School Library Journal Review
| Gr 2 UpThis eclectic autobiography is aptly dubbed a scrapbook. Joyce offers tidbits of information about his childhood, his working life, and his family. He also provides brief summaries of and background information about his picture books, including glimpses of four works in progress. His holiday celebrations seem as surreal as many of the characters and settings he has created. The photo montages that accompany the hand-lettered text include family snapshots, sketches, childhood drawings, magazine covers, and views of Joyce's home. With so many images per page, the work will provide plenty to interest the artist's many fans, who definitely will want to peruse the book. Those unfamiliar with his picture books should probably read a few first to avoid becoming more confused than amused.Kathy Piehl, Mankato State University, MN (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Booklist Review
| Gr. 4^-7. Fans of Joyce's works (Dinosaur Bob [1995], Santa Calls [1993]) are the natural audience for this book, but it is so cleverly designed, so full of interesting tidbits and artistic insights that it will appeal to a wide range of young people. Done in a scrapbook format, the design incorporates a pastiche of handwritten recollections of Joyce's childhood, first drafts of drawings, finished artwork, and photos that include everything from Joyce as a baby to a picture of Joyce's daughter hiding among his creations, the leaf men. The book will be of particular interest to budding artists, who will be fascinated by seeing Joyce's work as it progresses through various stages; everyone will delight in the stylish finished product. --Ilene Cooper |
Horn Book Review
| A blend of playful design, breezy text, and numerous reproductions of early work and sketches for books fills William Joyce's scrapbook-format autobiography. The presentation threatens to be sensory overload but turns out to be appropriate to its subject. Joyce does nothing simply, as evidenced by his holiday traditions--he blows up a fort with thousands of toy soldiers on the Fourth and paints scary murals on his living room wall for Halloween. From HORN BOOK Fall 1998, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
