Harold and the Purple Crayon - Crockett Johnson - ★★★

AUTHOR: Crockett Johnson

SERIES: Harold, #1

GENRE: Children's Picture Book

PUBLICATION DATE: January 1, 1955

RATING: 3 stars.

In a Nutshell: An ingenious picture book about an imaginative kid who makes his own adventure at bedtime. Whimsical and imaginative, but not exactly my cup of tea. I can see why kiddos will enjoy it though.

You might have heard of ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books, whereby each story, written in second person, allows the reader to choose where they want the story to go. This is also a ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’, not for the readers but for the little titular protagonist.

The story of this classic picture book, first published in 1955, is straightforward enough at least on the surface. Little Harold decides to go on a walk at night with his purple crayon in hand. As he walks, he sketches every component of his adventure, right from the moon, the road, some unexpected perils and some timely solutions.

The purple crayon is some kind of a magical device because whatever Harold sketches in his simple line drawings, the crayon seems to convert to a fully-functional three-dimensional object. It is a vital component of the story as it conveniently allows Harold to escape from sticky situations, merely by drawing himself a solution. This leaves several gaps of logic. As such, whether you enjoy the book or not might depend on how right-brained or left-brained you are. Creative readers will be thrilled with Harold’s magical adventure, while logical readers could be left evaluating the gaps in the storyline. (You know which one I am! 🤭)

There is plenty to learn from little Harold. He doesn’t lose his cool no matter what difficulty he is in, he always remembers his manners, and he never lets go of his most valuable possession even in times of distress. At the same time, he probably also teaches kids why they shouldn’t go wandering out of the house alone at night. 😄

The illustrations are simple but they are exactly what the story needs. Harold is coloured in grayscale, and everything else is nothing but purple lines and squiggles.

Overall, a fun book that ought to work well for little ones who enjoy wildly imaginative storylines. I liked Harold’s presence of mind, but with the somewhat diluted, overly wild plot, I couldn’t like the book better. This is the first of a multi-book series, but I think I shall end my journey here itself.

Recommended to little ones who enjoy quirky storylines. The simple language and graphic style of this children’s classic ought to work well for readers aged 3 to 6 years.