Os Fantásticos Livros Voadores de Modesto Máximo

by William Joyce, Elvira Vigna (Tradução)

Escritor e ilustrador, eleito uma das 100 personalidades de destaque do novo milênio pela revista Newsweek, William Joyce ganhou o Oscar 2012 pelo curta de animação The fantastic flying books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, que chega agora ao formato livro numa bem editada adaptação que mantém as ilustrações originais do filme. A obra, que alcançou o primeiro lugar na lista dos mais vendidos do The New York Times, é uma comovente declaração de amor à literatura e a seu poder transformador.

Genres: Picture Books, Fantasy, Childrens, Books About Books, Fiction, Adventure, Juvenile

56 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

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. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King, Toothiana, and the #1 New York Times bestselling The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, which is also an Academy Award–winning short film, to name a few). He lives with his family in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Reviews

[Jesse (JesseTheReader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect picture book for book lovers! A reminder that no matter what happens in life, books will always be there to bring you comfort.

[carol. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful picture book, but one written for adults more than children. I didn’t have a child to test it on, so I’m just going from memories of my child tendencies, and past experiences of trying to interest small ones in picture books.

The art is attractive and soothing but in a style that may not capture eyes used to active stimuli. Many of the pages are monochromatic, and the drawings look almost pen and ink. As a child, I remember being drawn to the more vibrant colors, and these wouldn’t have really captured my interest for long.



The story is quite metaphorical. Mr. Morris is blown off out of his world and into a new place where he meets a book friend who leads him to the place where books live.



Like Oz, the colors become more vibrant in the library.



The pattern of the story often follows one page with text and another with pictures.



I definitely enjoyed the drawings, which remained me of the style of Chris Van Allsburg, one of my favorite picture book artists.

The details of the lively books were entertaining.



Yet, quite honestly, the story underwhelmed me. Mr. Morris is a book-writer is blown off course, takes refuge in a library, grows old there, and one day leaves. So on a personal level, I’d say enjoyable, with nicely done art but seriously lackluster messaging, with nothing special enough to be worth a library add.

On the other hand, this was made into a very watchable Academy Award-winning short film that provides more visual interest and adds even more charming notes. You haven’t seen animated books until you saw the little egg-book above play a piano at 6:05. The above ‘surgery’ scene, which follows soon after, is a charming spoof of historical medical theater. It's only 17 minutes long and free on youtube when I wrote this review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad3CM...

Here's Moonbot Studio's Morris page. I didn't try to download the app or the movie on itunes, but it has links to do both. https://moonbotstudios.com/work/the-f...

[Deb Tyo]

Must. Have. This. Book.

My students are writing their own versions of The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.

I started by showing my students the first couple minutes of the short film that is based on this book. The students then began writing their story. Each day since, I have played a bit more of the film for the students. After each section, they continued their own story. I cannot wait for the students to complete their stories and share them. Each is incredibly unique and amazing.

[Roya · Rating 4 out of 5]

امروز یه عالمه کتابِ کودک خوندم چون آدم کشتن کارِ خوبی نیست.

[Calista · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this surreal book. This was recommended on Jesse the Reader's channel and it is fantastic. Something about this little story lifts your heart up. Each page is a surprise and a treat. I love that the books have personality and they roost.

If you want to add some joy to your life, this is a book for any book lover. There was a short made of this and I want to see it, or the other way around. This describes the experience and joy of reading. What a marvelous and wondrous book this is. I need to own this Gem.

The kids loved this too. The flying books delighted them and the niece let out a Wow! while reading it. My nephew loves Humpty Dumpty and there is a character that looks like him and he was obsessed with that book.

[Fatima difarko · Rating 5 out of 5]

"و اينطوري است كه داستان ما به آخر ميرسد؛ همانطور كه شروع شده بود...
...با باز كردن يك كتاب":))))))

