classics – BookBunnies

Caramel reviews Harold at the North Pole by Crockett Johnson

Many years ago, in the very early days of this blog Caramel reviewed a classic, Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson. Today he is talking to Sprinkles about a sequel of sorts, Harold at the North Pole, published originally in 1957.

Sprinkles: I was so excited to find this little book last week! So even though it is a Christmas book and we are nowhere close to Christmas, I thought it would be fun to talk about it today.

Caramel: Yup. And I agreed. Because who doesn’t want to talk about Santa Claus and snow and Christmas gifts?

S: I know, right? I mean we just couldn’t wait till December.. Anyways, our readers probably remember Harold, the little boy in blue overalls who creates the world around him with his ginormous purple crayon.

C: Yeah, I would expect so. You and I talked about Harold and the Purple Crayon all the way back in 2020, so if they don’t remember, they can just read our old post.

S: Yep. That was right around the time the pandemic really took off!

C: Yeah, the pandemic was around that time, which was pretty terrible. But the book was really good. And later, we also saw the live-action movie, which was actually pretty good.

S: Yeah, I remember watching it with you and liking it. It seems like the critics didn’t like it much, but we enjoyed it.

C: Yup, we did. Maybe you can put a link to the trailer in the post?

S: Sure. Here is the trailer of the movie:

Harold and The Purple Crayon: official trailer, from YouTube.

C: Thanks. It was fun to watch.

S: So let us get back to Harold at the North Pole.

C: Sure. So this is about Harold, the very same little boy, But in the cover this time he is wearing green overalls, and a red hat. Very Christmas-y!

S: Yeah, he is not in his blue overalls any more, but you are right, the red-green fits the holiday season very well. And the crayon is still purple, right?

C: Yup. So this time, Harold wants to find a Christmas tree before Santa can visit his home. So he goes out and tries to find a tree. Along the way he finds himself at the North Pole and ends up helping Santa. He also helps draw up Santa’s reindeer and a sleigh full of presents. And finally he gets back home and settles down near a fireplace to wait for Santa.

S: Yep. That sounds about right.

C: Actually I think it kind of sounds a bit eerie. The boy is always alone, and there is nobody and nothing around him until he draws them. It is almost like a scary dream.

Caramel is reading Harold at the North Pole by Crockett Johnson. — Caramel is reading *Harold at the North Pole* by Crockett Johnson.

S: Wait, if you read it like that, then it does not come across like a cute, warm, and fuzzy story.

C: No, it doesn’t. And when you look back at the first book, that also could be the same, with Harold all alone, making stuff up as he goes around living all alone. Abandoned.

S: Hmm, yes, I can see that. But it is not really the real world that he is in, is it? He is not all alone in a scary way really. I think maybe we are in Harold’s imaginary world, as he is recreating the world. The transitions from home, to the northern woods, to the North Pole, back home would be dizzying if real. But they are not. Harold just flows smoothly from one place to the other, as smoothly as he can draw something.

C: Or actually he does not flow anywhere and the places just smoothly flow around him as he draws them. Yes, I know, it is not really about a little child all alone in a scary way, but I just wanted to say it would be kind of weird if this were real.

S: I guess that is why the movie version made the situation so weird. Nobody would believe the grown-up Harold.

C: I wouldn’t. But you know, if the crayon were real, it would be really cool! And dangerous! All those bad people who were after the crayon in the movie, it totally makes sense, because the crayon is so powerful if you can create reality all by drawing something.

S: Yes.

C: So okay, the books are really sweet, they are not scary at all. I just wanted to say they are also a bit weird, but when read in their own story world, they are really sweet. And I think any little bunny would enjoy imagining themselves with a purple crayon and trying to figure out what they would draw with it and going into adventures with it and so on.

S: Yeah, for sure. So what would you draw with it if you had the purple crayon?

C: I would draw the seventeenth book of Wings of Fire; lock in Sutherland!

S: Not sure it works that way, Caramel…

C: Dang it. Still, lock in Sutherland, I love those books, come out with more, please.

S: Okay, maybe she will some day. She has to go forth with the new story arc she started in the sixteenth book anyways. But so you wouldn’t draw anything else? I could draw an ice cream machine that makes ice cream for me, a bubble bath, a beautiful sunset, a comfy big chair, and lots of books and bookshelves around it where I could read.. I can go on forever!

