Jim Henson

July 25, 2011
For their third picture-book biography, Krull, Johnson, and Fancher offer an inspiring and timely portrait of the late Henson. The book covers Henson's upbringing, experimentation with and study of puppetry, and the creation and success of his beloved Muppets on TV and on the big screen (where they will return in November for the first time since 1999). Johnson and Fancher's paintings exude a warm, nostalgic glow as they show the early roots of Henson's creativity and behind-the-scenes images of him at work. While Krull acknowledges that many, including Henson, had doubts that "a grown man playing with puppets" could be successful, his creative legacy speaks for itself. Ages 5â7.

October 1, 2011

Gr 1-3-This easy-to-read biography of the master muppeteer hits the highlights of Henson's life and shows how he pursued his personal goal "to be one of the people who made a difference in this world." Years before the world knew about Kermit and friends, young Henson was already filling notebooks with drawings of imaginative creatures and trading stories with his grandmother. Later came local plays and shows, and, at age 16, a job on a TV show working with marionettes. His love of puppets continued, leading to Sam and Friends, a five-minute comedy in the Washington, D.C., area. His biggest break, of course, came in 1968 with the launching of Children's Television Workshop and Sesame Street. Johnson and Fancher have filled this picture book with warm and loving watercolor illustrations on each page. A fine introduction to one of the most creative artists of the last century.-Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2011
Grades 4-7 Jim Henson, beloved creator of the Muppets, gets a solid biographical treatment in the hands of veteran nonfiction writer Krull. Growing up in Mississippi and Maryland, Henson, born before the availability of television, spent his time living in his imagination. He liked to perform, especially with self-created puppets. As a teenager, he and his puppets had a five-minute show that ran twice a day on a Washington, D.C., channel. Though his father in particular had doubts, Henson's career kept expanding, especially after he was called upon by the Children's Television Workshop to help create Sesame Street. The writing is lively, and most of Henson's favorite characters get a brief nod (Miss Piggy won't like that). They do appear in the full-page framed artwork that faces each page of text. The pictures, while evocative, sometimes seem a little quiet, especially in colorings, for the exuberance of Henson's work. Kids will still enjoy looking at old friends like Kermit, Big Bird, and Oscar the Grouch, and they will be delighted with the story of a boy who grew up and found work doing exactly what he loved.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2012
Krull's straightforward text highlights key events and includes anecdotes to round out Henson's motivational life story. Johnson and Fancher's colorful paintings capture the vitality in their subject's life and work. This celebration of Henson and his love of puppetry is a timely way to mark the late artist's seventy-fifth birthday and introduce the man and his puppets to a whole new generation. Bib.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 1, 2011
Growing up in a farmhouse on the Mississippi in the 1930s, Jim Henson didn't have a TV, so he had to make his own entertainment -- watching nature, singing, storytelling, reading, writing poetry, and drawing. Henson's imaginative early life would serve as the foundation for his later creative efforts, a connection Krull and illustrators Johnson and Fancher also made in their bigraphy of Dr. Seuss (The Boy on Fairfield Street; rev. 1/04). By thirteen, Henson had had his first cartoon published, and by sixteen he was on TV working with puppets. For a boy who believed magic was "making people laugh," his early interactions with puppets were just the inspiration he needed. In college he created his first TV show and started using flexible fabrics to show emotions in his creatures. Henson was known for experimenting with his art and was a visionary who brought the world the Muppets (a mashup of marionettes and puppets) on TV, first in commercials and then in shows like Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, and later in movies. Krull's straightforward text highlights key events and includes anecdotes to round out Henson's motivational life story. Johnson and Fancher's colorful full-page and vignette paintings capture the vitality in Henson's life and work. This celebration of Henson and his love of puppetry, which will appeal to the whole family (just as his Muppets do), is a timely way to mark the late artist's seventy-fifth birthday and introduce Henson and his puppets to a whole new generation. cynthia k. ritter

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)