Crockett Johnson Homepage: Books: The Harold Series

Harper, 1955 Harold and the Purple Crayon (1955) "One evening, after thinking it over for some time, Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight." So begins the first of Johnson's books about Harold and his purple crayon, and then off he goes, using the crayon to draw a moon and a path to walk on. Leaving the path, he draws himself into a forest, ocean, and balloon, exploring until he's tired and must find his way to home and bed. By her own account, legendary children's book editor Ursula Nordstrom's "first reaction to Harold was so luke warm and unenthusiastic"; in a letter dated 15 December 1954, Ms. Nordstrom writes to Crockett Johnson, apologizing for her early impression. She says, "I think it is FINE, and the little changes you made are just perfect. Thanks for the part about the forest, and for all the other little touches" (Nordstrom 83-84). Nordstrom, the director of Harper's Department of Books for Boys and Girls from 1940 to 1973, edited Harold and many other classics, including The Carrot Seed, E. B. White's Charlotte's Web, and Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. Scholastic, 1966 In addition to the English editions represented here, Harold and the Purple Crayon is also available in Spanish, French, Italian, Finnish, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, German, Hebrew and Chinese. HarperCollins, 1998 HarperCollins, 2005 Scholastic, 196?. And there is a "Book & Record Set," produced by Scholastic. Courtesy of Chris Ware, you can see the entire package at left. And, at right, you can see what is in the package: record, record sleeve, book, cardboard, and a purple crayon. Thanks to Mr. Ware's generosity, clicking on this sentence will allow you to listen to an mp3 of the record (a reading of Harold and the Purple Crayon, with some music). HarperCollins, 1984 Harold's Fairy Tale (1956) Taking "his purple crayon and the moon along," Harold goes for a walk in an enchanted garden. But why is nothing growing in the garden? Harold decides to find out, and he draws a castle so that he may go inside to ask the king. Other "fairy tale" scenes follow, including meeting a wish-giving fairy. Harold's Fairy Tale is also available in French, Swedish, Chinese and Japanese. HarperCollins, 1998 HarperCollins, 1985 Harold's Trip to the Sky (1957) On his way to get a drink of water, Harold -- accompanied by his purple crayon and the moon, of course -- finds himself in a desert. Apart from drinking at an oasis, he thinks, "there isn't much else to do on a desert." But "then he remembered how the government has fun on the desert. It shoots off rockets." So he decides to go to the moon, draws himself a rocket, and he's off on a science-fiction journey through the sky above. Harold's Trip to the Sky is also available in French, Dutch and Italian. HarperCollins, 1998 Reader's Digest, 1975 Harold at the North Pole (1958) First published "in a somewhat abbreviated version" in a Good Housekeeping of 1957, this story tells of Harold's journey to get a Christmas tree before Santa arrives. On Christmas Eve, "in a warm wollen cap and mittens, with his purple crayon and the moon, he set off" for points north. He finds a snowed-in Santa Claus -- fortunately, Harold and his purple crayon are always ready to help. HarperCollins, 1998 Harper, 1959 Harold's Circus (1959) "One moonlit evening, mainly to prove to himself that he could do it, Harold went for a walk on a tightrope." From this opening sentence, Harold and his purple crayon tumble into a circus, where they put on a fine performance under the big top. HarperCollins, 1998 HarperCollins, 1988 A Picture for Harold's Room (1960) In the sole "I Can Read Book^®" of the series, Harold decides that his wall needs a picture, and very soon finds himself in the picture that he's drawing. Through shifts in perspective, his size changes in relation to the world he's drawn. Will Harold, aided by his purple crayon, regain his usual size and find his way home? Harper, 1963 Harold's ABC (1963) The last of Johnson's books about Harold finds him on a journey through the alphabet. With the help of his purple crayon, Harold transforms each letter into something that starts with the letter. Each picture leads seamlessly to the next one -- the cut of cake to drinking from a dipper to visiting an enormous edifice -- forming the final purple crayon adventure. Harold's ABC is also available in Japanese. HarperCollins, 1998 Barnes & Noble, 1997 Harold's Purple Crayon Treasury (1997) As its subtitle announces, "Five Adventures with the Purple Crayon." Issued in the larger size favored by HarperCollins since 1998 but published by Barnes & Noble in 1997, this volume contains: Harold and the Purple Crayon (1955) Harold's Fairy Tale (1956) Harold's Trip to the Sky (1957) Harold's Circus (1959) Harold's ABC (1963)
Wood Knapp Video, 1993 Harold and the Purple Crayon and Other Harold Stories (1993) 3 short films (each of a Harold book) and a shorter documentary. Click here for more information.
Briarpatch, 2001 Harold and the Purple Crayon Game (2001) For information, please read the Crockett Johnson Homepage's FAQ or, better, visit Briarpatch's page about the game.

Scholastic, 1966	In addition to the English editions represented here, Harold and the Purple Crayon is also available in Spanish, French, Italian, Finnish, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, German, Hebrew and Chinese.	HarperCollins, 1998	HarperCollins, 2005
Scholastic, 196?.	And there is a "Book & Record Set," produced by Scholastic. Courtesy of Chris Ware, you can see the entire package at left. And, at right, you can see what is in the package: record, record sleeve, book, cardboard, and a purple crayon. Thanks to Mr. Ware's generosity, clicking on this sentence will allow you to listen to an mp3 of the record (a reading of Harold and the Purple Crayon, with some music).

Crockett Johnson's Books: The Harold Series