ببينمت تورو.
تو يه كتاب بودي توي گوشيم.
چندصفحه بودي؟ ٥٢ صفحه.
كه نصف بيشترت تصوير بود.
چندديقه خوندمت؟ يك ربع.
جواب سوالمو بده.
اين تو
چطوري تونست؟
انقدر منو احساساتي كنه و يك ساعت بغضي كنه منو و وقتي تموم شدي ميخواستم بغلت كنم اما نداشتمت!
من هرلحظه ممكنه اشكم دربياد به خاطر ٥٢ صفحه اي كه شايد جمعا ٢٠ خط نوشته داشت🙂🥲
چطور تونستي اخه🙂🙂
چقدر يهو به دلم نشستي.
اصلا واي.🙂
فلفل نبين چه ريزه بشكن ببين چه تيزه
ولي شما پياز بودي كه داري هي اشكمو درمياري🙂
تك تك خطوطشو حس كردمممم لعنت.
عجب تصويراي قشنگي🙂
واي من خيلي دوست دارم:)
اصلا عجيب بودي.يهو خوندمت يهو نشستي به دلم يهو اشكمو دراوردي:)
عجب:)
باشه قلبم واسه تو:)
فقط اگه قراره گريمو دراري درار خسته شدم يك ساعت بيشتره بغض دارم لعنتي:)
موريس و كتاب هاي پرندش ٩/٩ دوصفر پرزدن وسط قلبم و اين وسط برگه ي يكي از كتابا خورد تو چشمم وگرنه من كه تو چشمام اشك نيست.

[Meredith Holley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was reading Within a Budding Grove recently, and the copy I have is an older one, the dust jacket worn and ripped in places. I like to read hardcovers of books the best, so I can use the dust jacket as a bookmark, and so I feel like the book is solid and less likely to get creased and broken by my reading. But, this copy was delicate, and every time I touched it, I could feel it crumbling in my fingers. The book itself was a beautiful, delicate thing, like the writing and ideas on its page, like the vulnerability of its narrator. My touch was too rough and solid.

I went out and bought supplies, and made a cover for the jacket, and pasted it all back together again, so that the book would be protected from my awkward pawings.



I loaned a hardcover to a friend once, a cheap hardcover of New Moon, even, which I had bought at Target for maybe $6. The friend forgot it was mine, and by the time I discovered it in her house again, the dust jacket was lost and the pages dog-eared. I couldn’t help but feel my friend had beaten up someone I loved. And, clearly, it was an inexpensive copy of a book that is ¾ abysmally boring, but it’s not about which book it is. It is a book. If you can’t be trusted with a book, what can you be trusted with?

Books are a dream of fireplaces and hot chocolate on a snowy day. They are a vision of seeing people as they really are, of understanding what the world is and who we are in it. They are family and love and friendship. Books are small packages that contain all the possibility in the universe. Books are my favorite. And I love the pages and binding and covers as the presence of magic in the physical world.

A book holds the world of a story, but it also holds the world of our reading experiences. For years, I kept the copy of Crime and Punishment that my friend gave me, saying, “Here, I know it is good, but I can’t finish it.” It is and old, broken paperback, and I held it in my hands while I jumped at shadows and knew that at any moment a murrrrdererrrr could sneak up behind me and catch me unawares. I kept that copy of the book, even while I had other copies because the book itself absorbed my experience of reading. Last year, I gave the copy to a younger friend who hadn’t read it, a friend who was the same age I was when I read the book. Giving her my copy of the book was, for me, also giving her that experience from my life. Look at the magic these pages contain: they are Raskolnikov disintegrating at the brutality of life, they are me warily eyeing my friends at a coffee shop because they may have been planning to kill me.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is a sweet little picture book about how books are all that matters in life. It is about how these little packages contain something about the essence of who we are and what we experience.

“’Everyone’s story matters,’ said Morris. And all the books agreed.”

This is a lovely book, just as the animated film made from it is lovely. It is the kind of premise I resist, maybe because it sounds too generalized or precious about The Things That Matter, but its execution is really beautiful, and I love it. Books are important. They contain the magic of other worlds and lives and the magic of our experiences living in other worlds and other lives.
_________________________________
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for nothing.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading this one to my littlest human for a couple of weeks now (thanks to a dear friend who gave it to me- thank you!)and it comes closer than many other books about reading, books, and libraries in expressing my feelings about these things to the people I've made.

For me, a place with books is kind of a sacred place. I can't fully explain it. Perhaps I think this way because when I was sporting a ponytail like Rainbow Brite, books were the only things that I could carry that could in turn carry me. Away I'd go over the high boundaries that my parents- mostly out of duty and love-constructed around me.

Morris Lessmore is carried away by books. As time passes, Morris is still as enthralled with books as he was on the day he was first carried away. I hope I feel like that. Then I will die happy, with books carrying me over the boundaries for the last time.

[Trudi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love love

Adore adore adore

Beautiful beautiful beautiful

A book lover's book. An object to be cherished. A story meant to be told again and again.

It softened the edges of this librarian's cynical soul for a bright wondrous moment.

