Harold and the Purple Crayon is a sweet and short children’s book written and illustrated by Crockett Johnson. This inventive little book is not one that I had read as a child, although I wish it had been! It manages to combine so many elements that are so own to a child’s world: adventures, exploring, drawing, and imagination. At 61 pages, it might not sound short enough to read with a toddler, but the many large illustrations make the story flow quickly and enjoyably.

What initially caught my attention about this special little book, was the title. Not only is purple one of my favourite colours, but I also have a very dear friend called Harold. Having heard about this book in 2013, I put it on my to-buy list, but only bought it two years later when I came across it in one of my favourite second-hand book shops. It cost a mere R15 (a little over a dollar) and I thought it was quite special that it turned out to be one of the earliest copies – not a first edition, but a book club edition published in the same year as the original publication. It has had a special place on my shelf ever since and I thought it was time to write something about this classic!

The history of Harold and the Purple Crayon

Harold and the Purple Crayon was published in 1955 by Harper and Brothers and is the first in a short series of toddler’s books, all exploring Harold’s world. The author and illustrator, Crockett Johnson, was born as David Johnson Leisk in New York in 1906 and chose his childhood nickname “Crockett” as a pen name. ¹

Johnson, who worked as an editor and cartoonist, was passionate about mathematics and is well known for the dozens of geometrical paintings he made during his life. No wonder his little character loved to draw!

After Harold and the Purple Crayon, he also published Harold’s Fairy Tale (1956), Harold’s Trip to the Sky (1957), Harold at the North Pole (1958), Harold’s Circus (1959), A Picture for Harold’s Room (1960) and Harold’s ABC (1963).

What is Harold and the Purple Crayon about?

Harold and the Purple Crayon tells the story of a little boy with a magical crayon that can create almost anything by drawing it. The crayon helps him to create not only the moonlight to walk by, but everything he needs to go on a thrilling adventure! Near the end of the story he faces a real challenge when he cannot seem to find – or draw – his home, and learns an important lesson about returning home.

What gives this story its “deeper” meaning, is the fact that the crayon is, of course, metaphorical. It represents one’s imagination and one’s ability to use what is inside you to make a plan for any problem along life’s road.

Why would munchkins enjoy Harold and the Purple Crayon?

This lovely tale is not highly detailed or complicated – yet it has so many elements that embodies the essence of childhood: adventure, the moon, a crayon, a dragon and other quirky animals. And, of course, a little boy who makes things happen! Children like to hear that they are able to achieve wonderful things! The simple illustrations also make it easy for young children to follow along with the story.

On top of that, there are several valuable lessons that you can teach your little munchkin from Harold’s creative adventure! Here are they:

8 Life lessons to learn from Harold and the Purple Crayon

1. You can make things happen!

Little Harold makes things happen by drawing them! This is the main message of this motivational little story. If your life is dull or boring, you can do something to colour it in! If you have a problem, think of a way to solve it. If you are falling, create something to hold you. If you are lost, take a moment to climb a hill and see where you are. If you don’t feel at home, put a few of your favourite things there to make it your own. Young children are natural problem solvers, and it is important that we teach them to apply this way of thinking to their entire lives.

2. Use your imagination!

It is okay to use your imagination when going through your day! Harold imagines his tree into an apple tree guarded by a dragon. If you use your imagination, your day never has to be ordinary. Life can turn into an adventure! It is interesting to note that Harold’s entire adventure takes place at night – a time of day that is usually not children’s favourite. With a touch of imagination, you can see things that you normally don’t like in a whole new and exciting way!

3. It is okay to start small

Harold wanted a forest, but knew he might get lost in it. So, he drew a forest with just one tree – and it still grew lots of beautiful apples worthy of being guarded by a dragon! If you have to do something new or scary in your life, it is perfectly fine to start with baby steps; you will still reap results and learn from the experience.

4. It is okay to get scared sometimes

Harold was shaking so badly from being scared of the dragon, that he accidentally drew and ocean that almost drowned him. But, the fact that he was able to draw something so powerful also meant that he had the skills to draw a boat to save himself. So, next time you are scared, remember how strong you are!

5. Share and care

Harold realised that he had too much pie to eat by himself, and that he could feed a hungry moose and a porcupine with his leftover pies. So often, we can help somebody else without losing anything ourselves. Share and give what you don’t need!

6. Don’t be afraid to explore

Harold could’ve been too scared to go anywhere, especially because it was night. But, he noticed that the moonlight followed him wherever he went. If you are brave and willing to try new things, you will find that you are not alone and can see better where to go next!

7. When you fall, you don’t lose what you’ve learned

While searching for his home, Harold falls off the top of a mountain. But, while being on the mountain, he saw where he should go – or rather shouldn’t go. Sometimes in life we have a metaphorical fall, but at the same time we learn so much from the experience. In fact, sometimes you can only learn new things if you put yourself in a place where you can fall.

8. Life will change, but if you hold on to what is important, you will feel at home

Harold finally remembers that his bedroom window is always showing him the moon. We are all guided in life by the things that are important to us and the things we believe in. Keep holding on to them, and you will never lose your home – the place where you find rest, peace and love.

Harold and the Purple Crayon is the perfect read for any toddler in need of an encouraging bed-time story, a remedy to combat the boredom or some inspiration for drawing. Even adults can learn a thing or two from this motivating story!

Beyond the book:

✏ A short film of Harold and the Purple Crayon was made in 1959. Watch it here.

✏ A television series consisting of thirteen episodes was inspired by the Harold books in 2001 and produced for HBO.  Set to delightful music, this series is well worth a watch and can be found on Amazon Prime Video.

✏ This, in turn, inspired HBO to create a special set of Harold books that included the characters and events from the series. These books, released in 2002 and 2003, were written by Liza Baker and included colourful and detailed illustrations similar to the style of the television series.

✏ HBO’s archived site for the series contains two colouring-in pages for those munchkins wanting to put their crayons to good use.

✏ A pop-up book called Harold takes a Trip was published in 2004, which is, unfortunately, not in print anymore.

✏ Audio books were made of most of the original Harold books. An audio version of Harold and the purple Crayon can be listened to on Johnson’s fan website, here.

✏ This fan site for Crockett Johnson is run by Philip Nel and contains a wealth of information on his career.

✏ A board game was released in 2001 by Briarpatch, which is also, sadly, not being made anymore.

✏ Fortunately, if you are looking for an interactive approach to Harold’s world, an adorable puzzle game for PC, Android, Apple and Linux called Crayon Physics was developed in 2007. The current version of this game is called Crayon Physics Deluxe and a free version of this game is available for download here. The player has to solve puzzles by drawing shapes and watching the laws of physics at work – even adults will enjoy this artistic little game!

✏ There has been talk of a possible full-length movie being made of Harold and the Purple Crayon since 2010, but so far, there has been no further news on the matter. ²

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crockett_Johnson
2. https://www.pajiba.com/trade_news/harold-and-the-purple-crayon-heading-to-the-big-screen.php