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Occasionally, I will watch children read and reread a story, absolutely carried away on the story's journey. They will want to revisit that special story world again and again. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore amazes children and adults when they first read it. Some are amazed at the way the book app integrates animation and interactive features, but many readers are simply captivated by the story. Now, this wonderful book is available as a picture book to share with children.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
by William Joyce

NY: Simon and Schuster, 2012

available at your local library and on Amazon

Morris Lessmore is a man who loves words and stories, so much so that he surrounds himself with books. One day, he is swept away to a distant land when a terrible storm strikes. Adults may see reference to The Wizard of Oz or Hurricane Katrina, but children just follow Morris into a magical land of stories.

“Then a happy bit of happenstance came his way. Rather than looking down, as had become his habit, Morris Lessmore looked up. Drifting through the sky above him, Morris saw a lovely lady. She was being pulled along by a festive squadron of flying books.” 

The young woman sends him a story that leads him to a stately old home where books from years gone by apparently ‘nested.’ Morris explores this wonderful place, discovering his true home among the books and stories, each “whispering an invitation to adventure.


The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is currently number one on the New York Times Bestselling Children's Picture Books list - hooray! I'm so very glad it's reaching a wide audience.

I was honored last month to listen to William Joyce talk about his inspiration for this story. Listen to the speech he gave to gathered librarians and admirers at the Simon and Schuster party at the American Library Association, in June 2012. First, you'll hear Justin Chanda, his editor and the publisher of Books for Young Readers at Simon & Schuster, introduce Bill. And then listen to Bill describe the story behind Mr. Morris Lessmore.

Bill Joyce tells us that he originally wrote t

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This week we feature the wonderful illustrator Barbara Johansen Newman. Barbara has been illustrating professionally for more than 20 years. She’s done art for books, art for magazines and newspaper articles, art for calendars and advertising, greeting cards, corporate reports, medical reports, and invitations.

For the ten years before she was an illustrator, she worked with puppets and created figurative fiber sculptures which she has exhibited at shows and galleries around the country.

She holds  B.F.A. in Art and a ceritificate in Art Education.  She lives in Massachusetts with her husband Phil, her three sons, Dave, Mike, and Ben and her dog Bitty (in picture on left).

Here is a picture of Barbara’s studio.

When Barbara paints big, she uses antique dough boards. I asked about them and Barbara said, “They are large slabs of wood, usually one single plank wide, probably cut from old growth trees, mostly of pine. They are also called “noodle boards.” Women used them for kneading dough for bread and noodles of sorts. They are often fairly large–20 by 28 or more. Some have lips that hung over the edges of tables to make them more stable.”

Here’s a good example of one: http://www.antiquepeek.com/wood_dough_board_2.htm

I like painting on them and have purchased them whenever I can find them at a reasonable price.

This is the first color illustration assignment Barbara ever got–a piece on Turkey farms for Boston Magazine back in the 80s.

Tell us a little bit about the puppets and dolls you did right out of college.  Where the puppets marionettes? What materials did you use to make the dolls?

While I was still in college I met Lois Bohevesky and with her  and Frieda Gates I spent a summer studying puppetry and puppet making at the Bil Baird Theatre in New York. (it is no longer there)  I learned to make and operate hand puppets, rod puppets, and marionettes. That course planted the seed of a love of puppetry and everything puppet related. By summer’s end my future husband had built us a portable stage that could be used to do small shows. We packed up our rented van and moved to Buffalo, where we had transferred for our fall semester in college to be together. I posted puppet show flyers in different places and somehow we began to get calls and jobs from out of nowhere to do puppet shows all around the Buffalo area.

The big change in our lives came when we were hired to perform at a craft show. Instead of paying us a full fee, we took a table to sell puppets, because I had discovered that I loved making them as much as performing with them (actually more). After that show we were hired for othe

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Today, I have the honor of sharing an interview with William Joyce, the amazing creator of The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. Joyce is an author, illustrator and animator of many books and films, most recently winning an Academy Award for the short film of Morris Lessmore. The app, based on the same story, has been one of my favorites for the way it blends a touching story with incredible combination of animation, interaction and narration.

Come listen to this interview on Katie Davis’s podcast, Brain Burps About Books. You can listen for free on iTunes or on Katie’s site. It was an amazing experience getting to sit down with Bill Joyce - I've admired his work for so long.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore truly opened my eyes to what a book app can do (see my review of the app over at SLJ's Touch and Go). Above all else, the story resonates with children – it’s a story about the power of books and stories to sustain us, to fill our lives and imaginations. But it’s also an incredible combination of narrated text (beautifully written and read), animation that leaps off the screen, and interactive features that surprise readers as they are pulled into elements of the story.


