Recommended by Xhanatos: "I would like to suggest Gris Grimly's 'Wicked Nursery Rhymes,' surprisingly found in the children's poetry section of Borders & other major book sellers. Grimly spices up old, dull nursery rhymes with his own twisted endings, and ghoulish art work. Within, you can enjoy his own delightful perversions of 'Jack and Jill' in which Jack is revealed for the homicidal being that he is, as well as the carnivorous 'Little Bo Peep,' and many others."

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Product Description

Join Father Grim and his shady cast of characters on an exploration of the dark underbelly of childhood.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #62557 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780972938877
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-These takeoffs on standard nursery rhymes have all the subtlety of grade school and adolescent gross-out jokes. For example, the true story of Jack and Jill is one of murder: "Jill pushed Jack unto his death/when he had paused to catch his breath./She felt remorse for the first time/and threw herself not far behind." Bo Peep complains about her sheep and then "She thought about what should be done,/and then went on to eat each one." The illustrations are stylized and dark, reminiscent of Tim Burton's animated characters. Nursery rhymes have been parodied to brilliant satirical effect in Eve Merriam's Inner City Mother Goose (S & S, 1996). Jack Prelutsky's collections of eerie poems, such as Nightmares (1976) and The Headless Horseman Rides Tonight (1980, both Greenwillow), remain the scary poem gold standard. This collection is obvious and trite.
Kathleen Whalin, York Public Library, ME
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
"Belongs at the bedside of every child who ever had a twisted thought (and every adult too!)." -- Clive Barker

About the Author
Gris Grimy is the illustrator of Monster Museum (Hyperion), Pinocchio (Tor) and a forthcoming Collection of Edgar Allan Poe (Simon & Schuster). Gris Grimly's Wicked Nursery Rhymes is his debut book as author and illustrator.

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Customer Reviews

Roman Dirge, it's not.....
and that's a good thing! I just recently discovered Gris Grimly searching on Amazon.com, and he's quickly become one of my favorite artists. His illustrations in this book are so engrossing, I love to just sit and pick out all the detail. And the little stories are very clever and funny. My only complaint is that the book wasn't long enough. I'd love to see Mr. Grimly explore more classic fairy tales and make them his own. This book is a must for any dark child.

Good Art -- Bad Poems
Grimly's art is an acceptable facsimile of the styles of Ed Gorey and Tim Burton -- but it is when he takes up the pen for other purposes that he gets into trouble. His poetry is wildly uneven, with cringe-inducing lines, such as:

'After his instruction's through, he leaves to go find someone new.
When he chooses to meander, he flies away upon his gander.'

-- from the poem Father Grim


'She would scream, curse, spit, and swear.
She said things children wouldn't dare.

To other classmates, she would be cruel,
And so she made no friends at school...'

-- from the poem Miss Muffet


'Jill would jab him with a pin
While she bared an evil grin.

Jack would bash her on the head,
Without guilt, until she bled.'

-- from the poem Jack and Jill


Grimly fans may defend his poorly written poems by pointing out that he is writing them for young children and not adults, that he employs the basic metre so it's easy for kids to follow, but that is no excuse. Kids aren't stupid. They can follow a poem with a more complex rhyming scheme than Grimly has to offer. Observe:


'How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tale,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!

How cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spread his claws,
And welcomes little fishes in,
With gently smiling jaws!'


'The Walrus and the Carpenter
Walked on a mile or so,
And then they rested on a rock
Conveniently low:
And all the little Oysters stood
And waited in a row.'


These excerpts from Lewis Carroll's 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' & 'Through the Looking-Glass' are both done in a simple 8-6 tempo, but note how much cleaner they are than the excerpts of Grimly's poems above.

Bottom line: Don't waste your money on 'Wicked Nursery Rhymes' (they're really not all that wicked, or clever, anyway) unless you really love Grimly's artwork -- and if that's the case, skip his poetry books and purchase his art books instead. Or if you absolutely must have something to read with his art, then purchase the ones he did with the text by Edgar Allen Poe.

Great Holiday Gift
I got a sneak preview of this book, and it is delightful. I enjoyed the artwork and the new, slightly twisted versions of old nursery rhymes is appropriate and entertaining for all ages. I liked it so much that I am giving out Halloween Gifts this year!