C: Well, Sprinkles, we do have lots of books and bookshelves in our house, and there is a comfy chair nearby too.

S: Yes, I know we are lucky. And maybe the things Harold draws are also kind of homelike, like a fireplace, and an armchair to sit on, and his home is also a regular home, just comfy.

C: Like our home. Our home is comfy too.

S: True… Okay, so overall what did you think of this book?

C: It is cute. It would even make sense to a young person who has not read the original book, but if the young person liked that first book, they would definitely enjoy reading this around the holidays. It would make a good Christmas gift.

S: Yeah, it is kind of surreal, but young bunnies can get into surreal stories very quickly.

C: Yeah, just ignore the probable psychological implications of why Harold has no parents, friends or any other people near him. Then it makes perfect sense.

S: You’re kidding, right? No young person would be worried reading this. Many picture books about young people don’t have other actors in them.

C: Of course, yeah, it’s not scary, it’s a nice story. It is just that parents should probably be ready if their young bunny asks them these kinds of questions. It is about fun and imagination and not abandonment. Just in case, ya know.

S: Hmm, I think you have an overactive imagination sometimes Caramel.

C: Sometimes? I am offended. I have a perfectly normal imagination. And always.

S: Okay, sorry, didn’t mean it that way. You do have a big imagination.

C: The book is about Harold going north to find a Christmas tree, and then he finds himself at the north pole, and then he draws Santa and the whole Santa workshop, and then helps him make presents, then goes home, and realizes he forgot to find a tree, so he makes one. I think Crockett Johnson has an overactive imagination.

S: Yes I definitely agree. And it all makes the book suitably fun for the holidays. Which are about seven months away…

C: But it is never too early to dream of Christmas!

S: And it is actually time for some dreams. Bedtime, Caramel?

C: Yup. I think it is right about my bedtime.

S: So then let us wrap this up. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved revisiting Harold while reading Harold at the North Pole by Crockett Johnson and hopes that many others will enjoy it this next Christmas or any other time of the year. — Caramel loved revisiting Harold while reading *Harold at the North Pole* by Crockett Johnson and hopes that many others will enjoy it this next Christmas or any other time of the year.

Midnight reviews Dragonlance Legends by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Last week Midnight talked to Sprinkles about Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Today he is excited to be talking about the sequel trilogy, Dragonlance Legends. The trilogy, consisting of three books (Time of the Twins, War of the Twins, and Test of the Twins) was originally published in 1986. The edition Midnight is posing with in the photos below is the fortieth anniversary edition, published in 2026.

Sprinkles: So here we are, Midnight, talking about the next trilogy in the Dragonlance universe.

Midnight: Yes. Marshmallow has had some very busy weeks and so I am filling in for the time being.

Sprinkles: And we are grateful for that. And this is another book you really like, right?

Midnight: Yes. I have many fond memories of this trilogy. I think I like it even better than the first one.

Sprinkles: Really? That is interesting. Can you explain why?

Midnight: It explores the relationship between the brothers Majere, the enigmatic wizard Raistlin and his good-natured and protective twin brother Caramon. Tagging along with them is Tasslehoff Burrfoot, a halfling of sorts who has a habit of borrowing things from others without asking.

Sprinkles: Some might call that stealing.

Midnight: Some might. Tasslehoff is a fun character, and he was often a source of comic relief in the first series. But here he often keeps the story moving, and inserts some occasional light-hearted moments in between periods of dark drama.

Sprinkles: What dark drama? Can you say something about that? You told us about evil dragons in your earlier review. Are they still causing trouble in this book?

Midnight: The dark queen has been prevented from conquering the world in the first trilogy. So this trilogy does not focus so much on the large-scale good-versus-evil, saving the world kind of plot. Instead, it focuses more on whether Raistlin can be rescued from the darkness himself.

Sprinkles: You almost make it sound like a psychological drama. Where one of the main characters is losing his soul and maybe his brother is trying to help him fight to keep it.

