Brian Jay Jones

Well written, but with a few punctuation errors and a few too many sentence fragments. The tale he tells is not one of spectacular feats and adventures, but of a boy who seemed ordinary, but grew up to be one of the most extraordinary writers of all time. It is a thick book, but reads more quickly than many of its size. It is hard to put down, and takes the reader on a journey. For those of us who grew up on Dr. Seuss, it brings back a lot of memories, and gives us some background behind the stories we loved the most. He spends a great deal of time on the formative years, as the title would suggest, and also more details on his period in the army, in Frank Capra's film propaganda unit, than any others I have read of him. Recommended for anyone who finds his writing wonderful, or for anyone who is interested in how writers grow up to be the writers they are.… (more)

This book was awesome and heartbreaking all at the same time. Jim Henson in many ways defined my childhood and I loved learning more about him and his life. While he was by no means a perfect man, he was incredible and his untimely death was nothing short of tragic. I found this book, completely fascinating and appreciated Jones' tact/tasteful handling of Jim's love life. I've read many reviews that have complained that Jones doesn't give enough detail about Jim's dalliances and how they effected Jane and the rest of the family. If you are looking for salacious gossip, this book is not for you. If you are truly interested in who Jim was as a person, learning about all the projects he worked on and how he impacted those around him then I definitely recommend this book.… (more)

Comprehensive bio on Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets. There were plenty of interviews with staff and family members which gave you a very good look at his laid back personality. He sounds like someone it would have been good to work with. I wish the book had included a list of all the Muppet Shows with each guest star, date of recording or airing, as well as other filmography data. While the author had some information on what his children did after their father's death, it would have been nice to have that summarized at the end for each of the five children as well as each child's spouse and children. Unless you read the acknowledgments section you would not have known his wife passed away and it is unknown exactly what happened to Mary Ann. I always like a biographer to tie up the loose ends for the folks who had a significant impact on their subject's life.… (more)