When Ollie is toy-napped, Billy must rescue his beloved favorite from Zozo’s subterranean lair in the old Carnival Place, past the park, through the woods, and into the night. William Joyce does a lot of stuff—films, apps, Olympic curling—but children’s books are his true bailiwick (The Numberlys, The Man in the Moon, Nicholas St. Zozo was unable to forget his memory of a little girl walking away with the toy dancer, and saying, “You will be my favorite. THough there are some minor "Grim/Dark" overtones, this is still an engaging, fast-paced read, suitable for middle-grade readers (or perhaps adults who are young-at-heart), and it really illustrates what "Children's Literature" can (and should) stand for. On this occasion, saying goodbye to their new friends was a different kind of sadness and he didn’t feel it would be appropriate to make a joke.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.It looks a little young for 9-12 year olds to pick up, because of the pictures and the length, although I think kids this age would really enjoy it. With a seasoned storyteller's skill, Joyce sets the stage for an incredibleadventure, using Billy's childish perspective (and vocabulary) to convey thevastness and scariness of the world beyond one's backyard, as well as to createa place where toys can come to life. The ruler of this kingdom is Zozo, a former carnival-game clown doll whose heartbreaking backstory is the stuff of tragic opera.

Heroic Sacrifice: Zozo holds the collapsing ceiling of the tunnel of love up long enough for everyone else to escape. Morris Lessmore and the Guardians of Childhood comes a grand adventure of valor, friendship, and a look into the mysterious world of favorite toys.While the Creeps dragged Billy in a burlap bag toward Zozo’s workroom, what was Billy able to see and do? Discuss the change in dynamics between Billy being the protector of Ollie to Ollie being the protector of Billy. I loved the way they talked about the world around them, that breaking the rules was "illegal", that during their play times they were going on an A-venture and that brave was something to have "I hope I have enough brave to do this". ALL THE TIME WHILE TYPING THIS OVERUSED HOLYWOOD TROPE SALAD THAT IS THE WHOLE SECOND HALF OF THE BOOK. Hiding in Plain Sight: Zozo's minions, whenever a human is nearby, collapse to the ground to be mistaken for piles of junk.