Reddit reviews Harold and the Purple Crayon (Purple Crayon Books)

This reminds me of my favorite childrens' book, Harold and the Purple Crayon, when he washes up on a desert island so draws himself a picnic with 13 different kinds of pie, eats one piece of each pie, and then draws a porcupine and a moose to finish the rest.

Congratulations!

My kids are now adults, and I teach young children. Over the years, these are the books for very young children that I have found to have the most staying power.

Infant/Toddler/Early childhood books: (you can read these to a child under 1 year, he or she will appreciate the rhythmic sounds, and both words and pictures acquire meaning as time goes on.)

Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown (simply the best parental bonding books)

What Do People Do All Day by Richard Scarry

PeekABoo, The Jolly Postman and Each Pear Each Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
All three books have engaging text and illustrations that both child and adult can appreciate.

Little Blue and Little Yellow This book, in my opinion, is a work of art on several levels. Kids never get tired of its reassurance.

No, David by David Shannon (but IMO the other David books are not nearly as good)

Caps for Sale Another book with repetitive rhythms for children, with an amusing story

Blueberries for Sal A classic that has stood the test of time, I still read this to the class every fall.

The Lion and the Mouse This is Aesop's fable, told with no words, only Jerry Pinkney's amazing illustrations. Two, three and four year olds ask for this story over and over again.

Other favorites:

The Tenth Good Thing About Barney

Ferdinand the Bull

The Cat in the Hat

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Authors to consider: Jan Brett, Shel Silverstein, Judith Viorst, E. B.White, Frank Asch, Roald Dahl.

Robert Munsch gets mixed reviews but to me, The Paperbag Princess is a must.

reading is awesome

I have a whole children's books list for work. I take this opportunity to list some of my favorite books on my list for all to see.

The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle. A delightfully repetitious book that children can join in on about a pompous ladybug who pretends to be tough but in reality is not very tough. "Hey you! Want to fight?!"

The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf. A book about a pacifist bull who refuses to bullfight. I love this story as a way to highlight introverts and pacifists instead of macho, extroverts like most books do.

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. How do you even describe this book? Harold uses a magical crayon that creates whatever he draws. His adventures are created by himself. He causes mischief and gets out of mischief all by his own creations.

Spoon by Amy Rosenthal. This is about a spoon that is uncertain with its place in the world. He believes that knives, forks, and chopsticks get to have all the fun. His parents teach him otherwise. Who else gets to eat ice cream?!

Henny Penny by Paul Galdone. The sky is falling and Henny Penny must tell the King! A fun nonsense rhyming book with repetition that children can join in the refrain.

Corduroy by Don Freeman. A stuffed bear in a department store is almost purchased by a little girl until her mother tells her that she spent too much money and the bear is missing a button. Corduroy ventures off through the department store to find his button. I love this little story. Plus the linked version comes with a Corduroy!

Mr. Gumpy's Outing by John Buningham. The amazon summary is probably better than what I would say: It's a pleasant day, so Mr. Gumpy decides to go for a boat ride. Each barnyard animal begs to join him, and Mr. Gumpy agrees-as long as each behaves! Two children join the fun, and as soon as the boat is launched, everyone does exactly what Mr. Gumpy asked them not to do.

Some honorable mentions from my list: Knuffle Bunny, A Visitor for Bear, I Got Two Dogs, I Ain't Gonna Paint No More, The Three Pigs, The Big Green Monster (someone else already posted this!)

Oh god, I could spend hours in this topic. I have so many books already that are not on my list. I may be stealing this idea for a contest later this week. Thank you for the contest. Reading is awesome and I love instilling a passion for reading in preschoolers.

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Great children's book.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

The Little Engine That Could

Make Way for Duckings

Harold and the Purple Crayon

A Snowy Day

Do Not Open This Book

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Yeah, I second the book idea. Not totally unique but I think three to five books for kids that you loved when you were a child or that your child loves are great. That's what I always go with and that's what we used to do when I would go shopping with my mom. My faves that aren't super obvious (i.e. not "Good Night Moon") are Jamberry, Jesse Bear What Will You Wear (that's my name, so, I loved it, obviously), Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (huge hit for me and later for my sis, which would make sense if you know the plot), Snow Day, and Happy Birthday Moon.

If you want to go absolute classics, these are some of my faves: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, In the Night Kitchen, The Giving Tree, and Harold and the Purple Crayon (Probably my favorite children's book of all time).

Hope that helps!

Edit: formatting

Harold and the Purple Crayon

I really liked The Monster at the End of this Book, The Poky Little Puppy, Persnickety, Corduroy, Where the Wild Things Are, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, The Rainbow Fish, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, The Stinky Cheese Man, Miss Nelson is Missing, Go Away Big Green Monster, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Stone Soup, Frog and Toad, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, and, of course, every Dr. Seuss book.

Thanks! I had fun channeling my inner Harold (and the Purple Crayon).

For a one year old? You can't go wrong with Pat the Bunny. I'm surprised, I don't see that anyone else has posted that one yet. That was my brothers' favorite book when they were growing up. Textile and all.

For my stepdaughter, and for my nieces and nephews, I really want to get my hands on Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, which my brothers and I enjoyed for many, many years. All of the kids in my life are under eight years old, so I know they'd love it!

Of course, you can never go wrong with Green Eggs and Ham. Or any Dr. Seuss. But, hey, I know that stuff can get old. I've recommended many of the others I see already listed here, but Pat The Bunny, or also Harold and the Purple Crayon, are probably really good for your daughter!

Thanks for the contest!