Harold & The Purple Crayon

Written by Crockett Johnson

Narrated by Bruce Bayley Johnson

This is the ingeniously imaginative story of a small boy who, with his magic crayon, draws himself in and out of a series of adventures.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Weston Woods
• Release date: Jan 1, 1969
• ISBN: 9780545786553

Crockett Johnson

Crockett Johnson (1906–1975) was the writer and illustrator of over twenty books for children, including the beloved classic Harold and the Purple Crayon, six subsequent adventures starring Harold, and The Carrot Seed, written by his wife, Ruth Krauss. He was also the creator of the groundbreaking Barnaby, one of the most influential and ingenious comic strips of the twentieth century.

Reviews for Harold & The Purple Crayon

[syndelle777 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cute little story about a little boy with a big imagination. My son loved it.

[Marie Sontag · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a cute story about drawing and a boy’s imagination, but as I read, I expected a cute ending as well. When we finally got there, (I felt some pages near the end could be cut -it seemed to be too long), the book left me down. Harold just drew a bed, climbed in, and fell asleep. I think the author could have done more with the purple crayon than just having it drop to the floor.

[bridge714_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love this book with all my heart.

[mirikayla · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Finally read this, and understand why it gets talked about so much.

[sophandtor · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have loved this book sans I was a 3! and now Im 8!

[dayspring777 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think this is one of the best and cutest children's books.
I like the way it brings a sort of logical progression of circumstances along with funny and cute consequences to a fantastical imaginary tale:)




..but maybe I'm over analyzing a simply delightful children's tale?!

[bridget1eileen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love this book with all my heart.

[javzanat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Вваааааукеавк пампмсамсссасс мм с м с с с мм мм. Ми. И. Мири. Мим и и. Питии щит. И. Испеки. И л лол. А. И миии мим и лдьжз х ш дэжьдь. Здесь до ли ьз

[sarahehwilson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's hard not to be charmed by Harold's wonderful imagination... but it's also hard not to feel completely lonely in his people-less imagination.

[thereadingmermaid · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cute little story about a little boy with a big imagination. My son loved it.

[kerribrary · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was one of my childhood favorites, and still is!

[chris.wolak · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I first read this classic in my 30s when I worked at a bookstore and tried to read books that were regularly purchased or often recommended.

I didn’t really like it. I realize this puts me in the minority. A coworker saw me reading it and asked how I liked it. I said I didn’t. "Yeah," he said, "Harold is an asshole." We laughed and moved on with our day. I regret that we didn’t discuss the book.

Harold and the Purple Crayon seems to be celebrating imagination and offering the message that you are in control of your reactions to circumstances. These are things I value.

I’ve started reading more picture books this year and re-read Harold the other night to see if my opinion would change. It didn’t.

One reason I don’t like the story is that there’s no struggle. Even Harold's facial expressions barely change. Harold wants something and Harold gets it. Harold was apparently born with this magic purple crayon in his hand and will always get what he wants and needs.

To be blunt, Harold is entitled and never faces any consequences. The end.

[books9n9pickles · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely loved this book when I was a kid. Our copy was at the lake, so I have memories of cozying up with my parents on the couch after a long day of playing to hear about Harold's adventures.

Harold's a little boy with a purple crayon who uses said crayon to go for a walk in the moonlight...by drawing the moon, drawing the path, and then drawing his way off the beaten path and into exciting new things. With his crayon to express his imagination, he creates places, animals, transportation, cities...and, finally, a cozy bedroom, where his crayon falls to the floor as he falls asleep. Along the way, there are clever turns of phrase--"Harold made land", "Harold made his bed", "drew up the covers"--and playful reference to the plain white background, such as Harold falling into plain, white nothing.

A great example of what a simple picture book can be: imaginatively and visually playful. Can't wait to read this one to Alina!

(I'm totally cheating by putting this on my "great world building" shelf, but hey, Harold literally builds/draws his own world!)

[jamestomasino · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Read with my boy. A fantastic little fantasy, well crafted and drawn.

[lorifox · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a fun, creative, imaginative story. I still love it as an adult.

[librisissimo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Best imagination story ever.