Midnight: I guess it is kind of like that, but with a lot more action and high fantasy. It is a lot more interesting than just a psychological drama”. Raistlin was always physically weak but smart and powerful with magic. Despite his frailty he had incredible ambition and confidence in his abilities. Let’s just say that throughout the first series, it’s not clear whether he will embrace the darker side of his ambitions.

Midnight is reading The Dragonlance Legends by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. — Midnight is reading *The Dragonlance Legends* by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.

Sprinkles: That sounds intriguing. And also in the meantime, they are traveling all over the world, right?

Midnight: Well, it starts out in a familiar place, where we find that Caramon has not taken well to settling down after the war from the first series. He is in a bad place emotionally, after the conflicts with his brother in the first series. His old friend Tasslehoff visits him and finds him in a sorry state, a pitiful shell of his former self. They go on a quest that will not only restore Caramon to his former self but hopefully will also redeem his wayward brother.

Sprinkles: So that quest is what the traveling is all about?

Midnight: It is not so much traveling geographically but they travel through time. They go back three hundred years, to the time before the Cataclysm, a world-altering event that set the stage for everything to come.

Sprinkles: Wait, so there is time travel here. And this is not science fiction.

Midnight: Not science fiction. Definitely fantasy. What is fascinating is that they return to legendary times, spoken of only in terms of myths and legends in the first series. I should also mention that one of the new characters that travels with them is Crysania, a good priestess who is determined to save Raistlin’s soul.

Sprinkles: I am guessing there is a love triangle or something?

Midnight: Of sorts, but it is not mushy like that. I think it is clear from the start that Crysania is determined to prevent Raistlin from becoming the ultimate force of evil that he could become. But she is blinded by her naivete and optimism.

Sprinkles: Hmm, that is a pretty detailed plot setup Midnight. I hope it has intrigued some of our readers.

Midnight: Yes, if you make it to the end, you’ll know all about how important bunnies are to the plot.

Sprinkles: Oh now, they have to read the book! And they really should. I really enjoyed reading them myself. One after another. It was hard to stop in between the books; it was so engaging.

Midnight: Yep. It is a very addicting mix of high fantasy and drama, written in plain and accessible language.

Sprinkles: No Tolkien, we are saying.

Midnight: No. it is not Tolkien, but like all works of the high fantasy genre, it owes much to the professor.

Sprinkles: And of course you love Tolkien too. I know. Anyways, I think this might be a good place to wrap up this review. What do you think?

Midnight: I agree. I must go feed.

Sprinkles: Are we doing the creepy vampire thing again?

Midnight: Infer what you will, my dear Sprinkles.

Sprinkles: Okay. I will do that. Is there something you would like to tell our readers as we end this?

Midnight: A bunny such as myself does not do simple catch-phrases and sound bytes. But I will say this: Farewell, dear reader. Until such a time as the Black Bunny deems it fit to grace the world with his august presence.

Midnight loves reading and rereading The Dragonlance Legends by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, and bids readers farewell, until such a time as he deems it fit to grace the world with his august presence. — Midnight loves reading and rereading *The Dragonlance Legends* by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, and bids readers farewell, until such a time as he deems it fit to grace the world with his august presence.

Midnight reviews Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Today Midnight talks to Sprinkles about Dragonlance Chronicles, a classic fantasy trilogy from 1984-1985, written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. The copy he is posing with in the photos below is the fortieth anniversary edition, collecting all three books in one beautiful volume, published in 2025.

Midnight reviews The Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. — Midnight reviews *The Dragonlance Chronicles* by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.

Sprinkles: So Midnight and I are here, talking about a giant classic of the fantasy genre.

Midnight: Actually, this giant book I am posing with is not as large as it looks. I am just very small. And it is a recent anniversary edition that brings together the three books of the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy.

Sprinkles: Okay, tell us about the three books then.

Midnight: These books actually began as novelizations of pre-designed Dungeons and Dragons adventures (called modules). I believe that the series of modules and the whole promotional campaign was designed to recenter the Dungeons and Dragons experience around dragons.

Sprinkles: Ooh, we all love dragons in this family!

Midnight: Indeed, are not rabbits really dragons, just smaller and furrier?

Sprinkles: I am sure Caramel would love that!

Midnight: However the Dragonlance novels became very very popular, in large part due to the memorable characters and the dramatic story line. It does not have the literary aspirations of Tolkien, and as such, is a much easier read.

