Crockett Johnson (1906–1975)

Harold and the Purple Crayon is an instant classic: a transient storytelling of a boy who is both demiurge and innocence. We travel with Harold throughout his pilgrimage with his magical purple crayon and see the unbelievable in the creative force that creates and destroys

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.

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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 show more 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! show less

When Harold decides that he wants to go for a walk in the moonlight, the youngster doesn't allow the lack of either moon or path to stand in his way. Taking his magical purple crayon, he creates them both, drawing the world into existence around him, as he proceeds from adventure to adventure. Falling into the sea, but then drawing himself a sailing boat; plummeting off a one-sided mountain, but creating a hot-air balloon in mid-tumble - Harold has everything he needs in his purple show more crayon...

Originally published in 1955, this classic picture-book for younger children is one of those universally beloved books that I somehow missed, in my own girlhood reading. I'm glad that it was chosen as one of our November titles over in The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is "Classic Picture-Book Characters," as this gave me the impetus I needed to finally pick it up. What an incredibly perceptive portrait of a child's imaginative process it contains! How true it is that we create the world around us (and not just as children) through our imaginative lives. The starkly minimal artwork here perfectly complements the simple but effective text, which builds the story outward at first - outward into the blank unknown, where Harold has the freedom to be and do anything, safe in the knowledge that his purple crayon (his creative power) will keep him safe - before returning it to the safety of home and of bed. Amusing, clever, perceptive - Harold and the Purple Crayon is children's literature at its best, demonstrating yet again that for those with the true vision, great artistic and intellectual merit can be found in the simple and the small. show less

Descubrí esta serie hace muchos años al leer un fragmento publicado en 'Historia de los cómics', que Toutain publicó entre 1983 y 1984, y desde entonces me quedé con ganas de leerla. Hoy, por fin, he podido terminarla (no es casualidad que tenga a O'Malley en el avatar).

La tira es imaginativa y muy divertida, con personajes brillantes y originales. Además de O'Malley, el motor principal de la trama, hay toda una cohorte de seres fantásticos, cada uno más original que el anterior, que show more crean un fuerte contraste con el mundo de los adultos, quienes se niegan a creer en ellos. Además, la serie es una brillante sátira de Estados Unidos en las décadas de los cuarenta y cincuenta, abarcando desde la construcción masiva de autopistas hasta la corrupción política, sin perder el punto de vista infantil. Todo esto crea un brillante contraste en el que los niños forman una isla de sensatez en medio del caos continuo generado por el duende y unos adultos incapaces de percibir el mundo a su alrededor.

Todo esto se ve reforzado por la narrativa clara y el estilo minimalista de Johnson (como se suele decir, sencillo, pero no simple). Incluso la tipografía mecánica, que suele dar un resultado espantoso, está perfectamente integrada en el estilo del autor, de tal forma que lo refuerza.

Uno de los grandes clásicos de la tira de prensa, con una enorme influencia en obras posteriores. show less