Most Popular Books by William Joyce

The book that inspired the Academy Award–winning short film, from New York Times bestselling author and beloved visionary William Joyce. Morris Lessmore loved words. He loved stories. He loved books. But every story has its upsets. Everything in Morris Lessmore’s life, including his own story, is scattered to the winds. But the power of story will save the day. Stunningly brought to life by William Joyce, one of the preeminent creators in children’s literature, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is a modern masterpiece, showing that in today’s world of traditional books, eBooks, and apps, it’s story that we truly celebrate—and this story, no matter how you tell it, begs to be read again and again.

When a newly orphaned baby in the moon makes friends with the children of Earth, he seeks a way to ward off their fears and nightmares.

While spending the day in the Robinson household, Wilbur’s best friend Lewis helps search for Grandfather Robinson’s missing false teeth in this classic picture book from William Joyce that inspired the Disney animated sci-fi comedy, Meet the Robinsons! No need to knock, just step right in. You’re just in time to two-step with Grandfather Robinson and his dancing frog band. Cousin Laszlo is demonstrating his new antigravity device. And Uncle Art’s flying saucer is parked out back. It seems like all the Robinson relatives are here, so be prepared. And keep your head down…Uncle Gaston is testing out the family cannon. Oh, and watch where you sit, Grandpa’s lost his teeth again. Welcome to the Robinson’s.

A family brings a most unusual souvenir home after vacation in this classic picture book from the brilliant mind that brought you The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. The Lazardo family has brought back a peculiar souvenir from their trip to Africa…a dinosaur! Ah, but Bob is the friendly sort of dinosaur. The kind who enjoys playing the trumpet and tossing around a baseball. Bob is an instant neighborhood hit…until his love of chasing cars with his dog pals stirs up trouble with the police for “disturbing the peace.” But it’s the Pimlico Pirates’ opening game and Bob’s love of baseball might just be his get-out-of-jail-free card…

Meet the newest Guardian, Sanderson Mansnoozie.

The Leaf Men must find a way to save a glorious but endangered garden and the kindly old woman who tends to it in this classic picture book that inspired the movie, Epic. This charming picture book is full of ancient elfin magic, epic adventure, and the biggest of hearts. For when an evil spider queen tries to destroy a kindly old lady’s lush garden, the brave good bugs know they need help to drive a spider away. And they know who will help—the Leaf Men. But will the Leaf Men also be able to rescue the Long Lost Toy, the key to reviving the old woman, who has now fallen ill? A bugle salute to the power of memory, loyalty, and love as resounding as Robin Hood’s call to his Merry Men.

Three kids venture to the North Pole to help Santa defeat an army of evil elves in this holiday classic from the brilliant mind that brought you The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. Art Atchinson Aimesworth—inventor, crime fighters, and all-around whiz kid—journeys north with his sister, Esther, and his pal Spaulding, by special invitation from Santa himself. Why did Santa call them to the North Pole? Art wants to know. But when Esther is taken by the Queen of the Dark Elves, Art must put his questions aside and save his sister. This reissue of William Joyce’s epic Christmas adventure now comes complete with lift-the-flap letters from Santa himself!

A love of drawing and an understanding librarian help a struggling student find his voice in this quirky and creative ode to artistic expression, featuring a book within a book, from the brilliant minds that brought you The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore and The Numberlys. Billy loves to draw. He draws on books and on his homework and even on his math tests—he might not get the answer right, but doesn’t it look swell sitting in a boat at sea? His teacher doesn’t think so, and neither does the principal. But the librarian has an idea to help Billy apply his illustrations to his learning: a book-making contest! So Billy gets to work, reading everything he can about meteors, mythology, space travel, and…mucus? Yep, Billy’s book is about the world’s smartest booger, who stays tucked away until right when he’s needed—say, to solve multiplication problems, or answer questions from the President. Billy’s sure his story is a winner. But being a winner doesn’t mean you always win. Full of nostalgic references to a time when TV was black-and-white and Sunday newspapers had things called the funnies, this wildly fun story-within-a-story is based loosely on the childhood of children’s book legend William Joyce, and includes a sewn-in mini-book that tells the tale of the world’s smartest booger.

"When a toy is bestowed with the title of "favorite," it takes on a coveted rank among the world of household things. But when a vengeful toy conspires to destroy these favorites, he must be defeated by a stuffed toy rabbit"--

When a king’s pinky grows stinky, it is up to a smallish boy and a smallish pea to come up with a GIANT plan to save the kingdom—a fractured fairy tale from William Joyce and Moonbot Studios, the masterminds who brought you The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. You might think you know the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, but you might want to think again. In this fairy tale with a twist, it hasn’t rained in days and the king has dictated that something must be done—his royal pinky is getting stinky! With a little magic from a wizard, young Jack, paired with his pea pod pal, will find a GIANT reason as to why there’s no water left in the kingdom...and prove that size doesn’t prevent anyone from doing something BIG.

