Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs
- Book Review,
by William Joyce
Amazon.com
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.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3?In a stunningly designed but flawed picture book, Joyce tells a story of the magic that can heal a garden and an elderly woman on a beautiful moonlit night. The woman loves her garden, but only vaguely remembers how miraculous it was when she was a child. Soon she, and the garden, become sickly and near death. The insects worry, but don't know how to help. The "Long-Lost Toy" advises that they seek the help of the Leaf Men. In spite of the scorn of the evil Spider Queen, a brave troop of doodle bugs volunteers to scale the tall tree and summon the Leaf Men. It is a perilous journey but the bugs succeed, the Leaf Men kill the Spider Queen, and immediately the garden starts to thrive. But only the Long-Lost Toy can help the save the woman. The Leaf Men carry the tiny metal man to her bedside; when she sees him, her memories of childhood magic and protection are rekindled and begin to heal her. This lovely book is marred by a strangely flat and remote story. The grand, eloquent tone gives urgency to the adventure but is odd in the sentimental story of the old woman. The powerful paintings are full of mystery, but are not strong enough to carry an uneven plot that has questionable child appeal.?Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public LibraryCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The New York Times Book Review, Janet Taylor Lisle
As in Mr. Joyce's other books, vivid, enticing paintings with oddball detail and unusual perspective are central to this story about a backyard where tiny worlds operate and clandestine dramas unfold just beyond the rim of human sight.
From Booklist
Ages 4^-8. In a garden "anything could happen on a beautiful moonlit night." When an old, old woman falls ill at the same time that her beloved rosebush grows sickly, the garden's good bugs take the advice of a toy and summon the Leaf Men. The valiant Leaf Men fight an epic battle with the evil Spider Queen (though gardeners will know that the villain should have been a nefarious Japanese beetle) and then put their elfin powers to work mending the garden. Joyce has brought his quirky perspective to the natural world, offering children heroes and villains depicted in lush green, enticing paintings filled with fascinating detail. Once their eyes have been opened to the insect battles being waged, children will never look on a garden as being dull--if they look carefully enough. Susan Dove Lempke
From Kirkus Reviews
As an old lady lies abed and her garden fails with her, a doughty band of doodlebugs--`` `Tiny of body but brave of heart, we will finish what we start!' ''--climbs the tallest tree in search of the elusive Leaf Men, hoping they can set things right. Indeed they can: Appearing just in time for a short but sharp battle in which the evil Spider Queen is slain, the Leaf Men, ``gardeners of a grand and elfin sort,'' doctor all the wilted foliage, then bring the old woman back from the brink by presenting her with a toy lost in the garden long ago. A squad of lilliputian Jolly Green Giants, the emerald Leaf Men cut robust, heroic figures, hands on hips, long tendrils curling gracefully from their bald pates; the Spider Queen and her twiggy cohorts emit a suitably malicious air. Joyce (Santa Calls, 1993, etc.) places the action in a jungle of looming vegetation lit by the smiling moon that sails over nearly every scene. Small scale, grand adventure. (Picture book. 7-9) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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