William Joyce books

William Joyce is an American author, illustrator, and filmmaker known for the Guardians of Childhood series, Rolie Polie Olie, and the Academy Award-winning animated short The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.

Anthologies

Title Published Buy on Amazon
It Was a Dark and Silly Night… 2003 Buy

Collections

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The World of William Joyce Scrapbook 1997 Buy
Silly Stories to Tickle Your Funny Bone 2000 Buy

Dinosaur Bob Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
A Day with Wilbur Robinson 1988 Buy
Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo 1995 Buy
Life with Bob 1998 Buy
Baseball Bob 1999 Buy

Guardians of Childhood Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Man in the Moon 2010 Buy
Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King 2011 Buy
E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth’s Core! 2012 Buy
The sandman the story of Sanderson Mansnoozie 2012 N/A
Rise of the Guardians: Made in the North Pole 2012 Buy
Jack Frost: with audio recording 2015 N/A
Toothiana, Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies 2012 Buy
The Sandman and the War of Dreams 2013 Buy
Jack Frost: The End Becomes the Beginning 2018 Buy

Guardians of Childhood Picture Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Man in the Moon 2010 Buy
The Sandman 2012 Buy
The sandman the story of Sanderson Mansnoozie 2012 N/A
Jack Frost 2015 Buy
Jack Frost: with audio recording 2015 N/A

Picture Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
William Joyce’s Mother Goose 1984 Buy
George Shrinks 1985 Buy
Bently and Egg 1992 Buy
Santa Calls 1993 Buy
The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs 1996 Buy
Buddy 1997 Buy
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore 2011 Buy
The Mischievians 2013 Buy
The Numberlys 2014 Buy
A Bean, a Stalk and a Boy Named Jack 2014 Buy
Billy’s Booger 2015 Buy
Scarecrow and the Nightingale 2020 Buy

Rolie Polie Olie Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Rolie Polie Olie 1999 Buy
Snowie Rolie 2000 Buy
How Many Howdys? 2000 Buy
Little Spot of Color 2000 Buy
Polka Dot! Polka Dot! 2000 Buy
Be My Pal 2000 Buy
Olie 2000 Buy
Stick with Olie 2001 Buy
Spot 2001 Buy
Billy 2001 Buy
Zowie 2001 Buy
Stick or Treat 2001 Buy
Sleepy Time Olie 2001 Buy
Peekaboo, You! 2002 Buy
Zowie’s 123 2002 Buy
Rocket Up, Rolie! 2002 Buy
Rolie Polie Shapes 2002 Buy
Big Time Olie 2006 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Ollie’s Odyssey 2015 Buy

Toothiana Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
A Tooth Is Lost 2012 Buy
A Queen Takes Flight 2012 Buy
Panic Sets In 2012 Buy
A Battle Is Waged 2012 Buy

William Joyce is an author, illustrator, and filmmaker whose work has shaped children’s entertainment for nearly four decades. Starting with picture books like William Joyce’s Mother Goose (1984) and George Shrinks (1985), he established a visual style that blends whimsy with rich detail, earning him a devoted following among young readers and their parents.

His Guardians of Childhood series reimagines childhood figures — Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and Jack Frost — as an interconnected team of protectors. The books inspired the 2012 DreamWorks animated film Rise of the Guardians. Joyce also created Rolie Polie Olie, which became a popular Disney Channel animated series, and won an Academy Award for his animated short film The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (2011).

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has William Joyce written?

William Joyce has written 86 books across 10 series.

What was William Joyce's first book?

William Joyce’s first book is Through Grandpa’s Eyes, published in 1971.

What is William Joyce best known for?

Joyce is best known for creating the Guardians of Childhood series (which inspired the 2012 DreamWorks film Rise of the Guardians), the Rolie Polie Olie animated series, and the Oscar-winning animated short The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.

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