Friday Book Reviews: Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson and Journey by Aaron Becker

By Carol Baicker-McKee

I love pairing up picture books when I read to kids - the tension between the two books can generate as much lively discussion as what's in each book. That's the case with the two books I'm reviewing today as another "Something Old, Something New" picture book pairing.

Something Old: Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson (1955)

Johnson's simple but oh-so-appealing and creative book has been in print continuously for the nearly 60 years since it first appeared and routinely appears in top picture book lists - and it's easy to see why. The small volume features a young boy, a purple crayon - and an imagination come to life. Harold takes his purple crayon on a nighttime journey that he creates for himself as he goes. There is tension and humor along with a spare text and equally spare graphic loveliness.

The story is so well loved that it has spawned spinoffs in many media: in addition to the six other Harold books that Johnson created, there are a short film, animations of several of the other Harold titles, a documentary, a thirteen-episode TV series, an iPad app, theater adaptations - and a computer-animated feature film in the works. (It was to have been produced by Maurice Sendak, but following his death, Steven Spielberg has taken over.)

This is a book every child should know - and preferably, own.

Johnson (1906-1977), whose real name was David Johnson Leisk, came to children's books from careers in commercial art and cartooning (he did the popular strip Barnaby - Harold strongly resembles its protagonist). He also illustrated the classic story The Carrot Seed, written by his wife, the renowned children's writer Ruth Krauss. (That's another book every child should know.)

Something New: Journey by Aaron Becker (2013)

Okay, I'm just going to say it. This is the book I hope wins this year's Caldecott. Even though it's yet another book illustrated by a man instead of a woman (and you can read how I feel about that). Even though it's yet another wordless book. Even though it's yet another obvious retelling rather than an original story. It's that breathtakingly gorgeous, that magical, that well done. I want one of the signed giclee prints for Christmas (of the treehouse, of course, if anyone from my family is reading this - though the treehouse doesn't appear in the book). I'll settle for an autographed copy of the book though.

Many reviewers (who shall go unnamed here, but are easy to find with a Google search) have noted the similarity of Journey to Harold and the Purple Crayon - and some have done it in a way that seems to me to imply disdain, as if Becker were stealing an idea and trying to put one over on us. BUT it's a completely obvious homage. Becker borrows images and events from the Harold books and mashes them together in a way that's new while evocative.

Here I've juxtaposed a page from Journey with its inspiration from Harold and the Purple Crayon:

And here's another Journey page with the image from Harold and the Fairy Tale (1956) that surely prompted it:

(Becker also borrows from other well known tales -- such as his use of a near colorless palette in the girl's real world that's supplanted by vivid color in the fantasy world, ala The Wizard of Oz.) He even...

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!

...inserts Harold, complete with purple crayon and its magical abilities, at the end of the story.

If Becker had wanted to hide what he was up to, I'm sure he sure could have been a lot more subtle.

The children's book field is littered with retellings and homages - Journey is nothing new in this respect. They're often vehicles publishers suggest to illustrators, as a way to let them create a book and garner both the writing and illustrating royalties even if they aren't skilled writers. The only thing that's different in this instance, really, is that instead of being inspired by an ancient folktale, Becker takes his inspiration from a more recent classic, with a known author-illustrator.

Aaron Becker, like Crockett, comes to illustration from another art field - from film-making. His website, storybreathing, showcases his many talents and includes lots of fascinating goodies about the book, including a trailer that's simply amazing and a fascinating video on the making of the book.

Sharing these Books with Kids
First, please note that these books are for the older end of the picture book range (and continue through adults). Many toddlers will find some of the images scary (even in Harold I've seen little ones frightened by the dragon or the water going over Harold's head.) I'm always inclined to read both books, Harold first, without noting the similar stories and wait a bit to see whether the kids catch it on their own.

From there, you can let them comb the books, looking for similarities (be sure to have the other Harold stories available too, for the images borrowed from them). After that, you can have a conversation about the ways they are different and wonder about the whys - the use of color and detail, the use of words (or not), the inclusion of back story, the gender of the main characters, the colors of their respective crayons, the resolutions of the stories, and so on. Even the difference in size, shape, and size is interesting to talk about. Talk about which the kids like better as well as the different kinds of feelings produced by the two illustrators' approaches.

With older kids, you can broach some even more interesting topics like these:
1) In both books, the kids can control their worlds by what they draw. Why do you suppose both end up drawing scary things?
2) How do the kids get out of tough situations, using their crayons? Was there ever a time you wished you had a magical crayon to get you out of a tough situation? What would you have drawn?
3) If you were making up your own world, what would you put in it? What would you leave out? Why?

