Harold and the Purple Crayon 50th Anniversary Edition (Purple Crayon Books) [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Harold and the Purple Crayon 50th Anniversary Edition (Purple Crayon Books) [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Product Details

Reading level: Ages 3 and up
Paperback: 64 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (May 15, 1998)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0064430227
ISBN-13: 978-0064430227
Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 6 x 0.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

By : Crockett Johnson
Price : $6.99

Customer Reviews

Yes, I am a 45 year old man writing a review for a children's book, and, no, I do not think that I ought to be ashamed of myself. A short while ago I stumbled upon a copy of this book by accident and I could't believe the flood of warm and pleasant memories that it brought back. This was perhaps my favorite childhood book, along with the sequels. Maybe this was because from my earliest memories I always wanted to be an artist, and that is what Harold was, an artist with a magic purple crayon. He was more than an artist, he was a creator of worlds. That was important, he wasn't presented as a trivial person doing "art", he was the creative force behind whole new worlds. Or "co-creator", for he often seemed as surprised as the reader at what flowed out of that crayon. While I didn't become an artist, I did work for most of my life as a draftsman and designer. I've seen many, many things in the real world start life as a drawing on my board or computer screen. I think that I kept faith with Harold....

I read this book when I borrowed it from the library in my elementary school. I am now 18, and still reminisce on my beloved journeys around the world in a hot air balloon with Harold. This is the book that I borrowed for the first time, and then got it later again and again. It is one of the first books that ever opened my mind up to the total loss of imagination to all possibilities. Every time I read it I would think of many more adventures Harold could have had with his mystical purple crayon. Even to this day, I can think of no better book to give a child's imagination a glimpse of what possibilities there are. It is easy reading for the youngest of believers, but gives thought of what could be to even the oldest readers. I personally was not a child who favored reading, but this book was one of the few that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was one that I would read in the library while the class was still in it, and then would bring home for further enjoyment. I cannot recommend this book higher for any child whose imagination can run wild.