There is a book sitting on our coffee table that has been there for years. It’s a magical little story I started reading to The Greatest Kid On The Planet when he was six years old, and it’s one we’ll never outgrow. We’ve read it so many times that the jacket is worn and weathered, and the spine has become tired from the constant turning of its pages. It’s a whimsical tale called The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.
This delightful story was first released in 2011 as an animated short film directed by William Joyce. The film was so well received that it won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, and Apple released an Ipad app which they based on the film.
A year later, William Joyce, with help from illustrator Joe Bluhm, brought his story to life once more within the pages of a charming and colorful book. I happened upon this wonderful treasure long before I viewed the film, and I was enchanted by it from the first. The Greatest Kid and I have enjoyed it over and over ever since.
Mr. Morris Lessmore spends his days surrounded by books, reading their stories and writing his own. Each day, he sits on his porch and fills the pages of his book with the story of his life, writing “his joys and sorrows, of all that he know[s] and everything he hope[s] for.”
Then one day, a terrible storm sweeps through, scattering everything about, including all of Morris’s words and all of his books, leaving his world in disarray and coloring everything a lonely shade of grey.
Morris wanders aimlessly through the crumbled ruins and wordless books, feeling lost and hopeless. Until one day, he happens upon a curious and marvelous sight: a bundle of books flying through the air carrying away a lovely and carefree young lady. When she sees Morris, she sends him one of her books, a dapper, legged edition of Humpty Dumpty. The book leads Morris to a magical building filled with other flying books. They perch on the shelves and flutter through the air like butterflies, inviting him in. As Morris begins to read, the color returns to his life.
And thus, Morris’s life among the books begins. They become his trusted companions, and he spends his days dusting their jackets, straightening their sleeves, and smoothing their dog-eared edges. He restores the old and forgotten volumes, reading their stories back into life, making them new again. Every day, he immerses himself in their adventures, their sagas, their comedies and tragedies, sometimes not emerging for days. And each night, he falls asleep nestled among their pages.
When other people come to visit him, their lives still devoid of color from the passing storm, Morris restores their vibrant hues by lending them books, both the shiny and new and the old and forgotten, so all of the stories can be told and shared. “Everyone’s story matters,” he says.
The months and the years pass by, and Morris grows old among the books, reading their stories and writing his own. Until one day, he completes the final page of his book. With a sad heart, he bids farewell to his friends, and away he flies on a bundle of flying books, just as the lovely lady before him. He leaves behind his own book with the story of his life, “of his joys and sorrows, of all that he knew and everything he hoped for.”
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is a moving tribute to the wonderful magic of stories and books and the way they transform us throughout our lives. While the animated version has a dreamy quality which lends to its charm, I prefer the written edition with its vivid illustrations and its clever and heartwarming prose.
Perhaps it’s my own love of books that makes this tale so endearing. It’s a love I’ve endeavored to pass on to The Greatest Kid On The Planet. I can see myself like Morris, living among the books and getting lost in their adventures. To me, there is nothing like holding a story in your hands and letting it carry you away with each turn of the page.
If you haven’t experienced William Joyce’s enchanting little story, put it on your wish list. It’s a wonderful tale to introduce children to the fascinating world of words and books, and you’ll want to read it again and again. Story lovers of all ages will be inspired by this charming tale from the very first page:
“Morris Lessmore loved words.
He loved stories.
He loved books.”
If you enjoy being carried away on the wings of a magical story, you’ll love Morris Lessmore and his fantastic flying books just as much as we do.
M.C. Greene
(The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore was written by William Joyce and illustrated by Joe Bluhm; Copyright © 2012 by Moonbot Books, an imprint of Atheneum Books For Young Readers | Simon and Schuster, New York.)