Sprinkles: I must agree. I read these books and loved them! With Tolkien I have not been as successful. Yet. I am going to read The Silmarillion, after your review last week.

Midnight: I will ensure that you do. It would be most unwise to disappoint the black rabbit.

Sprinkles: Okay, I think I am supposed to feel intimidated here. Let us say I am appropriately intimidated. And move on to the review.

Midnight: Sure. The Dragonlance Chronicles is what might be described as a straightforward good-versus-evil, save-the-world story line. To a large extent this is true. This is no Game of Thrones, filled with morally gray characters.

Sprinkles: I do not think I’d say Game of Thrones characters are morally gray, I’d say most of them are straight-out bad people. But anyway I think I get what you mean. In this series, there are bad people and there are good people trying to fight them.

Midnight. Yeah. The main plot revolves around a party of adventurers who are trying to prevent the ultimate triumph of the big bad goddess of evil dragons who wants to rule the world.

Midnight is reading The Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. — Midnight is reading *The Dragonlance Chronicles* by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.

Sprinkles: So tell me about your favorite character in the series.

Midnight: Perhaps my favorite character is the only one of the main heroes who is morally gray. I am talking about the wizard Raistlin, a sickly and frail young man of great talent and aspirations. His twin brother Caramon is a powerful and good-natured warrior and they make an interesting pair.

Sprinkles: The Wikipedia article about him says that he is both a protagonist and an antagonist. I had not heard that said before about any other fictional character.

Midnight: As I said, he is morally gray. In fact Raistlin and Caramon proved so compelling that the authors wrote a second trilogy, Dragonlance Legends, centered around them and their complicated relationship.

Sprinkles: Oh, maybe you will review those books, too, some time.

Midnight: Most definitely.

Sprinkles: So tell me a bit more about this goddess of evil dragons.

Midnight: Her evil dragons have reawakened and are causing trouble in the world once more. The good dragons are nowhere to be seen, leaving the people of Krynn, the world of the books, at the mercy of the evil dragons and the Draconians, a race of dragon-like humanoids, who appeared with the rise of the evil dragons.

Sprinkles: No bunnies anywhere?

Midnight: In fact fans of the series will recognize the significance of the bunnies, or rather, of a particular “bunny”, to the relationship between the twins. But that will have to wait for the second trilogy. For this trilogy, bunnies might be lurking in the background. But they are never not there, of course. We often lurk in the darkness, with humans oblivious to our plans.

Sprinkles: Okay, Midnight. Thank you for that ominous reminder. But you know a lot of young humans read this blog, so we do not want to scare them.

Midnight: If they knew how big I was, they’d probably not be scared. But okay.

Sprinkles: What else would you like to tell us about Dragonlance Chronicles?

Midnight: I’ve read and reread this series many times since I was a young bunny. It is a good read, high adventure in a world of high fantasy. The characters are very colorful and concrete; you get to know them really well, at least as well as the authors want you to get to know them, of course.

Sprinkles: So all in all, we both agree that these are great books to read. I read them really fast even though they are quite long as a whole. The adventure is fascinating and captivating.

Midnight: Yes.

Sprinkles: Okay, midnight. Than you for coming out of your hiding place for this review. I think this will be a good place to wrap things up. Anything else you would like our readers to know?

Midnight: There is also an anniversary edition of Dragonlance Legends, and I look forward to reviewing that at some point in the future.

Sprinkles: That will be great, Midnight, thank you. I will look forward to it!

Midnight: Till then, I bid you all adieu.

Midnight loves reading and rereading The Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, and bids readers farewell, until such a time as he sees fit to reappear. — Midnight loves reading and rereading *The Dragonlance Chronicles* by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, and bids readers farewell, until such a time as he sees fit to reappear.

Caramel reviews The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie

Sprinkles is a huge Agatha Christie fan, so of course she was thrilled to see Caramel carrying around The ABC Murders, originally published in 1936. They are talking about the book today. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: I was so excited to see you reading an Agatha Christie book, Caramel! She is the best!

Caramel: Yeah, I can see that point of view, she is a pretty good writer.

S: Yay! So you liked the book! I mean, I know there are a lot of folks who would not consider Christie a serious literary figure, but I always enjoy her books and I think she is great at what she does.

