I bought this for my three-year-old and she enjoyed the way it opens up the mind to an adventure through drawing, just as I myself did. Wonderful book for children.

Harold's story is fun and creative and gets my son asking lots of questions about Harold's events. Can't wait to get abother one of his adventure books.

this is one of those books where not only do the children in my life enjoy this book, but i do as well. for a kid's book, it's pretty existential. A boy goes through this world where nothing exists and with his purple crayon, creates his world. What makes it more than just a kids book, what gives it the philosophical premise is that even though harold starts the story with this crayon, and has the power to draw anything, become anything, because all he need do is draw whatever he wants to be or where ever he wants to go, even though he has this power, he is unsatisfied and goes on a journey. he uses his crayon to create the world as he goes through it and ultimately finds some contentment, a resting place if you will :P, but the fact that he can create is irrelevant, its a means to an end. The implied 'end' gives us something to think about, and though the children who are meant to be reading this book will not go into such depth with the symbolism or the philosophy, they will pick up on some of the questions the author asks, like what is harold looking for? why did he need to do all that stuff if he was just going to end up back at home? (though actually he didn't start at home). even if the kids don't burst their brains thinking about this, even if they don't come to any logical conclusion, even if they don't ask any questions to begin with, i think exposing our kids to this kind of story is important. aside from being very amusing, it provides intellectual stimulation for those who look for it and for those who don't, well one day they may look back on this story as an example of some conclusion or another they have drawn. Even if they never understand the story philosophically, the fact that they are exposed to it will register somewhere in their heads and what they know of it will teach them something about life (as does everything, which always gets me critical of the constant stream of nothing we shove down our kids throats, like the bastardisations of stories presented by disney and now barbie... and lets not even talk about pop culture).
anyways, the kids i read this to love it. its a great story, i recommend

This is a great book to get in hardcover because you will use it alot if you have children of your own. If you are a children's literature collector you will want to look at older hard to find copies to invest in. For the rest of us this is a beloved favorite baby gift, but an even better first grader book. If you have a slow reader this book will help those who are struggling to read the opportunity to read a BIG book and for reasons I do not know it is often a "boy" favorite. The language is not babyish or unfriendly to adults so it will be a great laptime read for uncles and aunts to read as fill in bedtime readers.

My five year old son loves this book. It inspires creativity in kids to create what they can dream up.

I just got my son his first library card (remember them?) at the age of two and this was the first book we took out. I had heard of it, but didn't have it as a child and wanted to have a read through before I considered purchasing it. I LOVE this book and so does my son. The very thing that reviewers complain about: the limited illustrations, is what makes this book so great. In a time where our kids are constantly overstimulated visually (ie. TV, computers, video games, etc.) it is so nice to have books that are simple, clever and inspire imagination.

As a working artist, I can appreciate the simple genius of this book, not only in it's illustrations, but also in it's encouragement to use our imaginations, or what's left of them.

I love this book and i just had to get it for center i work for!
It's a book no daycare center shold be without!

This book can be a favorite for Pre-K children on up! Harold goes on an adventure, creating each scene of the adventure with just one purple crayon. The single color and simple illustrations are similar to those of a young child at that age so it is easy for a child to relate to them. Pre-K children who have this book read to them can't wait to see what "trouble" Harold will get into next or how he will get out of a predicament he has unwittingly created with his purple crayon. For a young child the adventure of Harold is enough of a story.

This book, in my opinion, provides a timeless message for all. It reminds us that our imagination can work in strange ways. We can create problems and also solve seemingly insurmountable problems with our imagination.

Just like Harold we can create our lives.

My daughter (2) received this book as a gift for Christmas. At first she wasn't very interested in it because it didn't have many colors in the pages, but when we sat down to read it, she didn't want me to stop. She loved it and I enjoyed it too. It was the first time both of us read this book. Now she likes to watch the cartoon version on the weekends. It's really a great story. Sparks the imagination!