If you’re fascinated by books, stories and how the new medium of the iPad will affect the way we share stories with our children, please take some time to listen to this interview. Bill Joyce is a visionary, in my mind. He sees that stories are really what we fill our lives, but that technology can be used in so many different ways to bring these stories to life.

As Bill said in this interview, halfway through the production of the short film for Morris Lessmore, the iPad was released. He and his coproducer realized that this is going to change everything. They wanted to see how this technology can be used to tell a story, to pull you into an immersive story world. The iPad can complement books, helping publishing, not hurting it.

Each way of reading The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is a different experience. The short film is completely silent, pulling the audience in but demanding that they fill in the story’s narrative plot themselves. The app uses much of the animation from the film, but adds the narration

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This week we have author/illustrator Roger Roth with us.  He comes from a creative family, where his great uncle painted sets for the New York theater at the turn of the century, his mother went to art school (she later became an elementary school teacher) and his dad was a writer. He’s been interested in art since he was young, and actually, by 1st grade kids were paying him to draw their portraits!  When he was 15, his parents sent him to Saturday art classes at the Philadelphia College of Art (now called University of the Arts) and he studied under Milton Feldman.  Roger says this was very important to his development as an artist and when he published his first children’s book (The Giraffe That Walked to Paris), he dedicated it to him.

When he is not working on a children’s book, visiting a school, or doing an editorial illustration, you can find him at the University of the Arts, where he is a senior lecturer in the illustration department.

His wife Darlene, is a writer and editor, and they worked together on Star of the Week. It’s a story about a girl who resembles their wonderful daughter, Eden and inspired by her story. Roger, Darlene, Eden, and their dogs, Dobo and Drizzle live outside of Philadelphia.

Roger graduated from Pratt University in 1980, with a degree in fine art and has been a working artist ever since.  He’s done everything from painting murals in restaurants to illustrating a column in the New York Times (He did that for 4 years). He’s been illustrating children’s books since 1982.

He has written and illustrated two children’s books, both came from real life experiences. He used to work as a sign painter, and the man who owned the company, Clarence, was the inspiration for The Sign Painter’s Dream. He loves to go ice fishing with his friends, Chris, Ed and Rick, so that theme turned up in Fishing for Methuselah.

His editorial work has appeared in many publications, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and Barron’s and he has also done a lot of work for advertising agencies.

Over the years, his work has drawn a lot of positive attention. His editorial work has been selected for the Best of Newspaper Design Annual, the International Graphic Annual of Advertising and Editorial Graphics

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Roger Roth said, on 7/7/2012 7:02:00 AM

Thanks so much, Kathy, for this opportunity. Your blog is amazing!

Roger Roth & Darlene Friedman

Joe Tenerelli said, on 7/7/2012 8:58:00 AM

Like the very best illustrators, what stands out in Roger’s illustrations is how much thought and detail he puts into his work. His drawings can virtually tell the story without any words. Great interview, too.

ekbalesteri said, on 7/7/2012 9:45:00 AM

I love the movement in these illustrations…incredible work!

Jackie Braden said, on 7/7/2012 12:22:00 PM

Great article, thank-you! Like Roger I have nothing against today’s technology, however the media I prefer is hand drawn and colored. The art work is beautifully rendered and it is refreshing to see the artists “hand”. I
enjoyed reading about Roger and his process as well as seeing so much of his exquisite work, especially the sketches. Well done Kathy!

Rosi said, on 7/7/2012 2:46:00 PM

Wow. Roger’s work is just incredible. And you were able to share so much with us. What a treat! Thanks.

joannefriar said, on 7/8/2012 8:22:00 AM

I have a few of Roger’s books and have always loved his technique. It was enjoyable to see his process. Beautiful drawings!

Jaz said, on 7/8/2012 8:39:00 AM

Roger’s work in incredible. Every time I want to stop drawing, his work inspires me to do something new.

Mike Clark said, on 7/8/2012 8:46:00 AM

Great post. I had the pleasure of taking courses with Roger as my professor at Uarts. His work is inspiring and engaging!

Tricia Trainor said, on 7/8/2012 10:22:00 AM

Great article such beautiful artwork by Roger so great to see the process!!

kathytemean said, on 7/8/2012 11:17:00 AM

Joanne,

I am always amazed at all the talent out there. The competition is steep. Glad you stopped by and left a message for another illustrator.

Kathy

kathytemean said, on 7/8/2012 11:19:00 AM

Jaz,

You’re right his work is incredible and I am glad you are using it as inspiration.

Kathy

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