Customer Reviews

Harold at the North Pole

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Harold and the Purple Crayon Series are wonderful. Harold is a little boy with a round head (around long before Charlie Brown) with a little purple crayon and a big imagination. In the North Pole book, Harold has set out on Christmas Eve to find a Christmas tree. Along the way, Harold ends up helping Santa but needs to hurry to find a tree to have it ready for Santa's visit. The simple line drawings are wonderful for younger readers yet there is always a charm to them. Harold inspires kids on so many levels; he's great for children who are timid, he's great for the mighty little explorers and he's great for kids who like to draw but feel intimidated by other artists.

It's Christmas Eve, Harold doesn't have his tree yet and he decides he needs one before Santa arrives. So armed with his imagination and his purple crayon, Harold sets off for the north woods to find the perfect tree. He follows the north star, encounters a blizzard, meets a snowman and continues to "draw" his way to the North Pole. There he finds Santa in trouble. He's snowed in and can't get his sleigh, reindeer and sack of toys out of his workshop, which is covered by drifts. Lucky for us, Harold comes to the rescue and lends Santa a hand, sending him on his way to deliver presents to boys and girls all over the world.....Crockett Johnson has created a simple, gentle and really ingenious story, showing the very clever Harold at his best. Those who love Harold and the Purple Crayon, will find this holiday adventure just as wonderful and inventive. Harold at the North Pole will delight and amuse all pre-schoolers, as he helps your youngster welcome in the holiday season.

My three year old loves this book. He brings it to storytime everyday! My five year old will even sit through this one.

The original books are wonderful and tell a wonderful story. You can't go wrong. But I like how the 2002 HBO series started and ended the story the same... The original books do not follow that same premise..."It was Harold's bedtime..." and "Harold dropped off to sleep and his purple crayon dropped to the floor."

For anyone who isn't aware of Harold and his purple crayon adventures, you have GOT to get these books and DVDs for your young child. So incredibly simple, yet so engaging. Don't let the lack of fancy pictures keep you from reading these little treasures...they are timeless and wonderful!

The first Harold book you should buy is the original. Unlike some of the subsequent titles, Harold at the North Pole was in fact written and illustrated by Crockett Johnson, and published just two years after the original.

Harold is empowering to young children. He goes places most children don't. (Most adults, even!) We understand his "adventures" to be dreams. Remember that when the first Harold was written in 1955, many children lived in homes without television sets. Using imagination was how kids played. If only that were still true today.

This adventure is the perfect one to pull off the shelf in December. Like the seasonally ubiquitous Rudolph, Harold saves the day for Santa. You might not notice after the first reading, but the story comes nicely full circle. (Look for the moon.) This particular edition (the 1998 hardcover from HarperCollins) is extra sturdy yet small enough for children to hold easily. Give this to your child in the weeks before Christmas and share some purple holiday magic together.

Harold and his majic crayon will bring you on many journies and open the world to places you have never been but will teach you how to find them. Every parent needs to have Harold Book for their child(ren) whether it be one book or an entire sent of Harold book you can never go wrong with Harold and His Majic Crayon. Not only will your children delight with Harold but you will learn the secret of the majic crayon and when you do your life will be changed forever.