My daughter's an only child, so I encourage her imagination as much as possible, so she doesn't notice there are no siblings to play with. I remember this book fondly as a child (inspired me to draw and I ended up becoming an art student). I love watching her face as she's looking at each new picture and seeing how the simple lines make a picture with "depth". She loves the steady paced adventure as a bedtime story.

My cousin is having her first child and as I am much older and my children are grown I thought it would be a neat gift for each one of them to choose a few of their favorite childhood books to buy and send in a package to her for the new arrival. As a teacher I could have picked many, but I wanted to choose one that still inspires my little ones now. Every year my new students love to hear about Harold's adventures and make purple journals of their own and draw where they would like to visit themselves with purple crayons. This simple but timeless story always has been dear to me and continues to fascinate my students year after year.

This book presents an excellent opportunity to use during guided reading for grades 1st-3rd. Students are able to relate to the character and understanding that by using our creativity and strategic plans we can have fun and accomplish many things.

Timeless classic book. Wonderful story, simple enough for young and older children to enjoy. Encourages imagination and imaginary play.

As usual I picked this one up from the library and it's a hit with my daughter. This is a great book to foster the imagination for any child and its has a perfect ending for bedtime. She's enjoyed me reading this book to her, and its worth the money for any child's library.

My son, age 2, loves this book. I love the simplicity and creativity. He asks for it over and over!

As a child, I loved the "Harold and the Purple Crayon" book series. As an adult, I am glad that I can share them with my child. Some traditions deserve to be passed on from generation to generation, and this is one of them. Thanks to the 'Harold' stories, I gained a love for reading at a young age. A love that I hope my son will have as well. Theses books inspire imagination and creativity, as well as curiosity. I would recommend them to anyone with kids. The perfect books to learn and grow with!

I read this as a child and remember it fondly. I recently bought a copy for my granddaughter. Don't tell her I read it myself before giving it to her! It's everything I remember; very cute and enjoyable.

We love books and I try to provide my daughter with many good quality and age appropriate stories. She LOVES this book! It's an easy read and is completely adorable! I would highly suggest adding this book to your collection!

This was one of my favorites as a child. I can't count the number of times I read this book, then got out my crayons and drew my own worlds.

I've been reading this book to my son since he was two weeks old. The simple illustrations captivated his attention, and he would lean against my chest, stare at the pictures, and listen to my voice. Such a precious moment. He briefly lost interest when he was concentrating on getting where he wanted to go, then came back around to it. Sometimes he'd carry it to me saying "weed, mommy." He's four now, and we still enjoy reading it together.

It's been wonderful to see his reactions change as he gets older. This is one of those stories with many layers, so children of all ages will find something new. Such a fabulous book.

I loved this book as a child and love reading it to my son now. It's such a delight. Great book!

I wasn't too sure if my Kindergarten students would enjoy this story, but they were very excited about it. They were totally engaged in every page. It's a great book for teaching sequencing. I followed up the story by having each child draw in purple crayon only, their adventure. Instead of "Harold and the Purple Crayon" they put their name in the title. It gave them an opportunity to use their imagination, just as Harold had done. This 50th Anniversary story has stood the test of time.

We recently purchased this book for our 2 1/2 yr old son. This is the first book that after reading to him, he has said, "Read it again!" We read this at least three times in a row the first night.

Harold uses his crayon to bring his imagination to life and take him on an adventure. He wants to take a walk in the moonlight, so he draws a moon and a path...later he needs something to eat, so he draws his favorite pies...he can't eat all the pie, so he draws animals to finish the pie...

It really is an adorable book and does a great job of capturing the child's imagination.

My son fell in love with this book. It showed him that all he needs in his life is the imagination to have an adventure. It is a book that is both calming and empowering to kids. It allows them to dream and imagine. It is a classic that certainly deserves your consideration. Another such volume is "Why Some Cats are Rascals, Book 1". Make them available to your children.

