Crockett Johnson

Crockett Johnson created spare, expressive pictures in which a simple line could open an entire imagined world. Harold and the Purple Crayon follows a small boy who draws the path, moon, landscape, and adventures he needs as he walks, making the act of illustration part of the story itself. Johnson both wrote and illustrated the book, which opened the enduring Harold series. He was born David Johnson Leisk and published under the name Crockett Johnson. Beyond children's books, he drew the newspaper comic Barnaby from 1942 to 1952, giving its young hero and fairy godfather Mr. O'Malley a similarly understated visual setting. Johnson also illustrated several books by his wife, Ruth Krauss, including The Carrot Seed. That collaboration and his precise cartooning help explain the confidence and economy of Harold's purple line.