Quotes

I was reading The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, by Catherynne M. Valente, and I stumbled across a quote that I really liked:

"September expected that destinies, which is how she thought of professions, simply landed upon one like a crown, and ever after no one questioned or fretted over it, being sure of one's own use in the world. it was only that somehow her crown had not yet appeared. She did hope it would hurry up."

I don't know if that is how destinies work, but I sure wish that I knew. Maybe then I could get mine to come along. And lest you worry that this is a spoiler for the whole book, well, it isn't. But you should read the book. The whole time I was reading, I kept thinking, "How did the author come up with this? It is so original and clever!"

And I hope that Ms. (Mrs.?) Valente doesn't mind that I used a quote from her book.

Where's MY crayon?

Lately, my nephew has taken a great liking the the Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. Being the one who usually ends up reading them to him (somehow his mom can always finagle reading the latest library books), I can see why. There are three particular things I love about these books. And, by these books, let me specify. The ones I have been reading for the past couple of weeks are:

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Harold's Fairy Tale

Harold's Trip to the Sky

Harold's Circus

So, what is so great about these books? First, the art. I read these books and I absolutely love the simplicity. We're talking two colors, simple drawings, nothing fancy. And I love it because it is the kind of art a child would draw, and because it makes me feel like I could draw too. (Of course, if I were to try, it wouldn't go quite like my mind envisioned it, but still--it does make me feel like I could be an artist). 

Second, the stories are terrific. The plot is all about drawing things with a crayon and the adventures you can have doing so. Such a simple concept but so delightful. And again, it is so very much what a child would do. Maybe not with crayons, but with blocks or boxes or other toys. Children have a knack for taking simple, simple things and imagining great adventures with them. 

Thirds, the vocabulary. This stands out to me because Johnson isn't trying to dumb it down at all. My nephew is three and I know he doesn't understand what each and every one of those words means, but it doesn't matter. He enjoys those stories, and they are fun for me to read because they aren't dumbed down. This gives me hope for my own writing, because I love a clever turn of phrase and I always worry that I'm using words that are too big for my intended audience (which is generally younger kids). Seeing that vocab isn't a hangup for a young kid enjoying these books makes me think that my own writing could be published someday. 

So, there you have it. Three great reasons to love Harold and his wonderful purple crayon. Although, if it were my nephew with a crayon, he'd choose green.