Product Description

The brave good bugs march off to save the garden . . .

First, they must fight the evil Spider Queen . . .

Before summoning the Leaf Men to save the day . . .

But what about the mystery of the Long-Lost Toy?

Here is ancient elfin magic, epic adventure, and a bugle salute to the power of memory, loyalty and love as resounding as Robin Hood's call to his Merry Men!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #121717 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-01
• Released on: 2001-06-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 40 pages

Amazon.com Review
William Joyce's previous children's books, especially Dinosaur Bob and A Day With Wilbur Robinson, have delighted kid-kids and grown-up-kids alike with their strange, stylish illustrations and their slightly warped sensibility. In his latest book, The Leaf Men, things get even stranger, as the reader is plunged into the teeming mysterious world of an old woman's garden. When the old lady falls ill, and her garden falls into disorder, the mythical Leaf Men must be called upon to vanquish the evil Spider Queen and return things to order. Arachnid rights groups may quarrel with the choice of the spider as the villainess, but just about everyone else will marvel at Joyce's invention and his weird, detailed paintings.

From Publishers Weekly
A troop of tiny doodle bugs try to take on the evil Spider Queento save an elderly woman's garden and call on the Leaf Men tohelp. "Joyce's characteristically offbeat and occasionally eerieillustrations carry the day," wrote PW. Ages 3-8.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3?In a stunningly designed but flawed picture book, Joyce tells a story of the magic that can heal a garden and an elderly woman on a beautiful moonlit night. The woman loves her garden, but only vaguely remembers how miraculous it was when she was a child. Soon she, and the garden, become sickly and near death. The insects worry, but don't know how to help. The "Long-Lost Toy" advises that they seek the help of the Leaf Men. In spite of the scorn of the evil Spider Queen, a brave troop of doodle bugs volunteers to scale the tall tree and summon the Leaf Men. It is a perilous journey but the bugs succeed, the Leaf Men kill the Spider Queen, and immediately the garden starts to thrive. But only the Long-Lost Toy can help the save the woman. The Leaf Men carry the tiny metal man to her bedside; when she sees him, her memories of childhood magic and protection are rekindled and begin to heal her. This lovely book is marred by a strangely flat and remote story. The grand, eloquent tone gives urgency to the adventure but is odd in the sentimental story of the old woman. The powerful paintings are full of mystery, but are not strong enough to carry an uneven plot that has questionable child appeal.?Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Tiny of body, but brave of heart........
As a child, did you ever look for hidden treasures in your backyard? Well, this is a story about the magic of backyards and gardens. Two words describe this book--magical and mystical. My son loves this book because it combines his love of insects and superheroes. This is a wonderful story to read aloud to children and seems to really spark their imaginations. The illustrations are imaginative and unique. It is a favorite book at our house!

It works upon the mind as the great myths
Nevermind reading this to children: *I* read it. Here is a tale of mytheopic properties -- the Long-Lost Toy, the treasured rosebush grown sickly, the old woman, wound about, and bound to these treasured things of her youth, a precarious lifeline; and here too, those brave little bugs, the Doodle Guild, full of virtue and honour, who would give their very lives for a woman, and think nothing of it; and alas! too, the wicked Spider Queen, "enclosed in her own fat," who would devour her prey, and think not of it, and hath not mercy, nor kindness; and, when all is hopeless: the storm is stilled, the air is grown quiet, and lo! the Leaf Men of old, them whom Memory would forget.

This tale is at once set upon the mind, and there it will stay for quite some time after the book is set down. I highly recomend it.

When you want a fairy tale but are sick of fairy tales
This is a quirky book, but a fun one. It's a mystical fairy tale with a garden setting (the main characters are bugs) and an Art Deco aesthetic. An old lady falls ill. Her garden falls ill, too, as there is no one to care for it. The garden's bugs rally together. They've heard stories of the magical, mystical Leaf Men who will come to a garden's aid if properly summoned. A proper summons requires a dangerous journey to the tree tops on a moonlit night. The brave doodle bugs go for it. The evil Spider Queen and her goblins try to thwart them. It's good stuff. There is also a sweet, sentimental subplot with an old toy. The book is recommended for the 4-8 year-old crowd, but my 2 1/2 year-old loves it. I had to edit some of the text at first, however, as it is on the long side for toddlers. I also edit the gruesome death of the Spider Queen. The story covers a lot of territory in a short amount of time, so the characters are rather one-dimensional and the story ends up with a few holes. Nevertheless, the story is told so stylishly and the illustrations are so unusual and dramatic that you forgive the short-comings. It's a great book to read when you want a fairy tale but are sick of fairy tales.