The Value of Imagination



The Value of Imagination: The Story of Jim Henson is a biography for children about the life of Jim Henson. The book is part of a series called "Value Tales", which teaches inspirational messages through the biographies of celebrated people. The volume on Abraham Lincoln is called "The Value of Respect", the Ludwig von Beethoven book is "The Value of Giving", and Christopher Columbus teaches "The Value of Curiosity".

Henson's story illustrates the importance of imagination, and it follows Henson from a young boy in Mississippi to Washington, D.C., and then on to fame and fortune. Because the publishers didn't have a license to produce a book with images of the copyrighted Muppet characters, the illustrations use generic Muppety-looking puppets instead. For example, a two-page spread illustrating The Muppet Show depicts two blue cows playing banjo and guitar, backing up a singing purple horse.