The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. William Joyce. Illustrated by Joe Bluhm. 2012. Simon & Schuster. 56 pages.

Morris Lessmore loved words. He loved stories. He loved books. His life was a book of his own writing, one orderly page after another. He would open it every morning and write of his joys and sorrows, of all that he knew and everything that he hoped for. But every story has its upsets. One day the sky darkened. The winds blew and blew...till everything Morris knew was scattered--even the words of his book.

Can a book be lovely and strange? There were many, many things I loved about The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. I loved the subject--books and reading. I loved the message: words, stories, books can help heal; books are "good" for you. I love the imaginative fantasy world. The illustrations of the flying books--the flying woman with the flying books. The illustrations are just AMAZING. I loved the writing. Joyce has a way with words, "Morris tried to keep the books in some sort of order, but they always mixed themselves up. The tragedies needed cheering up and would visit with the comedies." It's a book with a lot of heart: "'Everyone's story matters,' said Morris. And all the books agreed." But the book is strange--not your typical picture book that you'd share with your preschooler. The book DOES have an audience! But I think it's a story for older readers, for adults even.

Read The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

• If you are looking for a GREAT picture book
• If you like reading books about books
• If you like books that celebrate reading and libraries
• If you are drawn to beautiful pictures and imaginative stories 

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews