Power of Art, Creativity, and Imagination in Children’s...

Power of Art, Creativity, and Imagination in Children’s Literature â€Å"Imagination is the true magic carpet ride,† as Norman Vincent Peale once said. Indeed this proves to be true in Crockett Johnson’s, Harold and the Purple Crayon, when Harold, a small boy with a large imagination, creates his world using a purple crayon. Also, Leo Lionni uses a mouse named Fredrick to capture â€Å"colors† and â€Å"sunrays† in his Caldecott winning book Fredrick. However, imagination is not the only tool utilized in these books; art, and the power found in creativity are equally stressed. Also, while both books contain these three elements they address them in different ways. Both Harold and the Purple Crayon and Fredrick illustrate art as a medium for†¦show more content†¦At first Fredrick may be seen as a lazy little mouse that will have gathered nothing to sustain him and his family come wintertime. However, after all the wheat and nuts have been eaten and winter has set in, a droopy eyed Fredrick springs to life offering his winter supplies which are of great aesthetic value. Fredrick utilizes imagination by having his fellow mice close their eyes and remember the warm sun on their faces and wild flowers. Fredrick then concludes with a poem and succeeds at cheering up all of the mice. His supplies, which once were looked at as not amounting to much, now sustain an entire community. Fredrick takes art beyond the thresholds of simply being pretty to look at and think about, he turns art into being a function of the community that is a vital aspect of daily life illustrating the power of creativity. While Fredrick uses his creativity to save the community from a winter without aesthetic beauty, Harold uses the power of his imagination to entertain himself. Harold seems to not have time for others as he illustrates his world using his purple crayon. Harold starts off going for a walk through the moonlight. However, by the time he finds himself tucked safely in bed he has created a scary monster, sailed through the ocean, climbed to the top of a mountain, and created a great city. In short, as the artist Harold has the power to create whatever he can imagine. Instead of being a hero in the eyes of theShow MoreRelatedThe Literature And The Individual Child1462 Words   |  6 PagesTraditionally, the term popular culture has denoted the ‘culturedness’ of the lower classes as opposed to the fine arts or high culture, consumed by the wealthy. †¢ The distinction between ‘culturedness’ of the classes is a socially constructed distinction and is susceptible to change over time; based on the modern ability of all classes to enjoy any popular culture format they choose. 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