Product Description

Harold loves to read about dinosaurs -- flying dinosaurs, spiky dinosaurs, and the big, long-necked kind. With his trusty purple crayon in hand he goes to visit them.

Harold quickly finds himself in all sorts of trouble! He meets some unfriendly dinosaurs and is even chased by hot lava. Luckily, Harold is quick on his feet and quick on the draw. He is able to save himself and all his new prehistoric friends.

Generations of children have enjoyed Harold's imaginative adventures. This engaging new story will delight fans, old and new.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #395495 in Books
• Published on: 2002-12-01
• Released on: 2002-12-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-The youngster's amazing purple crayon draws him into yet another adventure in this book based on the HBO animated series of Harold's adventures (with no mention of Crockett Johnson's name in it). When the child can't sleep, he decides to read his favorite book in bed. Wondering what it would be like to ride "a big, long-necked dinosaur," he picks up his purple crayon to find out. Naturally, one thing leads to another as Harold explores the jungle, drops into a pterodactyl's nest, and saves the dinosaurs from an erupting volcano. Though this story is not as fresh as Crockett Johnson's original, Harold's imaginative mind and the dinos are a winning combination, providing plenty of child appeal. An additional purchase.
Robin L. Gibson, Perry County District Library, New Lexington, OH
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
PreS-Gr. 1. Looking at his dinosaur book, Harold decides that he'd like to ride a dinosaur, so he sets out to find one by drawing a jungle. He meets several dinosaurs, saves some from a lava flow and one from a pool of tar, rides on one's back, then goes home. In the illustrations, which appear to be digital, Harold's room is shown in muted tones, while the dinosaur terrain is usually depicted in bright, saturated colors. Though Harold carries his purple crayon around wherever he goes, it's more of an identifying prop than an essential, creative tool that Harold wields to define the setting and characters and determine the action. With a story "based on a teleplay," this picture book will disappoint fans of Crockett Johnson's magical little books, though it may satisfy fans of the HBO series. They won't know what they're missing. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Just not ... Harold
I have to agree with the other reviewers--these newer, more colorful Harold books... miss the point entirely. In this book, Harold and his crayon dont seem to have much to do with the world around him; the story is disjointed; the prose is wooden... Where's Harold's ingenuity? (ok, ONE instance of 'drawing/thinking on his feet) Where are the accidental strokes that he turns into strokes of genius?

Harold and the Purple Crayon was the first book I ever checked out of the library and it was magical... and, by extension, made the library seem a magical place of infinite possibility--like my own purple crayon. The simple line drawings with just that purple crayon prove to our little ones (and us!) that imagination is the only tool you need for magic... Conversely, these slick multicolored books have no magic.

OK, but inacurate
If your 4 year old is like mine, he will quickly point out that what the book calls a pterodactyl is actually a pteranadon. otherwise it is an o.k. book. It could be a little bit longer.

Harold and the Purple Crayon: Dinosaur Days (Harold and the Purple Crayon)
My four year old son loves this book, he loves to read it before bed and pretend he can go on the adventure with Harold.