William Joyce (1) (1957–)

Having absolutely adored the animated short The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, which won an Academy Award in 2012, I have been eager to get my hands on this picture-book companion/retelling! I was not disappointed, as the book really delivers just as beautifully as the film, presenting a tale that would have any bibliophile swooning - being spirited away by bookish magic to an enchanted library, where one spends one's days reading, caring for books, and writing - and show more multimedia artwork that engage the visual senses and keep them entertained and engrossed as well. Really, this is what picture-books are meant to do - to engage the reader on multiple levels, with well integrated text and image - isn't it?

Dream-like, but utterly convincing, full of both pathos and humor - I loved the scene in which the books insist upon disorganizing themselves: the tragedies drawing near to the comedies, in order to gain comfort; the encyclopedias mixing with the comic books and fiction, having grown weary of facts - The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is the type of books that gives more, the more you sit with it. Interpreted in so many different ways - as a fantastic narrative, as a metaphor for the book-lover's life, as a story about leaving something behind for the next person, and adding to the sum of our knowledge - it can also just be enjoyed! Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! The more I think about it, the more I am forced to conclude that four stars just isn't enough - this is definitely one of those rare five-star gems. I suspect I am going to have to track down a copy for myself... now if only the film were available for purchase as well! Perhaps with the book? (publishers, are you listening...?) show less

Orphaned at a young age, when his parents were killed by human hunters, Buddy the gorilla was still a baby, and a sick one at that, when he was adopted by New York socialite Gertrude Lintz. Soon becoming a part of her happy family, which included animals both domestic and wild, he lived an unusual life. Raised like a human, he became a curiosity in 1930s New York City, where he was seen promenading in his suit. But as Buddy grew he became more difficult to handle, and certain incidents show more involving water, which reminded him of the traumatic death of his parents, led to destructive behavior. Gertie knew she had to do something to make a better and happier home for Buddy - but what...?

Author/illustrator William Joyce, creator of many award-winning picture-books and children's novels, turns to the real-life story of Gertie Lintz and her gorillas in Buddy, a beginning chapter-book that hovers between picture-book and novel form. This is a highly fictionalized account, one which imagines Buddy's beginnings, and takes a number of liberties with the real story. Apparently the figure of Buddy, in this story, was named Massa in real life, and was, until his death at the Philadelphia Zoo in 1984, the longest-lived gorilla in existence. Confusingly, Lintz also raised a real-life gorilla named Buddy, although he was not the gorilla that went to Philadelphia. Leaving these issues aside, this was an engrossing story, one sure to raise questions in young readers about the ethics of how we treat wild animals. It is clear, at least in the story, that Gertie loves Buddy, and that she is wise enough to know that she cannot keep him as a pet or surrogate son. Did she learn this lesson in real life, given that she raised so many wild animals in this way? Probably not. The story here is emotionally resonant, and the artwork (as is to be expected from Joyce) beautiful. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about gorillas. show less

In a gray world organised solely by numbers, five Numberly friends decide to rebel and to create something new. Their efforts lead to the dawn of the alphabet, whose constituent letters spell so many things - from bright colors like yellow to pleasing foods like pizza - previously missing from the world...

The Numberlys is a creative story that looks at both numbers and letters, and it is also a gorgeously illustrated book. The artwork, whether sepia-toned, as it is in the beginning, or show more vibrantly colorful, as it is at the end, is simply gorgeous, while the page orientation, which alternates between vertical and horizontal, is inventive. All that said, I tend to agree with those online reviewers who have been a little dismayed at the cliched idea, expressed through the story here, that numbers (and by extension, mathematics) is boring, and letters (and by extension, language) is interesting and creative. It might surprise some to know that once upon a time music and mathematics were taught together, and were considered interrelated subjects. They might also want to consider that letters only go to make up our descriptions of things, and that the things themselves are actually created from chemicals, chemicals whose composition could be described equally well with numbers, as with letters.

While it may not have been the creator's intent - some have even made the counter-argument that the letters here are made out of the numbers, thus linking them - I do feel that he fell into the trap of thinking of numbers and letters as somehow oppositional. This is one Joyce title I recommend primarily for the gorgeous artwork, rather than the concept or story. show less

A little rolie polie robot living on a little round planet in the sky, Rolie Polie Olie passes an enjoyable day with his loving family in this rhyming picture-book from author/artist William Joyce. Bouncing out of bed in the morning and brushing his teeth while his head recharges, Olie has all sorts of fun with his Momma, Dad, little sister Zowie, and dog Spot. When bedtime comes, Olie makes a nuisance of himself, but not so much that his family won't forgive him...

Originally published in show more 1999, and recently reprinted in this 2017 edition, Rolie Polie Olie launched an extensive series of picture-books, board-books and other titles devoted to the adventures of the eponymous robot hero. There is also a television series based on this character and his family, I believe - a series which netted Joyce an Emmy Award. Although I do think the combination of rollicking rhyme and bright artwork will please many child readers, I'm not sure I enjoyed this one as much as some of Joyce's other picture-books, such as The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore or The Guardians of Childhood titles. Still, this one does have appeal, especially to children who like robots, and it is to them that I recommend it. show less