William Joyce is a natural-born storyteller—an author, artist, and filmmaker who has found many creative ways to reach an audience of all ages. He had an early start writing and illustrating children’s books. The first was his autobiographical Billy’s Booger: The Memoir of a Little Green Nose Buddy, which he created in fourth grade.

He was subsequently sent to the principal’s office. But, ever ingenious, he later turned this first effort into a picture book / memoir mash-up, which was published as Billy’s Booger: A Memoir, Sorta (Atheneum). He began his professional career by illustrating stories by other authors, including Nicholas Cricket by Joyce Maxner (HarperCollins). Then he went on to write and illustrate beloved, bestselling books of his own, all full of a cheerful, slightly subversive surrealism. They range from picture books, such as George Shrinks, Dinosaur Bob, and A Day with Wilbur Robinson, to a series of five novels called The Guardians of Childhood. (All Atheneum and Simon & Schuster.) To create the distinctive art for his books, Joyce has used a variety of media, including watercolor, charcoal, graphite, digital, colored pencil, pen and ink, oils, acrylic and fine red wine, often all at once.

Joyce has acted as the writer / production designer / producer and or director of the film and television adaptations of his books: Rolie Polie Olie (for which he received six Emmys), A Day with Wilbur Robinson, The Leafmen and the Brave Good Bugs (aka Epic), and The Rise of the Guardians. In 2012, he won an academy award for directing the film adaptation of his picture book The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.