Morris Lessmore honored by SIBA

Each year, hundreds of booksellers across the South vote on their favorite "handsell" books of the year. These are the "southern" books they have most enjoyed selling to customers; the ones that they couldn't stop talking about. The SIBA (Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance) Book Award was created to recognize great books of southern origin.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore has been selected by these booksellers as the Children's Winner. It's an incredible honor to be chosen by these independent booksellers.

For more information about the SIBA and the award, please visit their website.

An Epic Summer at Artspace

This summer, artspace in Shreveport is hosting an Epic Summer of Family Fun with hands-on activities, workshops and events  to compliment "The Making of Epic” exhibition. On display through July 27th, the exhibit features a collection of William Joyce’s art and follows the evolution of “The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs” to Epic. The collection brings the gallery space to life with 3D art, sketches, and more.

Fun events include:

Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm:
Bring the kiddos to "bug out" at Moonhaven, an immersive installation inspired by the Leaf Men's lair. There's also fun hands-on art workshops where kids can learn to draw their own epic hero.

Saturday, July 20 - 11:00 am – 5:00 pm:
A free William Joyce movie marathon! Get your fill from dawn to dusk: THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOKS OF MR. MORRIS LESSMORE, ROBOTS, MEET THE ROBINSONS, RISE OF THE GUARDIANS. Popcorn, candy, drinks and ice cream available for purchase!

Thursday, July 11 - 6:30 pm:
Hear the story of Bill's epic journey from author and illustrator of "The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs" to Epic. Taste chocolate-covered crickets and Leaf Men-inspired lettuce wraps, sip leafy libations at the cash bar and dance to the tunes of Engine! This Epic evening is $10 per person.

For more information, contact artspace.

In honor of Maurice Sendak's birthday...

An homage to "Where The Wild Things Are" by William Joyce for Reading is Fundamental

Epic Premieres This Weekend!

Fans of William Joyce's The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs can look forward to the premiere of Epic this weekend. The animated feature-length film is set in the same world as the book and follows a teenage girl named Mary Katherine into the secret world of tiny woodland creatures, including the Leaf Men.  She teams up with this elite band of warriors and a crew of comical, larger-than-life figures, to save their world and ours from the evil Boggans.

William Joyce served as a writer, producer, and production designer for Epic which was produced by Blue Sky Studios and directed by Chris Wedge, the director of Ice Age and Robots. This is Joyce and Wedge’s first collaboration since joining forces for the visually stunning animated film Robots in 2005.

For more information about FOX/ Blue Sky Studio’s Epic visit www.epicthemovie.com.

Toothiana in the Cereal Aisle

Next time you are riding your lunar rover through the cereal aisle, take a look at a box of Honey Nut Cheerios®! There may be a special surprise inside. This month, Cheerios® is expanding its Spoonfuls of Stories® program to reach older kids through chapter books, including William Joyce's "The Guardians of Childhood" series.

3 million chapter books for older children will be included in specially marked boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios® for the very first time, including:

• “Toothiana, Battle Is Waged”
• “Toothiana, Tooth is Lost”
• “Toothiana, Panic Sets In”
• “Toothiana, A Queen Takes Flight”

Each book contains a selection from Toothiana, Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies and a special new cover created by Moonbot Studios. Take a look at some of the covers below and keep your eyes peeled for Cheerios® at your local grocery store.

Pre-Order William Joyce's Newest Books

Coming October 2013: The Mischievians

Strange smells. Disappearing remotes. That itch you just can’t reach. It’s not your fault! It’s the Mischievians, an ancient race of global mischief-makers who do all the things that embarrass you. All the things that bug you. All the things that YOU get blamed for!

There is no cause for alarm (sorta). Come meet the Homework Eater, the fiend who steals your homework! See the Endroller, the villain who uses up ALL the toilet paper! Discover the Yawn Mower, the creature who makes you yawn at the worst possible time! And many, many more. Read on, and be free.

Pre-Order The Mischievians on Amazon.

Coming October 2013: The Sandman and the War of Dreams

In their fourth chapter book adventure, the Guardians of Childhood recruit Sanderson ManSnoozy, the sleepy legend also known as the Sandman, to their cause.

When the Man in the Moon brought together the Guardians, he warned them that they would face some terrible evils as they strove to protect the children of earth. But nothing could have prepared them for this: Pitch has disappeared and taken Katherine with him. And now the Guardians are not only down one member, but a young girl is missing.

Fortunately, MiM knows just the man to join the team. Sanderson ManSnoozy—known in most circles as the Sandman—may be sleepy, but he’s also stalwart and clever and has a precocious ability to utilize sand in myriad ways. If the other Guardians can just convince Sandy that good can triumph evil, that good dreams can banish nightmares, they’ll have themselves quite a squad. But if they can’t…they might never see Katherine again.


Pre-Order The Sandman and the War of Dreams on Amazon.

2013 Christopher Award for Morris Lessmore

William Joyce is honored to receive a Christopher Award for The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore in the "Books for Young People" category. Since 1949, the Christopher Awards have annually saluted media (TV programming, feature films, books for adults and children) that “affirm the highest values of the human spirit.” 

Tony Rossi, The Christophers’ Director of Communications, says, “The creative forces behind the projects we’re honoring are improving our culture by telling stories that awaken hope instead of despair, acknowledge the necessity of sacrifice in the service of a greater good, and light a candle rather than curse the darkness.”

It's an honor for our team to share Mr. Morris Lessmore's story and to share the life-changing and enduring power of stories with the the world. William Joyce previously received a Christopher Award for his illustrations in Humphrey's Bear in 1987.

Find out more about the Christopher Awards and other winners on their website.