Crockett Johnson (October 20, 1906 – July 11, 1975) was the pen name of the American cartoonist and children's book illustrator David Johnson Leisk.
Born in New York City, Johnson grew up in Corona, Queens, New York, attended PS 16 and Newtown High School. He studied art at Cooper Union in 1924, and at New York University in 1925. He explained his choice of pseudonym as follows: "Crockett is my childhood nickname. My real name, Leisk was too hard to pronounce -- so -- I am now Crockett Johnson!"
Crockett Johnson was the writer and illustrator of over twenty books for children, including the beloved classic “Harold and the Purple Crayon,” six subsequent adventures starring Harold, and “The Carrot Seed,” written by his wife, Ruth Krauss. He was also the creator of the groundbreaking “Barnaby,” one of the most influential and ingenious comic strips of the twentieth century.