William Joyce | Children's Books Heal

Billy’s Booger: A Memoir (sorta)

William Joyce (and his younger self) Author and Illustrator

Athenum Books for Young Readers, Fiction, Jun. 2, 2015

Suitable for Ages: 5-9

Themes: Imagination, Books and reading, Authorship, Memoir, School, Contest

Opening: “Once upon a time, when TV was in black and white, and there were only three channels, and when kids didn’t have playdates — they just roamed free in the “out-of-doors” — there lived a kid named Billy.”

Synopsis: Billy has a huge imagination and thinks about class rooms in tree houses, gravity shoes, jet packs and automatic page turners. He likes to draw on his math tests and homework, read comic books, study the newspaper “funnies,” watch monster movies and invents his own sports. His teacher and principal find Billy the most challenging student — ever. The librarian announces a contest to see which student can create the best book. Billy is excited and researches, writes and illustrates his masterpiece. He is living his dream! Perhaps this will be Billy’s chance to show his talent.

Why I like this book:

This inspiring and highly entertaining picture book is about the young William (Billy) Joyce. Readers are given a peek at the man Billy will someday be. Joyce’s richly painted and expressive illustrations give readers a sense of life in the 1960s.

This book is about Billy’s childhood. Children will fall in love with Billy’s overactive imagination, unconventional antics and his determination to march to his own drum beat. It is also a story about Billy’s first attempts to write his first book, Billy’s Booger: The Memoir of a Little Green Nose Buddy. Who would have ever thought that his journey as an author would begin with a quirky book about a booger.

The original fourth grade book is inserted inside the book on manila paper. Billy’s story is packed with spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors which adds a certain charm to reading about the super booger that gives Billy amazing super powers in math. Children are going to cheer Billy’s wacky imagination and pour over the details of his book.

Joyce’s book carries a very strong message for children not to give up on their dreams and be true to themselves. It also emphasizes that not everyone will like your work (especially teachers and librarians,) but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t an audience out there. There’s a great ending to this story, but you’ll have to read the book to find out.

Resources: Parents and teachers check out the suggestions and Activity Sheets for using Billy’s Booger in the classroom. I’d love to see this book in every school library. I hope teachers and librarians use Joyce’s book in their lesson plans to encourage students to write a book about anything that inspires them. What a wonderful way to encourage children to dream big.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Books.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

William Joyce, author

Joe Bluhm, illustrator

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Fiction, 2012

Suitable for: Ages 4-8

Themes: Books, Love, Loss, Healing, Aging

Opening and brief synopsis: “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.” One day there was a very bad storm that blew so hard that he lost his home and all the books he loved so much. Not knowing what to do he started walking. A lady drifted through the sky pulled by a bouquet of books. The lady tossed down her favorite book and beckoned him to follow her to a strange building that housed books. But the books in the building weren’t ordinary — they were extraordinary. Many books required repair. Morris started to restore and care for the books. Some times he got lost in the books. Morris shared the books with people. And, once again he began to write in his own book.

Why I love this book: The book is about life experiences — love, loss and healing. Adults will enjoy this book. It is a brilliant book that took William Joyce 13 years to write. The book began as a tribute to a friend, but after Hurricane Katrina devastated Joyce’s home state, his book was put on hold. Joyce visited children in shelters and saw firsthand the healing power of books. So the storm in the book is a combination of Katrina and the cyclone in the Wizard of Oz. Joe Bluhm’s illustrations are stunning. Bluhm uses brown hues similar to the opening of Oz, to give the stark effect of the storm in the book. As Morris wanders, the book is full of colorful and expressive illustrations.

Resources: There are many themes that parents and teachers can explore when reading this book with a children. Since the idea grew out of Hurricane Katrina and the tragic losses, it would be a good time to discuss with kids what it means to lose everything and how you rebuild lives with the love and help of family and community. Donated books were an escape for the kids of Katrina. We’ve once again experienced devastation with Hurricane Isaac. As a family you may want to donate to a reputable charity. Another way to help displaced children in your community is to have your kids donate used books to local organizations. The book also is about imagination and reading. Be creative and encourage your kids to make a mobile of their favorite book cover titles to hang in their room, similar to the flying woman and the books.

Visit William Joyce at his website. Joyce first won an Academy Award for his short film The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, then turned the film into this imaginative book. I’ve include a short clip of the video, but the entire film is available on YouTube. The book also is available as an iPad app.