Way up high in the Rolie Polie Sky is a little round planet of a really swell guy… Follow along as Olie and Zowie Polie go on fantastical adventures in this classic picture book-turned-beloved-TV-show from the brilliant mind that brought you The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. Rolie Polie Olie lives on a fantastical planet of blue skies and friendly robots, where every day is a surprise and literally everything comes to life. Reminiscent of the happy cartoon shorts of the 1930s, the whole mechanical Rolie Polie family Ping-Pongs around their smiley teapot house, playing and having fun from morning to noon to night. In Rolie Polie Olie land, it’s one for all and all for one, little sister Zowie worships her big brother, and ever-loyal Spot is a pal to the end of time. And when things go wrong and all seems lost, a rumba dance can make everything okey dokey once again.

The Guardians’ powers are put to the ultimate test in their final battle in this thrilling conclusion to the epic chapter book series from William Joyce. When we last saw the Guardians, they were celebrating their victory during Bright Night, the final great Battle of the Moon, where they defeated Pitch once and for all. Or so they thought. Now, many years later, the Guardians have settled into their final selves, embracing their public images and the Earth Holidays. But the world has not been without evil since Pitch’s imprisonment. All the Guardians feel the weight of lurking menace, but Jack Frost—now half human, half of his former self Nightlight—feels it the most. Jack’s transition from Nightlight to Guardian was not an easy one. Always inclined to keep to himself, Jack has become especially isolated from the other Guardians since his transformation. Yet it is Jack who Ombric Shalazar (once a great wizard, now known as Father Time) trusts with a tremendous secret. But for Jack to fully understand this secret, he must revisit his past—and finally tell his story. Jack’s story, however, isn’t the only one to be reopened; an old enemy whose chapter we thought closed will reappear and with him bring a darkness and destruction that will test the Guardians like never before. It’s a battle of superlatives—the worse fighting the greatest, but where, oh where, is Jack?

Forget the bunny trail.…In this addition to the groundbreaking series from the legendary William Joyce, Guardian E. Astor Bunnymund is on the warpath. Pitch, the Nightmare King, and his Fearlings had been soundly driven back by Nicholas St. North and company in the first Guardians’ adventure. But now Pitch has disappeared completely—and out of sight does NOT make for out of mind. It seems certain that he’s plotting a particularly nefarious revenge, and the Guardians suspect he might have gone underground. But how can they find him there? Enter E. Aster Bunnymund, the only emissary of the fabled brotherhood of the Pookas—the league of philosophical warrior rabbits of imposing intellect and size. Highly skilled in martial arts (many of which he invented himself), Bunnymund is brilliant, logical, and a tunnel-digger extraordinaire. If the Guardians need paths near the Earth’s core, he’s their Pooka. He’s also armed with magnificent weapons of an oval-sort, and might just be able to help in the quest for the second piece of the Moonclipper. This second book in The Guardians series is about much more than fixing a few rotten eggs—it brings the Guardians one step closer to defeating Pitch!

From the team who brought you The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore comes an alphabet tale extraordinaire! Once upon a time there was no alphabet, only numbers… Life was…fine. Orderly. Dull as gray paint. Very…numberly. But our five jaunty heroes weren’t willing to accept that this was all there could be. They knew there had to be more. So they broke out hard hats and welders, hammers and glue guns, and they started knocking some numbers together. Removing a piece here. Adding a piece there. At first, it was awful. But the five kept at it, and soon it was…artful! One letter after another emerged, until there were twenty-six. Twenty-six letters—and they were beautiful. All colorful, shiny, and new. Exactly what our heroes didn’t even know they were missing. And when the letters entered the world, something truly wondrous began to happen…Pizza! Jelly beans! Color! Books! Based on the award-winning app, this is William Joyce and Moonbot’s Metropolis-inspired homage to everyone who knows there is more to life than shades of black and gray.

Forget naughty or nice—this is a battle of good vs. evil. Discover the origins of St. Nick and follow along as the Guardians start their quest to rid the world of nightmares in the first Guardians chapter book from Academy Award winner William Joyce that inspired the beloved film, The Rise of the Guardians. Before SANTA was SANTA, he was North, Nicholas St. North—a daredevil swordsman whose prowess with double scimitars was legendary. Like any swashbuckling young warrior, North seeks treasure and adventure, leading him to the fiercely guarded village of Santoff Claussen, said to be home to the greatest treasure in all the East, and to an even greater wizard, Ombric Shalazar. But when North arrives, legends of riches have given way to terrors of epic proportions! North must decide whether to seek his fortune…or save the village. When our rebellious hero gets sucked into the chaos (literally), the fight becomes very personal. The Nightmare King and his evil Fearlings are ruling the night, owning the shadows, and sending waves of fear through all of Santoff Clausen. For North, this is a battle worth fighting…and, he’s not alone. There are five other Guardians out there. He only has to find them in time.