Harold and Purple Crayon 50th Anniversary Edition by Crockett Johnson, Crockett Johnson (Illustrator)

From Barnes & Noble

Harold's wonderful purple crayon makes everthing he draws become real. One evening, Harold draws a path and a moon and goes for a walk-and the moon comes too. After many adventures, Harold gets tired and can't find his bedroom. Finally, he remembers that the moon always shines through his bedroom window. He draws himself a bed, and "the purple crayon dropped on the floor, and Harold dropped off to sleep." This little gem is filled with visual and written puns.

From the Publisher

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...

And thus begins one of the most imaginative and enchanting adventures in all of children's books. The creative concept behind this beloved story has intrigued children and kept them absorbed for generations, as page by page unfolds the dramatic and clever adventures of Harold and his purple crayon.

Horn Book

An ingenious and original picture story in which a small boy out for a walk--happily with crayon in hand--draws himself some wonderful adventures. A little book that will be loved.

Barbara L. Talcroft - Children's Literature

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.

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