My 4yr old son LOVES this book. We read it almost every night. I highly suggest this creative book for any boy or girl.

Somehow I managed to be unaware of this book until I read it for the first time the other day. All I can ask is, how the heck did I live this long and never hear of a book this awesome?!! Harold is the coolest boy in literature this side of Max. (Aww, you don't really need to ask "Max who?" do ya?) Reading about Harold's travels with his wondrous purple crayon opened my mind right up and put me into a terrific state of consciousness. The mid-twentieth-century was a golden age of children's books that showed again and again a streak of idealistic expectation that remains unmatched in books published at any other time. I love stories like Harold and the Purple Crayon, and so will anyone with an imagination, be they in their single-digit years or well beyond!

Harold is a little boy who owns a magic purple crayon. Everything he draws with it turns real, so what he had planned as just a little walk in the moonlight turns into a great adventure. Crockett Johnson plays out this idea with great imagination and humor (I particularly enjoy the puns, such as "he drew up the covers").

What makes the book great, though, is the ending. The lost and somewhat worried Harold finds his way back home when he realizes that his bedroom window is--and always has been, always will be--"right around the moon", and that's exactly where he draws it. Home is where the heart is, a nice message for little kids.

When I was small, I LOVED this book. I had to own it again for memories sake. I put it on my christmas list and THANKFULLY I got it. This book really takes your child on an adventure. Harold makes up these wonderful stories and brings them to life using his one big purple crayon. The illustrations are simple but SO enjoyable. This book is a great read for children and can be enjoyed by any age. I HIGHLY reccomend this book and any book from the harold series. AND HOLD ON TO IT. I guarantee that any child who reads this book will remember it as a lifetime favorite and would love to read it to their children someday. I know this will ALWAYS be MY favorite. I inside the cover of my christmas gift of harold and the purple crayon my mother wrote: MAY THE CHILD IN YOU ALWAYS HAVE A PURPLE CRAYON AT HAND TO DRAW WHATEVER YOU CANT FIND. and that is just what harold does.

This is one of my all time favorite children's books. I remember vividly reading this book as a child. I must have read it a hundred times, and it still makes me smile when I read it today. It is the story of Harold, a boy with an extraordinary imagination. Harold creates the world around him with a purple crayon. He leaves his room one night and goes on an adventure led by his imagination and a crayon. The illustrations are so simple, yet capture the imagination of a child so well. I got this book for Christmas from my sister and was so happy to have it again. I lost my original copy when my house flooded in 1995. This is definitely one that I will hold on to for my children one day. It's one of those classics that will always remain relevant.

Just love this book! My son and I watch the show on TV. The hard cover book is a nice edition to his library. My son loves to go on adventures with Harold and so do I.

I was going through old books and discovered an old beat up paperback "Harold" book. It made me smile, and I remembered how I loved it as a kid. I bought it in hardback so I could treasure it forever! Now I read it to my kids--yet another generation now enjoys this tale.

Great story for kids....if they can't read yet, read it to them...

My almost 5 and 7 year old daughters love this book. I think it is the simplicity and vivid imagination that make it a classic. I would HIGHLY recommend this as a must have for any kid's library!

We've read this story out loud a hundred times at least... And I love it, too -- the way one thing leads to another and another... Lots of little play-on-words that the kids won't necessarily get... "He drew up the covers" at the end... Love that. We have several of the other purple crayon series, but this is truly the best.

This book was one of my absolute favorites as a child. I recently purchased it for my son. He's only 9 months old right now, but Harold will make a nice addition to the family library. The thing I loved about Harold was the simplicity of the story and the pictures. While Harold uses his purple crayon and his imagination, so does the reader. It's easy to see how this story as endured for 50 years.