[بثينة العيسى · Rating 4 out of 5]

أحببت الكتاب لأنه يقدم الكتب للقارئ الصغير بصفتها مخلوقات عجيبة، حية، وقادرة على فعل أشياء مدهشة. إنه يقدم المكتبة بصفتها مدينة ألعاب أبدية عوضًا عن أن تكون مستودعًا للمعارف، الأطفال يستوعبون السحر جيدًا، وهذا الكتاب يذكرهم بما يعرفونه.

كتاب ممتع ويشبه المغامرات.

[Alina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful little story about books, with beautiful illustrations - I loved how it played with the coloring, black-and-white before and nicely colored after being 'touched' by the books.

You can also find the video version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad3CM...

[Shaghayegh · Rating 4 out of 5]

خیلی به جونم نشست و دوستش داشتم. موریس، کتابخوان قهاری که به واسطه‌ی عشقش به ادبیات وارد یه دنیای جادویی و ماورایی میشه. کتاب‌ها به زندگی خاکستریش رنگ می‌پاشن و دقت طراح به رنگ‌بندی و جزئیات ماجرا، واقعا زیباست.
اتفاقات سوررئالی در این کتاب فسقل رخ میده که می‌تونه لبخند به لبتون بیاره و چشماتون رو قلبی‌شکل کنه. اگرچه روحیات من به کتابخانه بابل و گورستان کتاب‌های فراموش‌شده بیشتر می‌خوره اما از شیرینی این کتاب‌های پرنده هم نمی‌تونم بگذرم.
کتاب و انیمیشن، روی هم رفته نیم ساعت هم وقت نمی‌برن. به شخصه انیمیشنش رو بیشتر دوست داشتم، چون اتفاقاتش ریزبینانه‌تر و بی‌کلام بودن.
با عنوان زیر می‌تونین انیمیشن رو پیدا کنین و از دیدنش لذت ببرین:
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first fell in love with the Fantastic Flying Books and Morris Lessmore's story from the beautiful Academy Award-winning short film based on Joyce's book. I was so excited when my library finally got a copy of the book itself so that I could enjoy the original.

And what a gorgeous book it is!

I love the story so much and it's so beautiful and touching and full of meaning that I don't really want to say too much about it. I think it is open to many interpretations. I know I had my own idea of who the lady with the flying books was when I read Joyce's touching dedication at the back of the book. It's a story about life and love and loss and meaning and creating your own story and loving the stories of others. It might best be appreciated by adults for these many layers, but even young readers could also enjoy the beautiful illustrations and the fantasy aspect of the tale.

A few of my favorite quotes:

[When Morris helps take care of all the fantastic flying books]: "Morris tried to keep the books in some sort of order, but they always mixed themselves up. The tragedies needed cheering up and would visit with the comedies. The encyclopedias, weary of facts, would relax with the comic books and fictions. All in all it was an agreeable jumble."

Also,

"Morris liked to share the books with others. Sometimes it was a favorite that everyone loved, and other times he found a lonely little volume whose tale was seldom told. 'Everyone's story matters,' said Morris. All the books agreed."

I do, too :-)

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Everyone’s story matters.”

Joys, sorrows and everything that we hope for in life can get so confusing, mixed up or lost. We have to hold on and keep working and searching for our path and purpose in life. Keep looking for peace and inspiration. I found inspiration here.

Welcome to the library. Welcome to The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore...

“Morris slowly walked inside and discovered the most mysterious and inviting room he had ever seen. It was filled with the fluttering of countless pages, and Morris could hear the faint chatter of a thousand different stories, as if each book was whispering an invitation to adventure.”

Mr. Lessmore found a place in this world to organize, mend, share, and get lost in. Me too! The library is where I go to find quiet, peace, and stories. I feel comfortable surrounded by books and words. The library always has and always will be a home to me.

This book is every reader’s dream. The lure and love of books and my true love is splashed across the pages in big, gorgeous images and heartfelt words. Words stand tall! Books look alive in stacks and colors and movement. You know you found something special when you can’t help caressing each page before turning to the next. I loved every page!

Mr. Joyce’s words are an inspiration. They will inspire readers AND writers. Pick up a pen or type away at a keyboard—just write! Write your story. Write your “joys and sorrows and all that you know and everything you hope for”. And then share them. Your words can inspire too.

Highly recommended.

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jan 1, 1023am ~~ First book and first review of the year. I'll come back later to really babble, because this book unlocks whole libraries of thoughts, but now I just want to say thanks to GR friend Mr. James for telling me about Mr. Morris!

