Harold and the Purple Crayon: Exploration and Play are Just a Stroke Away (ft. Chris Van Allsburg & Brian Pinkney)
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Do you remember reading Crockett Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon? To his friends and family Crockett was Dave Leisk. You might know him best for the bold purple line that gives shape to the spare illustrations of Harold and Purple Crayon, published in 1955.

In this episode, Chris Van Allsburg and Brian Pinkney reflect on the influence Harold and the Purple Crayon had on them, their work, and the value they believe it offers young readers.

To learn more about Chris Van Allsburg’s, or Brian Pinkney’s books, visit 
https://www.harpercollins.com/search?q=chris+van+allsburg
https://www.harpercollins.com/search?q=brian+pinkney

Do you have a story about how a classic book changed your life? Tweet @readingpod or email us at readingpod@harpercollins.com. Learn more at rememberreading.com. And, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.


[1:55] Does loving Harold and the Purple Crayon as a child guarantee future artistic talent?

[5:47] Bad Day at Riverbend follows the style of a coloring book with a twist.

[10:44] Similar to Brandon's blanket in Brian's book Brandon and the Baby, Harold's purple crayon conjures magic at every turn

[14:17] Brian and Chris embrace play and experimentation in their creative process, albeit with distinct approaches.

[18:36] Artists like Crockett Johnson have a long tradition of mentoring, motivating, and celebrating younger generations’ work.

[23:57] Filmmakers have cracked the story and are bringing Harold and the Purple Crayon to the big screen.

[26:53] Maurice Sendak, Brian, and Chris believe Harold and the Purple Crayon offers value to young readers.


Continue Your Journey:
Brian Pinkney
HarperCollins
Remember Reading Podcast
@ReadingPod on Twitter

Shareables:

“The concept behind Harold and the Purple Crayon was so simple. Something so easily grasped by a child and yet so fruitful in terms of the kind of narrative opportunities. The story you can tell having embraced this simple, magical idea of a crayon that could be used to create the world that Harold moved through.” — Chris Van Allsburg, author and illustrator of Bad Day at Riverbend

“The conclusion I came to, and it might overlap slightly with Harold, but it was the idea that in our lives that fate can be as fickle as a 6-year-old with a yellow crayon.” — Chris Van Allsburg, author and illustrator of Bad Day at Riverbend

“You can create magic in any moment even when things seem like it’s perilous. You can still, you know, use your imagination to come up with a solution.” — Brian Pinkney, author and illustrator of Hey Otter! Hey Beaver!

“Sometimes I'll paint things before I know what they're going to be and I don’t see it until it’s already painted and then I can make, you know, changes and that’s when the play begins.” — Brian Pinkney, author and illustrator of Hey Otter! Hey Beaver!

“It was fascinating to see that the young artists were not only interested in how I taught them art but in me as a person and that I valued what they were making.” — Brian Pinkney, author and illustrator of Hey Otter! Hey Beaver!

“I love it when books become movies because I love seeing how a different format and a different eye and different creative process will envision something.” — Brian Pinkney, author and illustrator of Hey Otter! Hey Beaver!

Harold and the Purple Crayon: Exploration and Play are Just a Stroke Away

Books have the power to inspire young people to take action and make a difference in the world. They open doors to understanding, creating awareness of real-world challenges while fostering a deep, personal connection to these struggles.  

In this episode, we explore stories that motivate and encourage action. Linda Sue Park and Salva Dut describe the journey that inspired A Long Walk to Water, Brian Pinkney returns to discuss the companion book, Nya's Long Walk: One Step at a Time, and Jasmine Warga emphasizes the connection between awareness and activism.

To learn more about Linda Sue Park’s, Jasmine Warga’s or Brian Pinkney’s books, visit 
harpercollins.com/search?q=linda+sue+park
harpercollins.com/search?q=jasmine+warga
harpercollins.com/search?q=Brian+Pinkney


Do you have a story about how a classic book changed your life? Tweet @readingpod or email us at readingpod@harpercollins.com. Learn more at rememberreading.com. And, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.


[2:34] Believing young people should know Salva Dut’s journey, Linda Sue wrote A Long Walk to Water.

[7:10] In Houston, Texas, Jasmine Warga’s sixth-grade students had an immediate connection to Salva’s story.

[8:14] After eleven years of displacement, the chance to go to the U.S. presented Salva with new cultural challenges. 

[12:40] In her book, Other Words from Home, Jasmine reveals the stark contrast between life in Syria before and after the war.

[17:30] Brian Pinkney discusses the challenge of depicting the emotional quality of caring for a younger sibling in his illustrations for the picture book, Nya’s Long Walk: One Step at a Time.