C: Yup, she kept me guessing almost all the way to the end.

S: Was this your first Agatha Christie novel?

C: Nope. I had also read And Then There Were None when Marshmallow was reviewing it.

S: Ooh, that was a good one too. So, okay, back to The ABC Murders. I am sure I read this book but it must have been decades ago. And I do not remember much of the plot. Can you tell us a bit about it?

C: So Hercule Poirot receives a suspicious letter signed by “ABC”.

S: Oh, so this has Poirot as the main detective! That is cool! Go on.

C: Yes, so this letter tells him that there will be a murder in Andover, and then someone actually dies there, so Poirot goes to Andover to figure things out.

S: Poirot is Belgian, and often works with some British guy who writes about him, right? Kind of like Dr. Watson of Sherlock Holmes?

C: Yes. The main narrator is Arthur Hastings, and the book is written like he is recounting the story rather than living through it.

S: Apparently Hastings appears in quite a lot of Poirot mysteries. I suppose it is good to have a character like Hastings or Watson to tell us these stories about the genius detectives they are hanging out with and admire so much. This way the stories unfold naturally and we are in the dark about what is going on in the minds of these mysterious crime solvers until the very end.

C: Yeah, it’s like that, ‘cept Hastings ole’ fellow has quite the thinker on emself-

S: Wait, what are you saying? Please speak normally. You are not a British gentleman from the nineteen twenties.

C: Awww, ok, but that was fun! And I am only about a hundred years late! And not quite British… Anyways, the only difference is that Hastings is actually somewhat smart so he also figures some things out. Still it is clear to everyone including himself that he is not as smart as Poirot and is surprised when Poirot solves everything.

S: Yup, that agrees with my previous understanding of their relationship.

Caramel is reading The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie. — Caramel is reading *The ABC Murders* by Agatha Christie.

S: So tell me a bit more. Could you tell the book was almost a hundred years old?

C: Well, it is exactly ninety years old actually. The book read fine to me. I did not think they were using old fashioned words or anything. And it is supposed to be happening in between the two world wars, and I could not even tell that, really.

S: Yes, I think Christie’s language is clean and simple enough for us to not even notice it. Every now and then she uses a phrase that is unfamiliar to me, or she mentions something historical to me but contemporary to the story characters, but most of the time, I cannot tell at all that she wrote these things such a long time ago.

C: Yeah, that checks out. Though it seems that in these books the detective and other people sometimes use words that today’s people might not understand. Like some words or phrases that refer to the railway map in Britain at the time. Of course I didn’t know that till they explained what it was they were talking about. But most of the time, I could totally forget this was supposed to be happening in the 1920s. That was even before your time Sprinkles!

S: Yes, of course it was before my time. It was even before my parents’ time, Caramel.

C: Oopsie, or is that what you want me to think?

S: Okay, let us put aside any implications that I might be undead or-

C: Or a lich?!

S: Okay, let us not go there.

C: Sure, that’s what a lich would say.

S: Caramel! These seem like ideas more fit for Midnight’s reviews.

C: Oh yes, Midnight does like his fantasy books. But I like them too.

S: I know. You like playing Dungeons and Dragons, and various versions of it.

C: Actually these days, I prefer Pathfinder, which is really just D&D 3.5 edition.

S: True. But Agatha Christie tells stories that are in some sense a lot simpler. She manages to find evil in mainstream people living regular lives. Seems like she has no need to go fantastic.

C: That may be true for the books she has already written. But maybe when she begins to write new books, from BEYOND THE GRAVE?

S: Okay, I have a feeling it is getting too late for us to be talking about books sensibly.

C: That’s lich talk! Okay, okay, don’t get mad, I am kidding. But yes, you are probably right, it is getting late and it is a school night…

S: Yep. So let us wrap up this review. Do you think you might read other books by Christie at some point?

C: Sure. They are fun to read, and I do love solving puzzles!

S: Sounds great to me. Okay then, Caramel. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie and recommends it to all bunnies who enjoy a little bit of detective mystery. — Caramel enjoyed reading *The ABC Murders* by Agatha Christie and recommends it to all bunnies who enjoy a little bit of detective mystery.