Harold and the Purple Crayon 50th Anniversary Edition Purple Crayon Books

Customer Reviews

amazing book!

2008-04-30
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 where ever he wants to go, even though he has this power, he is unsatisfied and goes on a journey. he uses his crayon to create the world as he goes through it and ultimately finds some contentment, a resting place if you will :P, but the fact that he can create is irrelevant, its a means to an end. The implied 'end' gives us something to think about, and though the children who are meant to be reading this book will not go into such depth with the symbolism or the philosophy, they will pick up on some of the questions the author asks, like what is harold looking for? why did he need to do all that stuff if he was just going to end up back at home? (though actually he didn't start at home). even if the kids don't burst their brains thinking about this, even if they don't come to any logical conclusion, even if they don't ask any questions to begin with, i think exposing our kids to this kind of story is important. aside from being very amusing, it provides intellectual stimulation for those who look for it and for those who don't, well one day they may look back on this story as an example of some conclusion or another they have drawn. Even if they never understand the story philosophically, the fact that they are exposed to it will register somewhere in their heads and what they know of it will teach them something about life (as does everything, which always gets me critical of the constant stream of nothing we shove down our kids throats, like the bastardisations of stories presented by disney and now barbie... and lets not even talk about pop culture).
anyways, the kids i read this to love it. its a great story, i recommend

Add to your children's literature collection!

2008-04-11
This is a great book to get in hardcover because you will use it alot if you have children of your own. If you are a children's literature collector you will want to look at older hard to find copies to invest in. For the rest of us this is a beloved favorite baby gift, but an even better first grader book. If you have a slow reader this book will help those who are struggling to read the opportunity to read a BIG book and for reasons I do not know it is often a "boy" favorite. The language is not babyish or unfriendly to adults so it will be a great laptime read for uncles and aunts to read as fill in bedtime readers.

Excellent book

2008-04-10
My five year old son loves this book. It inspires creativity in kids to create what they can dream up.

Imagination run wild

2008-03-26
I just got my son his first library card (remember them?) at the age of two and this was the first book we took out. I had heard of it, but didn't have it as a child and wanted to have a read through before I considered purchasing it. I LOVE this book and so does my son. The very thing that reviewers complain about: the limited illustrations, is what makes this book so great. In a time where our kids are constantly overstimulated visually (ie. TV, computers, video games, etc.) it is so nice to have books that are simple, clever and inspire imagination.

As a working artist, I can appreciate the simple genius of this book, not only in it's illustrations, but also in it's encouragement to use our imaginations, or what's left of them.

Harold and the Purple Crayon

2008-03-08
I love this book and i just had to get it for center i work for!
It's a book no daycare center shold be without!

Create Your Own Life

2008-02-26
"One night, after thinking it over for some time, Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight." So begins this gentle story that shows just how far your imagination can take you. Armed only with an oversized purple crayon, young Harold draws himself a landscape full of beauty and excitement. But this is no hare-brained, impulsive flight of fantasy. Cherubic, round-headed Harold conducts his adventure with the utmost prudence, letting his imagination run free, but keeping his wits about him all the while. He takes the necessary purple-crayon precautions: drawing landmarks to ensure he won't get lost; sketching a boat when he finds himself in deep water; and creating a purple pie picnic when he feels the first pangs of hunger.

Crockett Johnson's understated tribute to the imagination was first published in 1955, and has been inspiring readers of all ages ever since. Harold's quiet but magical journey reminds us of the marvels the mind can create, and also gives us the wondrous sense that anything is possible. (Ages 4 to 8)

Love it! 2008-02-04
My daughter (2) received this book as a gift for Christmas. At first she wasn't very interested in it because it didn't have many colors in the pages, but when we sat down to read it, she didn't want me to stop. She loved it and I enjoyed it too. It was the first time both of us read this book. Now she likes to watch the cartoon version on the weekends. It's really a great story. Sparks the imagination!

It's a classic for a reason 2008-01-25
My daughter's an only child, so I encourage her imagination as much as possible, so she doesn't notice there are no siblings to play with. I remember this book fondly as a child (inspired me to draw and I ended up becoming an art student). I love watching her face as she's looking at each new picture and seeing how the simple lines make a picture with "depth". She loves the steady paced adventure as a bedtime story.

Travel in time 2008-01-11
My cousin is having her first child and as I am much older and my children are grown I thought it would be a neat gift for each one of them to choose a few of their favorite childhood books to buy and send in a package to her for the new arrival. As a teacher I could have picked many, but I wanted to choose one that still inspires my little ones now. Every year my new students love to hear about Harold's adventures and make purple journals of their own and draw where they would like to visit themselves with purple crayons. This simple but timeless story always has been dear to me and continues to fascinate my students year after year.

Reading specialist's point of view 2008-01-01
This book presents an excellent opportunity to use during guided reading for grades 1st-3rd. Students are able to relate to the character and understanding that by using our creativity and strategic plans we can have fun and accomplish many things.