[19:13] Salva’s Water for South Sudan project educates Sudanese people to maintain the more than 600 wells drilled by the non-profit.

[24:10] In Gracie Under the Waves, Linda Sue raises awareness of an environmental issue and calls young people to action.


Continue Your Journey:
Linda Sue Park
Jasmine Warga
HarperCollins
Remember Reading Podcast
@ReadingPod on Twitter

Shareables:

“What meeting Salva did was turn The Lost Boys of Sudan from a news headline into something personal.” — Linda Sue Park, author of A Long Walk to Water 

“Salva's readers have literally raised millions of dollars. You know, they are responsible for hundreds and hundreds of wells that are now serving hundreds of thousands of people.” — Linda Sue Park, author and Newbery Medal winner

“There is an activism component woven into Gracie's story because we only have one planet, and it's in big trouble.” — Linda Sue Park, author and Newbery Medal winner

“What would it be like for me if my cousins from Jordan had come to live with me when I was in seventh grade? Would I have been welcoming to them?” — Jasmine Warga, author of Other Words from Home

“A big part of the book is, do you see what I see? Have you found what I put there for you?” — Jasmine Warga, author of A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall

“After you work that hard and come back the next year to see that the water has really changed life there, people are happy, and they are using it, and they are healthy.” — Salva Dut, Co-founder of Water for South Sudan

A Long Walk to Water: When Books Become a Call to Action

The holidays are a chance to connect with loved ones, share stories, and laugh. The enduring appeal of holiday books lies in their ability to connect with us on a deeply personal level. They invite us to see Christmas through a child’s eyes with their unmatched curiosity, and unfiltered honesty. And, the best Christmas stories transcend cultural boundaries.


In this episode, we explore the comedic, heartfelt genius of Barbara Robinson’s The Best Christmas Pageant Ever the eyes of Barbara's daughter Margie and the Director of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever movie, Dallas Jenkins. We also hear about the challenge of reinterpreting holiday classics like The Night Before Christmas and creating holiday books that reflect the diversity of people and the world we live in from illustrator Loren Long and author Joanna Ho.

To learn more about Barbara Robinson’s, Joanna Ho’s, or Loren Long’s books, visit 
harpercollins.com/search?q=barbara+robinson
harpercollins.com/search?q=joanna+ho
harpercollins.com/search?q=loren+long


Do you have a story about how a classic book changed your life? Tweet @readingpod or email us at readingpod@harpercollins.com. Learn more at rememberreading.com. And, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.


[:54] The Herdman’s rotten charm evokes empathy and understanding.

[6:05] Inspired by those who may be unfamiliar with the nativity story, Barbara wrote The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

[9:07] Illustrator Loren Long offers a modern take on the 200-year-old classic Christmas poem, The Night Before Christmas.

[13:24] Children internalize books and feel the gap when their ancestry is under-represented or not represented.

[18:25] Joanna Ho’s A City Full of Santas was inspired by a city full of Santas.

[26:38] Based on the nativity story, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, is definitely not a church book.


Continue Your Journey:
Joanna Ho
Loren Long
HarperCollins
Remember Reading Podcast
@ReadingPod on Twitter

Shareables:

“It’s a book about something that has traditionally been very holy and austere and I think humor kind of mixes that up a little bit.” — Margie Pinto-Leite, daughter of Barbara Robinson

“You can’t help but love the Herdmans. At the end of the story you just want more of them.” — Margie Pinto-Leite, daughter of Barbara Robinson

“It’s one of those things where you don’t know how much you’ve internalized about the messaging you are receiving from the world.” — Joanna Ho, author of A City Full of Santas

“Anyone who is trying so hard to create magic in this season is often actually just chaos and destruction. And part of that also, I hope, is that we can embrace that and see the beauty in just having that time together which I think is captured so beautifully in the story of the Herdmans.” — Joanna Ho, author of A City Full of Santas

“It's kind of promoted as a kids’ book but I’m telling you, you can read this as an adult.” — Dallas Jenkins, Director of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever movie

“It still impacts people around the world, this notion of sacrificial giving. And, some of us, believers and non, have lost that.” — Dallas Jenkins, Director of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever movie

“If I’m going to do this I wanna bring something new to it. Something contemporary.” — Loren Long, Illustrator of The Night Before Christmas 



The Best Christmas Pageant Ever & The Night Before Christmas: Holiday classics for today (ft. Dallas Jenkins, Margie Pinto-Leite, Loren Long & Joanna Ho)

A family podcast about classic children’s books and the impact they have on us long into adulthood. In each episode, we talk about one popular children's book from the past, uncovering the unique story behind the story. While sitting down with famous, award-winning authors, we investigate the timeless themes in kids’ books.

New tracks tagged #rememberreading