When I was little, I used to stare at the moon looking for a tiny dot moving around, going about his business. It wasn’t until much later that I realized that the “man in the moon” was a shadowy face on a full-moon’s facade—I liked my idea a lot better.

Apparently, so does author/illustrator William Joyce who has created such a gorgeously illustrated, fanciful story about the man in the moon legend that it has become an instant classic in my household.

The first in a planned fifteen-book-series called The Guardians of Childhood, The Man in the Moon reads like a classic fairy tale with good guys and bad guys, wonder and sadness. The story begins with the infant Man in the Moon (MiM for short) and follows him as he grows up watching over the children of earth and deciding to help children be less afraid of the dark. William Joyce has woven such a stunning tale, don’t be surprised if your kids immediately demand to go stare up at the moon as soon as you close the back cover.

And don’t be surprised if every page takes much, much longer to turn because of the truly wonderful illustrations. William Joyce has brought together the realism from his previous books like George Shrinks and the bright, cartoony Rolie Polie Olie, and then tossed in a heavy dose of Steampunk fantasy.

Every time we read the book, we are finding something new to marvel over.. –Christina

William Joyce’s The Man in the Moon is available in hardcover from our affiliate Amazon. Get a peek at the story, as well as updates on new additions to the series, at The Guardians of Childhood Books website.