There are a number of excellent reviews here, but I just wanted to add that I also think this book is one of the very best out there. Our 20-month-old loves books, and has a large collection of every kind of kid book. This is one of his favorites, and we have to read it to him at least once a day. The combined themes of creating his own world and making decisions about what to do in that world are very appealing to someone of his age... or any age, for that matter. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

I've known this book since I was about Harold's age, and it has never ceased to inspire me. What could be better than a blank world, a purple crayon, and an imagination? Harold and the Purple Crayon has stood up for fifty years, and will without a doubt stand up for fifty more.

This book is excellent and takes children on an imaginary adventure using a purple crayon! It is simple and fun to read and to understand!

My daughter loves the HBO cartoon, "Harold and the Purple Crayon," so I was really excited about finding this book at Amazon for her. Unfortunately she didn't feel the same way about the book as the HBO cartoon. Still I like having this classic as part of her collection.

I'm currently studying to become a teacher and I bought this book for my children's lit class. It's an amazing book. With so much television and video games so many children are no longer using their imagination. This book ivites children to take a walk with their own crayons (one can only hope they take this walk on paper, but we've never had trouble with this) and see where it leads them. A wonderful book, with fun pictures.

My seven year old loves this book. She now likes to think of new ways for Harold to use his crayon.

This classic story grabbed the attention of our 4 year old son from the first read. Now, hundreds of readings later, he still loves Harold. The simplicity of the story and the illustrations are soothing to both my son and me. I love reading this uncomplicated and yet symbolic story over and over again as much as my son loves hearing it over and over again.

If you have a small child who is not crazy about books, try this one. I have yet to read it to a kindergarten class who was not enthralled with it. Harold is a delight for young and old. He is lovable and at the same time all-powerful, wielding his purple crayon as he chooses. This is a classic no family should be without.

This is a book of such simplicity, both in its words and its illustrations, that one may dismiss it at first glance. Don't! Harold and the Purple Crayon is a magical book. Its popularity may have waned since its original publication over 50 years ago, but it has such enduring charm. Harold has such a wonderful imagination, and in his hands the purple crayon does incredible things. If you've never read this book, please join Harold on his journey. I can't imagine you'll be disappointed.

I bought this fiftieth edition for my daughter because it was one of her favourite books when she was young. She is twenty-five now and the old book is falling to pieces and still has her added drawings in it. She was very happy with the new shiny copy, even though the original was smaller in size.

To think after 50 years this book is still going strong. My 4 year old loved the story. I have to watch her with her purple crayon thought! :o)

40 years ago I purchased this book for my 5 year old child, not having much expectation other than it being a fun, cute book for my son to enjoy. Subsequent to reading the book I don't know who delighted more in its story, myself or my child! Thinking maybe the comprehension of my child was vastly different than mine, I asked him what he felt the story was telling us. He responded "It's about making your own world!". My son nailed it. HAPC is a provacative venture into the imagination-and more. It is our capability of managing and creating our own world. HAPC really does make the point that we do "make our own world". I bought this edition for my 5 year old granddaughter, reading and delighting it in again, was as though I was saying hello to a wonderful friend gone from my life for 40 years.

This is one of the best books I've seen for storytelling for the very young. My toddler, Ethan, doesn't care much for stories just yet (he's into books that show pictures of things), but this one really caught his attention. It is very creative and not too short or too long. An exciting adventure.

My son read this book to me and it gave us many opportunities to develop other stories.

Oh! the places you can go with a purple crayon. Hard to believe it has been 50 years since Crockett Johnson first penned Harold. It is such a fantastic series, I think I have all the little books, including Harold's Fairy Tale and Harold's Circus. These books are sure to delight small children and parents alike. Just make sure you have plenty of paper and crayons on hand, or you may soon find these books marked up, as children love nothing more than to expand on these adventures.

This book will inspire creativity and imagination. Sweet stories and cute drawings, I love the concept of Harold drawing his own adventures. My daugher started loving this at about 1.5 and still wants to read it a year later, I don't see it getting old for several years to come.