The Sandman: The Story of Sanderson Mansnoozie (Guardians of Childhood)

by William Joyce (Author) William Joyce (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

One foggy night, the Man in the Moon has a startling thought: When the moon is less than full and bright, who will keep children safe at night? He needs a backup plan! Or a backup Guardian, as it were. His keen eye falls upon a sleepy little fellow living on a sleepy little island who is a sweet-dreamer extraordinaire. Since good dreams always trump bad ones, this means Pitch, the Nightmare King, will be further thwarted in his nefarious quest to terrorize children.

Indeed, Sanderson Mansnoozie seems the perfect choice. But there are two problems. Firstly, given that Sandy has never had a bad dream, how can MiM convince him how important this new role is to the happy-being of children everywhere? And secondly, how can MiM keep this snoozy ally awake long enough to help?

This follow-up to the New York Times bestselling The Man in the Moon, called "dazzlingly inventive" by Publishers Weekly, introduces us to the sleepy little fellow to whom we all owe many a good nights' rest, the second Guardian of Childhood, the Sandman.

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Kirkus

The art makes a bigger impression than the story, but the overall tone is appropriately dreamy, and as for that creeping nightmare: "you know it's not real." (Picture book. 5-9)

Copyright 2012 Kirkus Reviews, LLC Used with permission.

ALA/Booklist

Preschool-Grade 2. Joyce’s work has always had an oddball charm, even in its most commercial Rolie Polie Olie moments. Both his texts and illustrations are whimsical, with allusions to classic late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century children’s lit paired with swirly nouveau and stylized deco forms. This second in the Guardians of Childhood series opens with the hero of The Man in the Moon (2011) looking for a helper in his endeavor to keep children safe at night. Enter Sandy, aka the Sandman, aka Sanderson Mansnoozie. This rotund ball of baby fat pilots a star until it falls prey to Pitch, King of Nightmares, whose minions Sandy later vanquishes. While the story doesn’t quite have the coherent sweetness of Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo (1995) or The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs (1996), it makes a pleasant nighttime read, and the illustrations of tattooed mermaids, heroic constellations, and the golden Sandy himself are worth poring over time and again. Grown-ups and children alike will savor this book’s rich, old-fashioned charms.

Copyright 2012 Booklist, LLC Used with permission.

None

This sequel to The Man in the Moon tells the origin story of the Man's earthly helper, the Sandman, "Lord High Protector of Sleep and Dreams." Faux-archaic language and resplendent Golden Age illustrations make the book seem more substantial than it actually is.

Copyright 2013 Hornbook, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

In the second picture-book installment in Joyce's Guardians of Childhood series, Sanderson Mansnoozie (aka, the Sandman) is enlisted by the Man in the Moon and does battle with the Nightmare King, Pitch. With his cherubic face, cottony hair, and chubby body, Sandy is an unlikely match for the vampiric Pitch, who unleashes ghoulish nightmares to terrorize children. Joyce creates a celestial battleground of constellations, threads of stardust, and inky skies before Sandy's shooting star crashes into the ocean, where--encountering lushly beautiful mermaids--he transforms Pitch's nightmares into dreams. Joyce revels in this whimsical reimagining of a legendary figure; after all, when dealing in dreams, the sky's the limit. A film based on Joyce's series arrives in theaters November 21. Ages 4-8. Agent: Michael Siegel, Michael Siegel & Associates. (Oct.)

Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6--This slightly overwritten, sumptuously illustrated original folktale continues Joyce's epic series. The Man in the Moon (introduced in the first book as MiM) was the first of the "Guardians of Childhood," and it was he who discovered the others. The Sandman (aka Sandy) spends his time piloting a shooting star and delivering wishes through his constant dreaming. But when the nefarious Pitch, King of the Nightmares, attacks him, he loses control of his star and crashes into Earth. MiM's wish allows him to land safely and to fill his island with dreams. Eventually he awakens, his island turns to a cloud, and he takes on the role of Sandman, protector of good dreams. Joyce's multimedia illustrations are lush and detailed. Sandy's starship seems to actually glow against the starry sky, and Pitch is dark and menacing, his minions black, creepy, and goblinesque. The many full-bleed spreads on dark backgrounds are cinematic in scope, detailed, and a pleasure to view. The text is written in an ornate, old-fashioned way that fits the style of the story but occasionally becomes labored or overwrought. Because of the recent film, there may be requests for this book and the earlier titles.--Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"A pleasant nighttime read, and the illustrations of tattooed mermaids, heroic constellations, and the golden Sandy himself are worth poring over time and again. Grown-ups and children alike will savor this book's rich, old-fashioned charms."
William Joyce
William Joyce does a lot of stuff but children's books are his true bailiwick (The Guardians series, Dinosaur Bob series, George Shrinks, and the #1 New York Times bestselling The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, which is also his Academy Award-winning short film, to name a few). He lives in Shreveport, Louisiana. Talk to William Joyce and see upcoming work on Instagram.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781442430426
Lexile Measure
790
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date
October 02, 2012
Series
Guardians of Childhood
BISAC categories
JUV012030 - Juvenile Fiction | Fairy Tales & Folklore | General
JUV022000 - Juvenile Fiction | Legends, Myths, & Fables | General
JUV017000 - Juvenile Fiction | Holidays & Celebrations | General
Library of Congress categories
Moon
Sleep
JUVENILE FICTION / Holidays & Celebrations /
Dreams
JUVENILE FICTION / Legends, Myths, Fables / G
JUVENILE FICTION / Fairy Tales & Folklore / G
Sandman

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