How to Draw the World: Harold and the Purple Crayon and the Making of a Children's Classic: 03/25/25

How to Draw the World: Harold and the Purple Crayon and the Making of a Children's Classic by Philip Nel (2024) is an in depth reading and history of Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson (1955).

The book covers the publication history including some technical aspects of it and changes made to reprints and translations. For instance the original print run was smaller than the later reissues. Harold on the cover was originally wearing white whereas in newer versions he's wearing blue. Originally Harold was colored with a 10% brown and in later versions he is much lighter (though not completely white; more on that on a future re-reading of the book).

In case anyone was wondering (besides me and Philip Nel), Harold's crayon is Pantone 247. But again, the color of the crayon changes in translations, even if the ink color doesn't.

On the biographical front, there's not a lot known about David Johnson Leisk beyond where he lived, his work in publishing, and his later years. But what is known and shared in the book is more than I knew before reading the book.

Included in the brief biographical sketch is a discussion of his home. It apparently shares similarities with what Harold draws in his first book adventure. Things that have been so expertly rendered down to mostly universal shapes and forms still are recognizable if you know the source. Again, this is something as an artist makes perfect sense, but as a long time reader (say probably 50 of my 52 years) of this book and series, never occurred to me.

On the interpretation front of the book's story, visuals and plot beats, I don't agree with Nel. I'm not saying he's wrong, just that he and I are coming to the book from different points of view and different literary specializations. I'll highlight our differences in that upcoming re-review / re-reading of Harold and the Purple Crayon. The beauty of the books is how open ended they appear to be, actively inviting a wide range of interpretation.

Five stars

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