The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs: And the Brave Good Bugs [Library Binding]

William Joyce (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

The brave good bugs march off to save the garden . . .

First, they must fight the evil Spider Queen . . .

Before summoning the Leaf Men to save the day . . .

But what about the mystery of the Long-Lost Toy?

Here is ancient elfin magic, epic adventure, and a bugle salute to the power of memory, loyalty and love as resounding as Robin Hood's call to his Merry Men!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

William Joyce's previous children's books, especially Dinosaur Bob and A Day With Wilbur Robinson, have delighted kid-kids and grown-up-kids alike with their strange, stylish illustrations and their slightly warped sensibility. In his latest book, The Leaf Men, things get even stranger, as the reader is plunged into the teeming mysterious world of an old woman's garden. When the old lady falls ill, and her garden falls into disorder, the mythical Leaf Men must be called upon to vanquish the evil Spider Queen and return things to order. Arachnid rights groups may quarrel with the choice of the spider as the villainess, but just about everyone else will marvel at Joyce's invention and his weird, detailed paintings.

From Publishers Weekly

Joyce's (Dinosaur Bob; Santa Calls) characteristically offbeat and occasionally eerie illustrations carry the day in his latest picture book fantasy. The plot travels well-worn ground?a quest, magical intervention, triumph?as a troop of tiny doodle bugs take on the evil Spider Queen to help save an elderly woman's garden from ruin. The doodle bugs call upon the diminutive Leaf Men, "gardeners of a grand and elfin sort" who help restore the garden to its former splendor and transport a missing childhood talisman to the ailing owner. The storytelling is uneven, particularly in its pacing, and the pictures of blue-green Leaf Men, the spiky-featured Spider Queen and lavender-blue skies will not be to every reader's taste. For many, however, the paintings will almost magically invoke a host of suggestive themes: a universe of creatures whose dramas unfold, almost out of sight, on the edge of daily life; a long-lost toy that revives an aging woman's sense of her youth; and the infinite possibility that "anything could happen on a beautiful moonlit night." Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Library Binding
• Publisher: Laura Geringer Book (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060272384
• ISBN-13: 978-0060272388
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,048,577 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A true luminary and creative spirit, William Joyce has put his personal stamp on children's media in every direction. His picture books include George Shrinks, Dinosaur Bob and Santa Calls; he's won three Emmy awards for his Rolie Polie Olie animated series; developed character concepts for Toy Story and A Bug's Life; and his films include Robots and Meet the Robinsons. He's currently co-directing The Guardians for DREAMWORKS, and is producing The Leaf Men, based on his picturebook. He lives in Shreveport, LA, and is the founder of Moonbot Studios.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tiny of body, but brave of heart........, October 10, 2001

By 

JoJo "mightymite1" (ND United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs (Hardcover)

As a child, did you ever look for hidden treasures in your backyard? Well, this is a story about the magic of backyards and gardens. Two words describe this book--magical and mystical. My son loves this book because it combines his love of insects and superheroes. This is a wonderful story to read aloud to children and seems to really spark their imaginations. The illustrations are imaginative and unique. It is a favorite book at our house!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It works upon the mind as the great myths, September 18, 2000

By 

Daniel Grimm "tohster" (Long Island, New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs (Hardcover)

Nevermind reading this to children: *I* read it. Here is a tale of mytheopic properties -- the Long-Lost Toy, the treasured rosebush grown sickly, the old woman, wound about, and bound to these treasured things of her youth, a precarious lifeline; and here too, those brave little bugs, the Doodle Guild, full of virtue and honour, who would give their very lives for a woman, and think nothing of it; and alas! too, the wicked Spider Queen, "enclosed in her own fat," who would devour her prey, and think not of it, and hath not mercy, nor kindness; and, when all is hopeless: the storm is stilled, the air is grown quiet, and lo! the Leaf Men of old, them whom Memory would forget.

This tale is at once set upon the mind, and there it will stay for quite some time after the book is set down. I highly recomend it.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars When you want a fairy tale but are sick of fairy tales, July 5, 2000

By 

Ann M. Huebner (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs (Hardcover)

This is a quirky book, but a fun one. It's a mystical fairy tale with a garden setting (the main characters are bugs) and an Art Deco aesthetic. An old lady falls ill. Her garden falls ill, too, as there is no one to care for it. The garden's bugs rally together. They've heard stories of the magical, mystical Leaf Men who will come to a garden's aid if properly summoned. A proper summons requires a dangerous journey to the tree tops on a moonlit night. The brave doodle bugs go for it. The evil Spider Queen and her goblins try to thwart them. It's good stuff. There is also a sweet, sentimental subplot with an old toy. The book is recommended for the 4-8 year-old crowd, but my 2 1/2 year-old loves it. I had to edit some of the text at first, however, as it is on the long side for toddlers. I also edit the gruesome death of the Spider Queen. The story covers a lot of territory in a short amount of time, so the characters are rather one-dimensional and the story ends up with a few holes. Nevertheless, the story is told so stylishly and the illustrations are so unusual and dramatic that you forgive the short-comings. It's a great book to read when you want a fairy tale but are sick of fairy tales.