of place with an enormous sense of imagination. To teach this craft, students can create a story using as much imagination possible. Students stories should reflect learned aspects of using words to describe a place.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Preread at the library. I've never read any other in this series, but I like the idea of the little kid who draws what he's interested in in order to pretend he's there. Kind of like a younger version of The Pencil we read a few weeks back.

[Stacey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think this one requires too much to be a viable storytime book. first, they have to know who Harold is and how his purple crayon works, and then be able to reason what happens when the text doesn't explicitly state.

[Samantha Penrose · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this story Harold uses his purple crayon to get out of several sticky situations, but not so much for drawing the story/scenery as usual...
Pretty/colorful illustrations.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A so-so book about Harold's adventures with dinosaurs.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harold just isn't the same in all color.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

We didn't finish reading this. Which is surprising because at almost 2 years old he loves dinosaurs.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zoe loves

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the Crocket Johnson originals, but a decent interpretation of the HBO series cartoon. My kid loves it.

[Kit Feral · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dinosaurs.
Harold.
Two of the most wonderful things in the world.

I can't believe this went wrong but it just doesn't read like Harold :(

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has dinosaurs. The kids loved it. I thought it was not nearly as good as the original.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the imagination of this story.

[The Brothers · Rating 2 out of 5]

An okay Harold story (not my favorite series out there). The drawings are boring.