Friday, January 04, 2008

Color Me Purple -- Robin

"One night, after thinking it over for some time, Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight."

I have read this first line of Harold and the Purple Crayon to my son regularly for years. But that was as far in the book as I could get because he always responded, “Nuh-uh,” then closed the book and grabbed his dinosaur encyclopedia instead.

Finally, just the other night, he carefully slid it out of the vertical stacks of books on his shelf and said, “Let’s read this one, Mommy.”

We sat on his bed and read it together, each enjoying it immensely, but each getting something totally different out of the book. My son liked the fact that it was a magic crayon. And he liked guessing what Harold was going to draw on the next page.

I enjoyed figuring out how Harold was going to get out of this ridiculous mess he’d got himself into! It had been years since I’d read the book and I’d forgotten how Harold got home. (But hey—if you need the name of any predatory dinosaur, I’m your girl!)

I figured that since Harold had drawn himself a boat when he found himself in deep water, he’d just draw himself a car and a nice detailed map in order to get himself back to his cozy bedroom. But that’s not what happened.

The story ended up being about perspective. That if you look at a problem in a different way, you might just figure it out. Harold created an entire city with many windows, but he realized that none of them were his. Then, he remembered how he used to see the moon through the window of his room. Which meant all he needed to do was draw a box around the moon…and he’d be back inside looking out.

When we got to that page in the book, I tried to explain to my son that Harold was now inside his bedroom looking out. His eyes got huge and I was afraid his brain was going to explode. I thought he’d never want to read the book again. But that’s not what happened.

The next morning, at 6:30 a.m., my boy tip-toed into my bedroom, placed the book next to me and whispered, “I want to draw a city…just like Harold.”

So he did...

- Robin

13 comments:

laurasalas said...

Lovely story--thanks for sharing. We all need a magic crayon sometimes!

Stephanie J. Blake said...

Thanks Robin for sharing I mean. And for reminding me that it IS all about perspective.

Katie said...

Robin, he is an artist! I LOVE that drawing!!! and it's way advanced for his age! Get that boy some art lessons - he's a natural :-)

Disco Mermaids said...

Katie, from what I've been told, Daddy did help *some.* So it may have to be Father/Son art classes.

But my son is very interested in drawing geometric shapes, so this was the perfect art project for him. I may have a little architect on my hands!

;-)
Robin

CJ Omololu said...

Suitable for framing! I love it. Sometimes we have to wait for when the kids are ready, not when we are.

Anonymous said...

How much do I love that picture???

my two hopeful wings said...

So glad I checked your blog today. Some of my most favorite things are mom and child conversations, children's books, and "kid art"! Hope your new year is happy!

Wild About Words said...

Robin,

Thanks for sharing. Very sweet!

Donna

Disco Mermaids said...

Cutest picture ever, Robin! Seriously, I would love to make a print and frame it for my office. Or my dining room. Or somewhere.

I think Luke and Jayson should take that art show on the road...that's some serious talent!

Eve :)

Anonymous said...

My brain explodes quite often. I hate when that happens. Great drawing!

Greg

Anonymous said...

So sweet!

Rita said...

I LOVE this!! This post, this drawing, this photo! Genius!! :D

austheke said...

i've loved that story for a really long time. tell your son i approve of his reading taste. :]