Making These Books a Special Gift
I plan on giving these as a set this holiday season, and I'll make the gift extra special by including:

• A crayon (perhaps green. Or blue. Or maybe a box of crayons. Haven't decided...),
• Watercolors or tempera paints or a set of markers or colored pencils for experimenting with color
• Maybe some different media, to encourage yet another approach to the story? Maybe cardstock and lightweight cardboard, chenille stems,clay? paper-mache?), along with scissors and tape or glue to experiment with a 3-D telling,
• A roll of paper - there's something about a whole lo-o-o-o-ong blank page that spurs imaginative drawing
• A blank book

For older kids, you can't go wrong by giving them some artist-quality materials - it makes such a difference in the quality of what they can make. And perhaps more importantly, it makes them feel respected and capable - and what better gift is there than that?

Holiday Book Picks: Search-and-Find Treats from Walter Wick and Joan Steiner

Something Old, Something New: Paired Picture Book Reviews
by Carol Baicker-McKee

This is the first of a new feature on our blog - reviews of picture books that pair up a recently released title with a complementary old favorite or forgotten treasure. I plan to focus on books of visual distinction; Kitty Griffin will target books that stand out for their language and story.

We welcome suggestions for titles in either category!

NEW!

Can You See What I See? Toyland Express: Picture Puzzles to Search and Solve

BY: Walter Wick
Published by Scholastic, 2011

WHAT'S SO GREAT: This intriguing puzzle book features a dozen beautifully photographed, super-detailed, and richly colorful scenes with lists of objects to find. What makes it stand out even more is the sweet story - the spreads follow the "life" of a toy train from workshop to attic and back to being loved again.

WHO MIGHT ENJOY THIS: The publisher describes the book as for ages 6 and up. The "up" is definitely right; most adults enjoy these puzzles too. But "down" works too: preschoolers might need help narrowing their searches, but in my experience they also really like Walter Wick's books. This book will especially appeal to kids who like detailed artwork and visual puzzles.

FIRST PAGE: Shoot! I forgot to photograph it when I examined this at the bookstore. But you can see the first pages (and others) using the "Look Inside" feature on the Amazon page for this book here. The photo shows a toymaker's shop with the train being built and the rhyming text lists 20 objects to hunt for. Sample:

Can you see what I see?

2 balls, a birdhouse,

a pencil, a pail,

a ball of string,

a long cat tail...

MORE TO KNOW: This is the 8th book in Wick's Can You See What I See? series. Wick is also the co-creator with Jean Marzollo of the classic I Spy series, also from Scholastic. He has an interesting website you can visit here, and there's also a great video about the making of this book you can access by clicking on the link on his website. Wick also has a keen interest in science and illusions - check out his books A Drop of Water and Optical Tricks.

OLD!
Look-Alikes Christmas

BY: Joan Steiner.
Published by Little, Brown, 2003.

WHAT'S SO GREAT: The book showcases 9 detailed holiday scenes, ranging from Santa's Workshop to department store windows to a toy train beneath the tree. This might just seem like an excellent copycat of Walter Wick's books - except the objects in all of Steiner's books aren't what they seem at first glance. Look more closely and you'll discover in the Nutcracker scene, for instance, that Clara is wearing a badminton birdie, the doors are actually white chocolate candy bars, and the curtains are a woman's long hair, held back by barrettes. The challenge is to identify all the "look-alikes" used to construct the scenes - and they are clever puzzles indeed.

WHO MIGHT ENJOY THIS: No age range listed, but like Wick's book will be enjoyed by 6 and up, with preschoolers getting pleasure sharing it with an older reader. Detail-lovers, puzzle-lovers, and those with a creative bent will especially get a kick out it.

One caveat: several reader reviews on Amazon noted that the outdoor scene includes items they found objectionable (there's a toy skeleton draped with a lacy bra to look like a snow covered mountain). I read this book with several young kids who weren't frightened at all and who found the presence of undergarments hilarious - but be forewarned if you or your kids would see it differently.

FIRST PAGE:

MORE TO KNOW: This was one of a series of Look-Alikes books by Steiner, including several Look-Alikes, Jr. books with simplified images aimed at younger kids. Sadly, there will be no more masterpieces from Joan Steiner; the creator died of cancer in September, 2010. You can read interesting obituaries about her here and here. Steiner's studio was once featured in the now defunct Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion Magazine and shows her working on this book.
One more interesting fact: Walter Wick has photographed other Look-Alikes scenes for Steiner.

WHERE YOU MIGHT FIND THIS OLD BOOK: Hooray! It's still in print. New copies are available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and there are plenty of used copies floating around too. Most local libraries likely have copies - but they may be well-thumbed.


MORE LIKE THESE!
Other good search-and-find books include the now classic Where's Waldo series by Martin Handsford, and the book about an adventuresome orangutan that some feel inspired Handsford, Where's Wallace by Hilary Knight (the illustrator of the Eloise books), first published in 1964 and republished in paperback in 1991. For toddlers and preschoolers, The Baby's Catalogue and Each Peach, Pear, Plum by the British writer-illustrator couple Janet and Allan Ahlberg offer similar visual delights.