12 Read Alikes for Harold and the Purple Crayon
Harold and the Purple Crayon is a classic in children’s literature, written by Crockett Johnson. It was published in 1955 by Harper Collins. It’s the story of a four-year-old boy who takes a purple crayon on a nighttime adventure drawing the things he needs for a great big adventure. And in just a few weeks, the adorable picture book is being released as a feature-length film.
I like sharing classic literature with readers, while also introducing some more recently published titles that can be used along with it. For this list, I focused on pulling titles that primarily focused on using your imagination with art and what happens when they are used together – especially when it becomes a little fantastical.
I also love finding ways to bring books to life for little ones. A simple and easy idea would be to buy a large roll of craft paper that you can use to cover the entire dining room table or a wall in your house. Give the kids some purple crayons, washable markers, etc., and let them use their own imagination to create artwork, a full story, or something in between.
And mark your calendars for June 30, 2023 to check out Harold and the Purple Crayon on the big screen!
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12 Read Alikes for Harold and the Purple Crayon
Art & Max by David Weisner
Max and Arthur are friends who share an interest in painting. Arthur is an accomplished painter; Max is a beginner. Max’s first attempt at using a paintbrush sends the two friends on a whirlwind trip through various artistic media, which turn out to have unexpected pitfalls. Although Max is inexperienced, he’s courageous and a quick learner. His energy and enthusiasm bring the adventure to its triumphant conclusion. Beginners everywhere will take heart.
Chalk by Bill Thomson
A rainy day. Three kids in a park. A dinosaur spring rider. A bag of chalk. The kids begin to draw…and then…magic! The children draw the sun, butterflies, and a dinosaur that amazingly come to life. Children will never feel the same about the playground after they experience this astounding wordless picture book and the power of the imagination.
Follow the Line by Laura Ljungkvist
Follow the line…into a board book! Re-imagined in a new format for the littlest readers, Follow This Line takes you on an adventure across varying landscapes by tracing a continuous line throughout the book. Starting on the front cover, the line zigs and zags across scenes both urban and pastoral, playfully spiraling into the shapes of animals, faces, buildings, vehicles and more, all without breaking its stride. Along their journey, kids will be asked to count, sort, and identify objects, creating an entertaining opportunity to practice early concepts through these attractive, whimsical, Scandinavian-style designs.
Journey by Aaron Becker
A lonely girl draws a magic door on her bedroom wall and through it escapes into a world where wonder, adventure, and danger abound. Red marker in hand, she creates a boat, a balloon, and a flying carpet that carry her on a spectacular journey toward an uncertain destiny. When she is captured by a sinister emperor, only an act of tremendous courage and kindness can set her free. Can it also lead her home and to her heart’s desire? With supple line, luminous color, and nimble flights of fancy, author-illustrator Aaron Becker launches an ordinary child on an extraordinary journey toward her greatest and most exciting adventure of all.
The Line by Paula Bossio
In this deceptively simple wordless picture book, a small girl finds the end of a long black line and picks it up. She wiggles the line, slides down it and spins inside circles made from it. In her hands, the line transforms into bubbles to blow, a jungle vine to swing from and a tightrope to balance on. The girl is having such a good time! Until suddenly, the line turns into a big, hungry monster! Oh, no! Will the little girl be eaten, or will another surprise twist to the line save her from the frightening creature? Young children will become instantly involved in this story, curious to see what’s next for the magical line that is transformed again and again, and delighted by the surprise on the last page, where the drawer of the line is revealed.
Line and Scribble by Debora Vogrig, illustrated by Pia Valentinis
Line and Scribble do things differently. Line goes straight while Scribble wanders. Line walks a tightrope as Scribble bursts into fireworks. Line likes to draw with a ruler, and Scribble, well… doesn’t.
Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
A box is just a box…unless it’s not a box. From mountain to rocket ship, a small rabbit shows that a box will go as far as the imagination allows.
The Squiggle by Carole Lexa Schaefer, illustrated by Pierr Morgan
What magic can be found in a piece of string? The magic of a million incarnations–when the string is found by an imaginative little girl who spies it on the sidewalk. Slither, slish–it could be the dance of a scaly dragon. Or, push-a-pat–the top of the Great Wall of China.
This Is Sadie by Sara O’Leary, illustrated by Julie Morstad
Sadie is a little girl with a big imagination. She has been a girl who lived under the sea and a boy raised by wolves. She has had adventures in wonderland and visited the world of fairytales. Sadie whispers to the dresses in her closet and talks to birds in the treetops. She has wings that take her anywhere she wants to go, but that always bring her home again. She likes to make things — boats out of boxes and castles out of cushions. But more than anything Sadie likes stories, because you can make them from nothing at all. For Sadie, the world is so full of wonderful possibilities … This is Sadie, and this is her story.
Time Out! by Ale Barba
CRASH! A young boy has made a mess, and his mother sends him to his room for a Time Out. But is Time Out really such a punishment? Not when you have a spaceship to board, a starry sky to visit, and a moon to circle around!
With a bedroom full of boxes-turned-spaceship, an off-page mother counting down the Time Out, and a little boy who simply refuses to sit still, this adorable picture book celebrates imagination and brings readers along on a trip through the outer reaches of our planet and our minds.
The White Book by Silvia Borando, Elisabetta Pica, and Lorenzo Clerici
Roller in hand, a boy starts to paint a blank wall. First it’s a plain coat of pink. Then six birds emerge, perched on a branch… Wait, they were there a minute ago! Then he tries the blue paint, and it happens again: fourteen fish swimming in formation, until green paint reveals a giant dinosaur with big teeth and a mind of its own. Whether gray, yellow, purple, or orange, each spread draws on visual humor and an array of unpredictable animals to yield a bigger surprise, right up to the warm and rewarding finale.
The Whole Hole Story by Vivian McInerny, illustrated by Ken Lamug
Zia is used to the hole in her pocket—she frequently fills it with frogs and other objects. And as it gets bigger and bigger, she starts to wonder what might happen . . . if she fell right through. Would she cover it with a blanket to catch an elephant, or dig a tunnel to the other side of the world? The possibilities are endless, and readers will love following Zia’s adventurous imagination from beginning to end.
