Kid’s Book of the Week: Harold and the Purple Crayon

We are a family of readers.  And when I say that, I don’t say it lightly.  We read obsessively, and like most avid readers, we have copious amounts of reading material in our home.  My husband prefers sci-fi/fantasy books as well as health information.  I prefer to read memoirs and historical fiction.  But we have two new book lovers in our home, and their books are some of the most creative and interesting ones in the house.

I’ve long known the brain benefits of reading to children, but I never knew, until I had my own kids, just how fulfilling it can be to share a favorite book with a child.  And in that spirit, I decided to start this weekly column, each one featuring just one of our many favorite books.

I decided to start with the book series that is newest to us: Harold and the Purple Crayon.  I went to a huge, local consignment sale last week in order to look for some new summer dresses for the girls, and of course, I spent half my time in the book section.  But I was so excited when I came across four Harold books for $1.00.  I had been wanting to try the books for awhile, but I wasn’t sure whether the simple illustrations would capture the attention of the girls, and so I held off.  At $1.00 for four books though, I figured I couldn’t go wrong.  And I most definitely didn’t.

Every day since purchasing the books, Magoo has asked me to read one of them to her which is kind of a big deal because, unlike most kids, she doesn’t actually want me to read the same story over and over again.

The story is simple enough.  It’s about a little boy named Harold.  Everything around him is a big, white canvas, and he creates his stories and adventures by drawing them with his purple crayon.  The plots are really quite imaginative, and the first time you read them, you really won’t know where the story is going to head.  And the simple, one color illustrations actually make the story more interesting because you see the picture unfolding on the canvas as it is being written.

I love stories with interesting language, and the language in this book is perfect for preschoolers.  It’s simple enough where it is not over their heads, and yet they are being exposed to a decent number of adjectives and adverbs which fit nicely within the story.

I, personally, like the books because I like their message.  The books inspire as we see the magic that Harold can create with just a purple crayon and a white space.  It reminds us of the power of creativity and creation.  One day, I plan on reading one of the books to Magoo and then getting her a purple crayon and a piece of white paper and having her create her own scenes and tell a story with them.  I think that activity could go far in showing her how much power she has in her own growing mind, and could further her entrance into the world of story creation.

And so I would highly recommend this book to kids around 4 years old.  Using just my daughter as a benchmark, I think it might not quite catch the imagination of younger kids as the stories are a bit longer, and as I mentioned, the drawings are quite simple.  My guess is that this book will retain Magoo’s attention for at least a couple more years.

And as long as we are discussing children’s books, I would like to draw your attention quickly to First Book.  You probably are most familiar with this organization as the people who put the books in Cheerios boxes once a year.  It is an exellent NFP whose purpose is to bring books to low income children who otherwise might not have any access to them.  Check out their website when you get a chance, and consider following them on Facebook.  They often post information about literacy studies and campaigns through Facebook.

Happy reading!