Day 21: Harold and the Purple Crayon

We got a hand-me-down  copy of this book when my son was one, but, as I didn't think he was quite ready for it yet, I put it away in his closet to be revisited later.  Last week, a new friend of the blog, Rose, mentioned this as one of her favorites and I remembered that we had it somewhere.  I wish I had remembered to look for it earlier.  What a wonderful book!  My son and I instantly fell in love with this fabulous story of imagination.  "One night, after thinking it over for some time, Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight."  So off he goes, armed with only his purple crayon, to create a marvelous adventure for himself.  The illustrations are perfectly simple, and I love the way Harold meanders along and decides what he should do and draw next.  And following him the whole way, of course, is the moon that started everything.  My favorite part of the story might be the very end, when he remembers where he can find his bedroom window:  right around the moon, of course!  Most of all, I absolutely love the fact that this is a book about the beauty of creativity and the power of one's imagination.  If you are like me and love watching your child's imagination take flight, this is an absolute must-read.  Have your little ones guess what Harold might do next, or ask what they would draw.  Create your own Harold-like story together and see where their imagination takes you.  It can be easy to forget, but sometimes all we really need to have a great adventure is as simple as a purple crayon.