Customer Reviews

The World of William Joyce Scrapbook

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This self-portrait of William Joyce comes across so whimsical and fantastical, children will want to read it again and again. It's especially inspiring for children with creative spirits or ones with large imaginations. Joyce's sweet innoncence delicately provides a fun-loving world any child or adult would enjoy. The illustrations and text make me want to transform my home into the same wonderful playland Joyce's children enjoy. He explains his day and how he's inspired to illustrate and write. Any question a little one could possibly ask, he answers in this book. He also gives insight to what he was feeling on certain books he wrote too. I especially enjoyed hearing about what emotions and things in his life inspired what books.

This book is wonderful and delightful, in the literal senses of those words. Every page is filled to capacity with things that will amaze and fascinate: an abundance of previously unpublished illustrations by Joyce, details of the creation of his books, and photographs of his astonishingly elaborate holiday celebrations (that will make you want nothing in the world more than to be his friend and neighbor). My only complaint is about the book's brevity--I would have liked a hundred more pages of this. That, however, is an adult's complaint; a young reader will probably find the book to be just the right length.

Readers will find this a pleasant excursion into the thought process and creative impulses that go into Joyce's imaginative art. Joyce describes how the people and objects from his childhood and adult life can find their way into pictures, and what sort of transformation they undergo as they become part of a story. I really enjoyed the photos and illustrations, and it was very interesting to get a peek into the way this artist works. I recommend this high-quality, beautifully illustrated book for both kids and adults who enjoy the work of William Joyce, and also for those who are interested in reading about art, the making of children's books, and biographies about artists.

William Joyce is one of the most creative, imaginative, and joyful author/illustrators in children's literature. Don't do yourself a disservice and write Joyce off as just for kids. His books are an absolute delight. It is fitting, then, that this book is a very unscholarly and very clever look at his work. Joyce not only explains how he got the ideas for such great books as "The Leaf Men" or "Bentley & Egg" but offers a glimpse at his home life. I would definitely like to visit his house on any major holiday! This book is both accessible to kids and entertaining for grown ups. Delight yourself and buy it today.

William Joyce's energetic cover is the first thing that grabs your attention is the, and that energy continues through out the whole book. Joyce talks about his childhood and how he stared drawing. He also describes the books he has written. I enjoyed reading this book because it was different. The text changes on each page and does not go straight across the page, but instead it sometimes went around in circles or up and down. The illustrations were great as well. He creates a great enthusiasm for the arts, and it makes you want to go right out and start drawing. Another interesting part about this book was that Joyce explained how he decorated is house on Halloween, and it was amazing.