9o5pm ~~ I've been typing a lot today so I am not going to babble quite as much as I thought I would. I want to say that for an adult reader this book will bring back memories of early trips to the library.

I have a very visual memory system so I spent most of my time while reading this book back in the children's library I loved so much when I was very young.

The author captures what books can mean to anyone willing to make friends with them. We can fly wherever they take us, we just have to set our imagination free and take that first leap.

I could probably go on and on, but I need to give fingers a rest, so I will finish by saying that this is a lovely book that everyone should read.

I do wish some of my books had legs and could walk themselves around the way they do for Morris.

Wouldn't that be cool?!

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

My love of reading began when I was fairly young, and although I've always loved being read to, I think even from a young age, I've loved the magic of falling into a book and being enclosed in its story, wrapped in its words. Long before I started school, my older brother had taught me to read, and my world was forever transformed, unseen doors opened and this charming book, "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" brought the memory of all that back to me in mere moments.
The illustrations themselves are delightful, for me somewhat reminiscent of the movie "Up" with a touch of "Lemony Snicket" and would hold the attention of any age.
The story will be one of those books that you'll envision your children reading to their children and so on, its message an ode to the power of books.

Simply put, this book is a love story to all books.

[Sara the Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cry every single time I read this book. I'm not kidding. Every single goddamn time.

To have created such a gentle, supremely beautiful tribute to the glory and wonder of books, library's and reading is the crown jewel in William Joyce's already epic career. At least I think so.

Aimless Morris Lessmore wanders through a grey world when he sees a beautiful young woman flying through the air being pulled by a bunch of flying books. Her favorite flies down and leads Morris to an ancient and magical library where he becomes the caretaker and friend to all its hundreds of inhabitants. He spends his days lost in their stories and sharing them with others. Every night he writes in his own book, filling it with his hopes and dreams and everything he wishes for.

The years pass and Morris grows older and now the books take care of him. Soon its time for him to leave and pass the care and keeping of his wondrous library to someone else.

Marvelous language coupled with warm, sumptuous illustrations put this firmly in my "all time great family reads" list. I read it frequently to my own little ones and look forward to doing it for years to come. If you don't already own this you need to make it part of your collection.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a sucker for books about books, and this is a fantastic book. For me, it was 5 stars all the way, up until toward then end, then it lost me a bit, but I still really liked it. I particularly liked the books as characters. I liked the lending library setting. I liked so much.

The story is sweet and amusing and inventive, and sort of sad too. Most of the pages had me smiling.

The illustrations are fabulous to view, so detailed and creative and unusual.

I can recommend this book to fans of books, stories, and diary writing. This is a good all ages book, though young children may have some questions.

½ star added for what originality is shown. 4 ½ stars

[Nasim · Rating 4 out of 5]

خیلی قشنگ و بامزه بود
نویسنده فضای گرم و دوست داشتنی و قشنگی درست کرده بود🤝🤌🏻
و اینم بگم تصویر سازیاش از نظرم واقعا معرکه بود حس نوشترو ب آدم القا میکرد و خب جمع و جور و قشنگ بود..
بخونید و لذت ببرید💚

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an enchanting story!

I found this years ago when I googled the author. You see, he wrote the Guardians of Childhood books about the Sandman, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Jack Frost and Santa. I loved that series so much and was so smitten with the illustrations (done by the author himself) that I had to see what else he had created. Thus, I found this.

The story is that or Mr. Morris who loved books and stories. One day, his life gets upended but that is a blessing in disguise. He ends up in a library, helping the books and lending them to others, thus bringing joy to other people as well.
Put simply, the book is about the power of stories and their immortality - how they shape and connect generations.

As a bibliophile, this book was PERFECT for me. The cute illustrations only drove home the point:






Yes, some elements in here are nods to classic stories we know well but the author is bringing those elements together in a heart-warming way that shows his own love for books. Stories are eternal. I‘m in love.

[Arghiiw · Rating 5 out of 5]

اصلأ انتظار نداشتم...
سرم درد می‌کرد و خوابم نمی‌برد.
همینجوری توی طاقچه شروع کردم به خوندنش
و پنج دقیقه بعد با چشم‌های اشکی و تموم شدنش مواجه شدم 🥺
قلبممممم.

[KatLynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Morris Lessmore loved words. He loved stories. He loved books. As a young man, he was enjoying writing his own story until the winds came and scattered his book and all his words across the land.

This little gem is perfectly illustrated. It clearly demonstrates the love of books and how they transform lives. This is not just a children's favorite but will appeal to everyone who loves the written word.

