Bibliographic Information:
Joyce, William. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2012.
Plot Description: Mr. Lessmore loves books, and spends his days writing his own book. Then one day a terrible storm comes and scatters his life – and all the words from his books – away. He wanders aimlessly until he sees a lady flying about with books. She sends her favorite book his way, which leads him to a building where books “nest.” There he makes himself at home, reading and caring for the books. He also resumes the book he had been writing. The years pass and eventually he decides it is time to move on. He says farewell and leaves behind his own book to live on in the library.
Quantitative Reading Level: Lexile 650; GL 2.7
Qualitative Reading Analysis: Mr. Lessmore’s story is full of metaphors, as a loving tribute to not only books and libraries, but to the stories that are in everyone’s live. To him, life is a book. The tale unfolds chronologically and with simple language, but the illustrations, magical events, and personification of books give it more complex meaning for readers of all ages. There are also a number of allusions in the text, such as to the Wizard of Oz during the storm scene, which require some background knowledge.
Content Area: English Language Arts
Content Area Standard(s):
CCSS for Reading Literature, Grade 4: 7) Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text.
Curriculum Suggestions: For grades 3-5, students could read the story as a whole class and watch the film, then discuss the similarities and differences between the two formats.
Supporting Digital Content: The Film! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VljJIQuPDSE; Interactive website http://morrislessmore.com/
booksareforlovers 