The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

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 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 show more 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

I absolutely fell in love with this book. I think it has to be my favorite children's book that I have read so far. The first thing that I loved was the overall idea of the book. This story tells the message that books are magic, and as a reader and student teacher, I believe that children should be shown the magic of books. The second thing that I loved was how it was illustrated. The book starts out with Mr. Lessmore writing a book when a Wizard of Oz type catastrophe happens. During this storm the pages are dark and sepia toned to portray the darkness of Mr. Morris Lessmore's life without books. When The flying books come into his life the pages start to fill with color. The more the books work their magic, the more colorful the book show more becomes. On some pages where Mr. Morris is sharing his magic books, the faceless characters who have not been exposed to the magic are also in black and white. I feel that this is a great way the illustrations work to enhance the theme of the story. Some of my favorite illustrations is when the main character is reading, he is inside the pages of the book sitting or interacting with the letters. Finally the plot of the story made me fall in love. Mr. Morris finds the magical book place because he sees a woman flying away with books; when he finishes the book he started and is an old man he too flies away the same way the woman did reverting back to his young self. I took this to be that the books are taking him to his "heaven." Finally when Mr. Morris leaves a new person finds her way into the magical book place starting the cycle over. That was my favorite part, there is always an beginning and an end to every story. show less

Not too long ago I watched a beautiful little animated short film entitled The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. There is no dialogue and yet it (excuse the phrase) spoke to me on a very personal level. Imagine my delight when I discovered that it was created by the same man that created that other magical movie Meet the Robinsons! Yes, William Joyce has stolen my heart once again with a tale that is both heartbreaking and hopeful all at once. Of course, I knew that it was more than likely based off one of his books and I was right. Much like Meet the Robinsons which I reviewed not too long ago, Joyce wrote a beautifully illustrated picture book called The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore which is about exactly show more what the title implies. This is the story of a man who loves books and indeed is trying to write one of his own when a crazy storm comes along and upends not only his whole life but the buildings of his entire town. In a brilliant move of cinematography, after the storm everything is in black and white to depict the bleakness of his situation. But then he sees something which completely changes his outlook...I don't want to spoil this bit. This is about the power of the written word and the transformative power that books hold over the imagination. It is a love letter to literature. It's charming and extraordinarily moving. I admit to crying over the film AND the book. I urge you to take a few minutes and enjoy them both because they really are worth your time.10/10 show less

This book has gone up in my estimation since I first flipped idly through it a couple of years ago--I've always liked books, of course, but at that point I was a social fellow who thought we get a bit too precious about wanting our toddlers to love the written word as opposed to blocks or mud, and now the worm has turned somewhat and I can wholeheartedly support the valorization of the solitary, happy life (from the perspective of someone who sometimes feels like he's staring down the contrasting barrel of the lonely, unhappy life). This book wants the world to be peaceful and pretty--what is more blameless than that?

I have to admit to a bias before I give my review of this book. I absolutely love books. I read books. I collect books. I decorate with books. I blog about books. I review books. I tweet about books. I talk animatedly about books. And....I'm a librarian. So, naturally, I related to the message of this book which was to enjoy your books but not to the point of missing out on life. In fact, sharing books is more fun than collecting books. I'd rather lend my books than have them gather dust. Mr. Morris Lessmore is a wonderful character to whom I, and any other avid reader, can relate. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. When Mr. Lessmore flies away with his books, I am inspired. If I were still a Children's Librarian, I would have show more read this book in storytime. A lot. Would I have liked it as much if it was, say, The Fantastic Flying Spoons of Mr. Morris Lessmore? Nope. I hate cooking. But I love reading, and I love books that inspire reading. Especially, in such a beautiful and imaginative way. show less

LOVED this sweet book. My three-year-old has asked to read it every day since we got it. Such a lovely story and the illustrations are so beautiful and detailed. It’s been a few years since I saw the short film it’s based on, but it’s still a delight.

This visually stunning book serves as a metaphor for life itself, with a young man writing in his book about his daily ups and downs. When tragedy (in the form of a devastating storm) hits Morris, he travels with his book and comes across a woman floating by on flying books. That chance encounter leads Morris to a fantastic library where he spends his days until his story is done.

Lovely throughout, this book can work as a surface level story although its deeper meaning is obviously very important. A brief note at the end explains how the author wrote it is as a tribute to a dear friend, and his loving kindness is clear. The book's illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, with a cinematic feel to them (fitting for a book that was also a show more movie!). show less