A charming and captivating read that quickly became a favorite for all ages.

See the short film on youTube....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkJPM...

[Karen A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

My rating is a little biased because this is clearly a love letter to librarians from Mr. Joyce. Dear Mr. Joyce ... you flatterer you!!. I accept.

[Elevetha · Rating 5 out of 5]

*squeals in joy* A bibliophile's book, if ever I have read one. I don't think I can put into words how lovely this book is; how charming and heartbreaking and true it is*. Only a book lover would understand, which is why I do think that as much as children might enjoy the book, they probably won't find as much meaning in it as someone older. And it has layers. The more I read it, the more I see in it. But no matter how old you are or how many books you've read, it's a lovely story.

Oh, and the short film is wonderful as well!

*I feel like maybe I read this at a very emotional time...

re-read September 2016

[Maria Roxana · Rating 5 out of 5]

”Povestea noastră se încheie așa cum a început.....cu deschiderea unei cărți.”
O cărticică minunată pe care toți iubitorii de cărți o vor iubi!

[Abdollah zarei · Rating 5 out of 5]

موریس با خودش فکر کرد که شاید کتابِ او هم بتواند پرواز کند؛ اما کتابش نتوانست. فقط توانست با صدای «تلپ» ناامیدکننده‌ای روی زمین بیفتد.



عجب کتابی بود. یه داستان از دنیای بوک وورما. کسایی که با کتاب زندگی کردن بزرگ شدن و عاشقش شدن. نگاه موریس و تنهاییش برای همه مون آشنا و ملموسه. ساعت ها روز ها و هفته هایی که همه‌مون با کتاب گذروندیم. باهاش بزرگ شدیم. شاد شدیم خندان و گریان شدیم. عجب حس بی‌نظیری بود. نوشتارهای کتاب هرچند کوتاه بودن ولی حس عمیقی به آدم میداد


اتاق از خش خش کاغذها زنده شد. و این‌طوری بود که زندگی موریس بین کتاب‌ها شروع شد



بعضی وقت‌ها موریس توی کتابی گم می‌شد و بعد از چند روز به‌زور سروکله‌اش پیدا می‌شد

گم شدن در واژه ها روایات و قصه ها. برای هر کتاب خوان و عشق کتابی لذت بخشه و با تک تک کلمات این کتاب احساس نزدیکی و خاطره خواهید کرد. و تصاویر خیره کننده از دنیای یک بوک‌وورم واقعی. حس لذت بخش به اشتراک گذاشتن کتاب ها و قصه ها. گپ زدن مشترک با دوستان درباره ی یک کتاب واحد. یه زندگی پر از احساسات لذت‌بخش

زیادی شلوغش نکنم. موریس و کتابهای پرنده یه داستان خیال انگیز از زندگی هر کتاب دوسته. مطمئنم هر خواننده ای ازش لذت میبره و حس و حال خوبی بهش میده

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've seen the (Academy Award-winning) short film of this, you already know how gorgeous the illustrations are; and that the charming story is a love letter to both books and their readers.

Perhaps the silent film is even better than the book, but that doesn't take anything away from it. It's a lovely keepsake, and mine is autographed!

[Mahsa Tahmasebi · Rating 5 out of 5]

کتاب کودکان است از روی آن انیمیشن هم ساخته شده که بسیار مورد توجه قرار گرفته.
واما این کتاب.... سرشار از تصویر های ناب و پر از زندگی.... فقط برای کودکان دلبندتون توصیه اش نمیکنم حال خودتان را هم خوب میکند.

[Elham psn · Rating 4 out of 5]

«موریس آهسته رفت تو و اسرارآمیزترین و جذاب‌ترین اتاقی را پیدا کرد که تا آن موقع دیده بود. اتاق پر بود از یک‌عالمه ورق که بال‌بال می‌زدند و پرواز می‌کردند. موریس می‌توانست پچ‌پچ آهسته‌ی هزار داستان جورواجور را بشنود که تندوتند حرف می‌زدند؛ انگار هر کدام داشتند او را به ماجرایی دعوت می‌کردند.»

چه کیوت و قشنگ بود😍
به زیبایی نشون میداد میشه با کتابا از دنیای سیاه و سفیدمون بیرون بیایم و پرواز کنیم:»

[Zahra naeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

*کتاب کودک، فقط برای کودکان نیست*

پیشنهاد میکنم انیمشین کوتاهش که همین عنوان و رنگ و تصویرگری رو داره، حتما ببینید:)