THE LEAF MEN AND THE BRAVE GOOD BUGS

by William Joyce ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 30, 1996

As an old lady lies abed and her garden fails with her, a doughty band of doodlebugs--"" 'Tiny of body but brave of heart, we will finish what we start!' ""--climbs the tallest tree in search of the elusive Leaf Men, hoping they can set things right. Indeed they can: Appearing just in time for a short but sharp battle in which the evil Spider Queen is slain, the Leaf Men, ""gardeners of a grand and elfin sort,"" doctor all the wilted foliage, then bring the old woman back from the brink by presenting her with a toy lost in the garden long ago. A squad of lilliputian Jolly Green Giants, the emerald Leaf Men cut robust, heroic figures, hands on hips, long tendrils curling gracefully from their bald pates; the Spider Queen and her twiggy cohorts emit a suitably malicious air. Joyce (Santa Calls, 1993, etc.) places the action in a jungle of looming vegetation lit by the smiling moon that sails over nearly every scene. Small scale, grand adventure.

Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1996

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 40

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories: CHILDREN'S