[tnaewwf123 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Back in 2018, I was one of my library's representatives at our town’s annual extravaganza. When we gave away free copies of Crayon to the children, I thought it looked like a good book at the time. Yet, I got sidetracked and never read it. Fast forward to now, and I definitely wish I had not waited as long to read it as I had. Most of all, I liked how whimsical it gets with all of the objects Harold draws when he leaves and tries to return back to his room. Because I was able to enjoy how crazy it gets, I am sure that kids reading this book would also be able to revel in the fact that literally anything could happen. Since all Harold has to do is draw an object and it comes to life, I would definitely incorporate this book into a lesson plan for an elementary school class where students can draw an object they would like to see Harold interact with next.

[dknight0918 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cute children’s book.

[brittburditt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Harold and the Purple Crayon is a children's book about imagination and creativity. Harold goes on an adventure drawing pictures with his purple crayon. This book is great for young readers to build their imagination and introduce them to imagery.

[mayravasquez-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this cute book. It is a short book that can be read to students or that they can read themselves and will keep them engaged. I think this book can be used in any grade but since it is a short book, the lower grades would benefit from it the most. I would use this book when I want to introduce a topic of "mischief" or "creativity"

[sumisbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cute little story about a little boy with a big imagination. My son loved it.

[heidi.donner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This adorable book is about a young boy named Harold who is creating his own story with a crayon. This would be a good starter for a project that allows students to explore their own thoughts and the expansive ideas that they have. This would be appropriate for students under first grade.

[skyd17 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is about a young boy named, Harold, who draws with his purple crayon. He draws up an adventure for himself where he ends in his bed, ready to sleep. This is a good fantasy because it isn't possible to draw up all these things and live in the adventure with a crayon. I would use this for primary and intermediate readers.

[berthashaver · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was recommended by my brother who said it was his favorite book as a child. I read it with the expectation that it taught some underlying moral principle. It didn't really have a moral to the story, just a fun fantasy of traveling through the night through buildings, and seas using his imagination and his purple crayon. The artwork, simple as it is, is great.

[jessica_haynes-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. I think baby is smart.In the book, Harold uses his crayon to draw and create new things for him to use.

[sheila1957 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Harold takes his purple crayon and draws himself into and out of adventures. This is an adorable book for infants and toddlers. Just like Harold they can have adventures while being safe at home. Just keep the crayons out of reach. Absolutely delightful!

[kassruiz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The purple crayon becomes a magical tool for a little boy. He creates his world by drawing with the purple crayon, the story promotes imaginative play! Great read for beginners.

[lucybrown_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I remember the day my father discovered this book. I had read it as a child and loved it. Of course, I bought all the Harolds for my children. And of course they loved them. One day though my father picked Harold up to divert my son. Now my father is a high ranking army officer, a genius, a practical man, a man of authority... In other words, not the type you would expect to swoon over a a near wordless book, but he did. Harold and His Purple Crayon is pure magic at its simple best.

[lmckenzie-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I use this book every year as a mentor text for my students in one of my first writers workshop lessons. We read this book and talk about Harold's imagination and how he pictures things in his head and draws them. It's a good example of adding details to pictures to tell a story with our writing!

[salemdjembe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Throughout the book, we see Harold dealing with issues such as hunger, ( the apple tree) ownership, (Harold draws a dragon to protect the apples) fear,(Harold becomes frightened of the ferocious protective dragon) anxiety, (Falls in his imaginary ocean and is over his head in water, drowning sensation) self-preservation, (Draws a boat), relief- (solid ground) conservation- (not wanting to waste) sharing-(With animals, his pies) curiosity,( hill/mountain) longing, (for his bed) motivation (Making the mountains big enough to find his window) insecurity, (falling over the line,) more problem solving skills (Drawing a boat) belonging (not finding ‘his’ space) trust ( had to ask the police man) validation (Harold was already going the right way) unconditional relational continuity (realizing a figure head, i.e. the moon was always there and had never left his side.) actualization- closure (created his own environment and drifted off to sleep).This is a story that leads a child’s mind through a gauntlet of experiences and emotions, but told by the right story-teller, the child and participating adults can feel good about knowing that safety is the underlying theme. A must read for parents who enjoy the "after discussions" with their children and for anyone working in the field of child trauma.