Harold & the Purple Crayon (1955), may I introduce Xander and the Red Sharpie (2007)

Harold and the Purple Crayon was written by Crockett Johnson in 1955.  It is the much beloved story of a little boy with a penchant for, you guessed it, purple crayon.  Harold creates an entire world using only his imagination and a brightly coloured crayon.  Now, at first glance, this book is a cute, innocent children’s story that has delighted children for over 50 years.

Having said that, let us look at this book from the mother’s perspective, shall we?  This child, cute as a button though he may be, has taken his crayon and drawn trees, a boat, buildings, nay, an ENTIRE CITY on his wall!  How the heck am I going to get rid of this???

According to The Super Stain Remover Book by Jack Cassimatis, if you have a painted wall, “rub with toothpaste and leave for 15 minutes.  Wash off.”  If you have wallpaper, “spread a sheet of blotting paper over the area and rub with a hot iron.  May require repetition.”

How to Clean and Care for Practically Anything by the Editors of Consumer Reports, advises that you “scrape excess crayon off with dull-edged knife or metal spoon.  Spray with WD-40 and let stand for a few minutes.  With a small, stiff bristle brush, work into the stain and wipe with white paper towels.  Respray with WD-40 and apply detergent solution to the sprayed area; work in with the brush, and blot.  Then rinse.  For more tips, visit Crayola’s website (www.crayola.com)”.

If you can’t get enough of Harold and his rotten purple crayon, Mr. Johnson wrote Harold and the North Pole in 1957.  It is interesting to note that it was first published in “Good Housekeeping” magazine.

I have a new one for Mr. Johnson – it’s called “Xander and the Red Sharpie”. That is the reality in my house.  The solution for that one is neither blotting paper, WD-40 nor toothpaste.  In my experience, the ONLY WAY to get red permanent marker (and they do mean permanent) out of a white carpet is to call the insurance company and get out the cheque book. 

(Check out any of the above books in our library!  Just remember to tell your child that Harold and the Purple Crayon is a STORY, not a suggestion).