Name: Gruelle's Magical Land of Noom
Author: John Barton Gruelle

The map of Noom is included in the inner boards of the first edition, and is in a richly-illustrated pictorial storybook style. It is presented as an in-story artefact, drawn by Gran’pa so ‘everyone can see just about where our most exciting adventures took place’. In his commentary, Gran’pa estimates the distances between each location and incident in feet and miles, turning the map into more of a narrative itinerary than a technical chart. Vivid details, such as a downpour of ‘ink rain’, as well as brief sentences outlining the incident that occurred at any particular location, give the map an almost animated feel. It is a 1920s aesthetic that enjoyed a revival with the bestselling video game Cuphead (2017), whose map of ‘Inkwell Isle’ is strikingly similar in both atmosphere and manner.

Ex Carta

Johnny Gruelle’s children’s fantasy The Magical Land of Noom follows two siblings who accidentally fly to a fantastical realm on the far side of the Moon. The book’s illustrated endpaper map presents Noom as a lively pictorial landscape filled with whimsical locations and brief narrative notes, blending cartography with storytelling in the exuberant style of early twentieth-century children’s illustration.

Johnny Gruelle (1880–1938) is primarily remembered as the creator of Raggedy Ann, a hugely popular children’s character of the early twentieth century. The Raggedy Ann books were bestsellers, and she was soon joined by Raggedy Andy.

Raggedy Ann dolls were an early example of the sort of spin-off merchandise now more associated with the Star Wars era, reflecting Gruelle’s entrepreneurial nature. Gruelle, originally from Illinois, moved to Miami, Florida, due to ill health, though continued to write and illustrate until his death.109

 was first published in 1922 and while benefitting from Gruelle’s vivid and vibrant illustrations, it failed to secure the lasting reputation of Gruelle’s Raggedy Ann stories. One reason for this may be the oft-noted similarities of the book to L. Frank Baum’s beloved 

 (1900), with some even alleging outright plagiarism on Gruelle’s part.

Despite this, and in no small part due to the power of Gruelle’s visual style, 

 endures, and remains in print. It tells the story of Janey and Johnny, siblings who construct a ‘flying machine’ from the leftover bits and pieces of a chicken coop their grandfather has been building. The contraption mysteriously begins to function and they are transported to a mysterious realm on the reverse side of the moon, ‘Noom’, with Gran’ma and Gran’pa soon in pursuit.

Map of the Magical Land of Noom, an enchanted kingdom located on the moon where the fictional adventures of characters Johnny and Janey take place. Drawn by Johnny Grulle and featured as the endpapers in the first edition.

Cover for 'The Magical Land of Noom'

Title illustration for 'The Magical Land of Noom'

More front matter illustrations

The map of Noom is included in the inner boards of the first edition, and is in a richly-illustrated pictorial storybook style. It is presented as an in-story artefact, drawn by Gran’pa so ‘everyone can see just about where our most exciting adventures too place’. In his commentary, Gran’pa estimates the distances between each location and incident in feet and miles, turning the map into more of a narrative itinerary than a technical chart. Vivid details, such as a downpour of ‘ink rain’, as well as brief sentences outlining the incident that occurred at any particular location, give the map an almost animated feel. It is a 1920s aesthetic that enjoyed a revival with the bestselling video game Cuphead (2017), whose map of ‘Inkwell Isle’ is strikingly similar in both atmosphere and manner.