I loved Harold and, of course, his purple crayon from the first time I read his story by Crockett Johnson, a wonderful nom de plume for David Johnson Leisk. Not only is the Harold series a delight for children, it is also a terrific life guide for adults.
In the books, Harold has all kind of adventures. He travels comfortably in his footed pajamas accompanied by only his imagination and a purple crayon.
Once he chooses what he wants to do, Harold draws his own path. He only appears in profile either looking at what he is drawing or back at what he has just drawn. He decides who or what he wants to meet along the way and, with help from the crayon, they appear—although there are a few surprises along the way.
In the first book, Harold goes for a walk. He finds a spot he thinks is perfect for a forest so he draws a tree. It turns out to be an apple tree. To guard the apples, he draws a dragon which ends up frightening him. As he backs away with his hand shaking, he accidentally draws wavy water and then finds himself in over his head. He saves himself by drawing a boat and sailing until he made land. Finding himself hungry, he draws a picnic. And then…well you can read the rest for yourself.
His adventures continue with a trip to space, the circus, and his own fairy tale including a king, a witch, a fairy, and a flying carpet. What an amazing life!
I love that Harold decides what he wants to do and then does it. When things turn out differently than he plans, he quickly improvises. He never loses his focus. And he always achieves his goals. It made me wish my own purple crayon worked as well as his.
Being a writer is the next best thing.
I can, but don't, wear footed pajamas. With a pen and paper or a computer, I can follow my imagination along a path of my choosing, mostly. As novelists know, some characters have minds of their own.
Writing is more difficult than crayon drawing, but just as freeing when you are writing for yourself. (Of course, there has to be a paying job to stay afloat. If it is in the writing field, you will have assignments that may or may not interest you, but your style can shine and your technical skills can improve with each one. If it isn't a dream job, use that as a motivation to keep writing.)
The last two qualities are the tough ones for me. I need to work on having absolute focus on my writing projects and career as well as achieving my goals.
I have a purple crayon in a ceramic mug along with my pens to remind me of how I truly want to live.
What children's books inspired you?
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