Awards

• Winner of Winner of the PROSE award in Literature, 2025.

Overview

A biography of the book that inspired Prince to adopt purple as his signature color, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Richard Powers to become a writer, and countless other creative people to become artists.A primer on the art and design of children's picture books, renowned children's literature scholar Philip Nel takes the reader on an illustrated tour through all that made Crockett Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon an astonishing success: from Harold's clear line, Johnson's carefully planned improvisation, the Garamond typeface, the real

Full Product Details

9780197777596

Table of Contents

Reviews

Philip Nel's enlightening book, How to Draw the World: Harold and the Purple Crayon, and the Making of a Children's Classic, reads as though Nel himself were using a magic crayon to explore the importance of creativity. His book is a remarkable biography and autobiography, a creative analysis of Crockett Johnson's marvelous works. Nel captures their essence and significance for young and old. * Jack Zipes, Author of Ernst Bloch, The Pugnacious Philosopher of Hope and The Original Bambi: The Story of a Life in the Forest * Nel praises, properly, Johnson's purple prose and pictures. A perfect book for reading under a purple moon. * Lane Smith, Caldecott Honor winner & author and illustrator of the New York Times bestseller It's a Book * Forest Harold drew a world of possibilities for all us childhood dreamers. Now Phil Nel draws us into the life of Harold's creator--in all its scribbly contours. A delightful portrait. * Scott McCloud, Author of Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art and Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels *

Philip Nel's enlightening book, How to Draw the World: Harold and the Purple Crayon, and the Making of a Children's Classic, reads as though Nel himself were using a magic crayon to explore the importance of creativity. His book is a remarkable biography and autobiography, a creative analysis of Crockett Johnson's marvelous works. Nel captures their essence and significance for young and old. * Jack Zipes, Author of Ernst Bloch, The Pugnacious Philosopher of Hope and The Original Bambi: The Story of a Life in the Forest * Nel praises, properly, Johnson's purple prose and pictures. A perfect book for reading under a purple moon. * Lane Smith, Caldecott Honor winner & author and illustrator of the New York Times bestseller It's a Book * Philip Nel's enlightening book, How to Draw the World: Harold and the Purple Crayon, and the Making of a Childre's Classic, reads as though Nel himself were using a magic crayon to explore the importance of creativity. His book is a remarkable biography and autobiography, a creative analysis of Crockett Johnson's marvelous works. Nel captures their essence and significance for young and old. * Jack Zipes, Author of Ernst Bloch, The Pugnacious Philosopher of Hope and The Original Bambi: The Story of a Life in the Forest * Harold drew a world of possibilities for all us childhood dreamers. Now Phil Nel draws us into the life of Harold's creator--in all its scribbly contours. A delightful portrait. * Scott McCloud, Author of Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art and Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels *

Author Information

Philip Nel is University Distinguished Professor of English at Kansas State University and the author or co-editor of 13 books, including: Keywords for Children's Literature (with Nina Christensen and Lissa Paul) and a double-biography of the children's writers Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss. His Was the Cat in the Hat Black?: The Hidden Racism of Children's Literature and the Need for Diverse Books was one of the catalysts for Dr. Seuss Enterprises' March 2021 decision to stop publishing six Dr. Seuss books that contain racist imagery.

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