The Man in the Moon

Starred review from July 4, 2011
Joyce's (A Day with Wilbur Robinson) concoction, the inaugural offering in the Guardians of Childhood series (with films and 12 books to follow), is a rich, cinematic brew of steampunk fancies. His sumptuous spreads are crowded with rotund telescopes, Jules Verne rocket ships, and sherbet-bearing robots, all painted in a superb palette of indigo and gold. The infant Man in the Moon (named for the Moon Clipper, an extraterrestrial airship that disguises itself as a moon at night) is hidden away by his parents in order to escape the nefarious Pitch, "the King of Nightmares," renowned for "plundering planets, extinguishing stars, and scuttling every airship that crossed his path." Without his parents, but amply provided for, the acronymically nicknamed MiM grows up, round-faced and nattily dressed, orbiting Earth in the derelict clipper ("It was now just a moon"). Learning of the hopes and dreams of Earth's children, he gathers a team of fellow guardians to protect and console them. Joyce combines elemental fairyland themesâa cloistered heir, secret powers, mysterious good deedsâinto a tale that's warm and fuzzy, swashbuckling, and dazzlingly inventive all at the same time. Ages 4â8.

April 15, 2011

A visual feast cannot compensate for lackluster plotting in this first installment of a new mega-series that involves picture books, chapter books and (of course) a movie.

There are guardians of children everywhere that strive to keep kids safe from harm. Of these, the first was MiM, The Man in the Moon. Born to a loving family with a guardian named Nightlight to keep him safe from bad dreams, MiM's untainted sleep attracts the unwanted attention of Pitch, the King of Nightmares. When MiM's family and brave Nightlight perish in an attack, MiM lives out the rest of the days inside his family's ship (our own moon). Once grown, he determines to protect the children of nearby Earth and calls upon folks like Santa Claus, Mother Goose and the Tooth Fairy to join him in this goal. Joyce's prowess as an illustrator is undeniable, and this may well be his most ambitious, marvelous-looking title to date. Only a sure and meticulous hand could conjure up such luscious lunar moths and battling constellations. Sadly, the storytelling cannot live up to the visual presentation. Feeling more like an introductory tale than a full-blooded story in its own right, the old-fashioned–feeling narrative fails to find a plot.

Here's hoping that future installments in this ambitious series will spend less time on back story and more on story line. (Picture book. 5-9)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

October 1, 2011

Gr 1-3-This debut title of the series spins a fantastical yarn about the origins of The Man in the Moon, aka MiM. As a child, he enjoys a safe and peaceful existence during the Golden Age, sailing among the planets with his parents on the Moon Clipper, a galactic ship. When the dark and evil Pitch, King of Nightmares, attempts to capture him, a blinding flash of light obliterates Pitch as well as MiM's parents. Now orphaned, the boy is stranded on his ship-turned-moon and is raised under the care of Moonbots, Moonmice, and Lunar Moths. Over time, he becomes aware of other children living on planet Earth and, upon reaching adulthood, assembles a variety of guardians (e.g., Santa Claus, the Sandman, the Tooth Fairy) who vow to "watch over the children of Earth [and] guide them safely from the ways of harm." The resolution of this intricately plotted story begs for more; not only are additional books forthcoming, but also an animated film based on the series is slated for a 2012 release. Indeed, Joyce's full-color, multimedia artwork creates an out-of-this-world, cinematic setting and cast of characters, brimming with eerie and hilarious detail and a masterful juxtaposition of light and dark. Finely wrought motifs, inspired by classical architecture and old-fashioned measuring tools, embellish spot drawings, set off text, and underscore the tale's nostalgic tone. A natural bedtime story to share one-on-one, this book will also captivate independent readers who may have only just outgrown tales about the Sandman and other "Guardians of Childhood."-Kathleen Finn, St. Francis Xavier School, Winooski, VT

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2011
Preschool-G Joyce introduces a new picture-book series, the Guardians of Childhood, with this fantastical legend of MiM, the Man in the Moon. MiM's story begins in the Golden Age, when he is a baby, inhabiting the heavens with Moonmice and Glowworms and attended by his trusted protector, Nightlight. When wicked Pitch, the King of Nightmares, sets his sights on the innocent babe, MiM's parents send the child to a faraway galaxy with a little blue and green planet called Earth. There, MiM grows up to become patriarch to the other Guardians (E. Bunny, Jack Frost, Tooth Fairy, et al). Joyce's trademark romantic imagination is abundantly clear here. The long text requires patience, but both the words and pictures have a cinematic polish, adorned with poetic curlicues. Depictions of MiM and his crew, painted with glossy clarity, contrast nicely with the sketchy sepia of Pitch and his battlements. Families will welcome this original fable and look forward to successive outings with the Guardians of Childhood.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)