Gris Grimly

Inspired by the strange limericks of Edward Gorey, the OG weirdboy poet/illustrator, Gris Grimly brings us a second volume of his own madcap nursery rhymes about naughty children. He tackles another bevy of classic characters, including Jacks Sprat and Horner, Humpty Dumpty, and Peter Pumpkin Eater by making their stories mildly horrific – okay, some of them are more than scary, since we have more than one case that ends in tragedy for the protagonist. Some of these brats definitely show more deserve their comeuppance, though, so Grimly’s rhymes (which employ the stick rather than the carrot) are actually a decent teaching tool for children to stay away from the matches, to practise good hygiene, and to take care what they consume. The rhymes were funny (in a depressing sort of way), even though they never quite met the glorious example set by Edward Gorey (or modern writers of mild horror), but Grimly’s illustrations were deliciously sinister. I’m particularly fond of the light fiery motifs in “Little Polly Flinders” (a bright point to finish the collection), the scampering character of Humpty Dumpty (who capered all over the pages with a big grin affixed to his face until his unfortunate fall), and the lucious feasting details of Jack Sprat’s sister (who clearly has her food priorities in line, even if she should exercise some self control). show less

I’ve read about a million versions of Grimm’s fairytales by now, so you’ll forgive me for skipping the prose in this edition and going straight for Gris Grimly’s illustrations. They are, after all, what we came for when we set our eye on purchasing this gift edition. Grimly is one of my favourite illustrators currently working, and his macabre stylings paired with off-kilter stories have always spoken to the inner weird child in me, so it was with abject delight that I discovered show more that he had turned his talents towards bringing to life the tales of the Brothers Grimm. We have all seen the sweetened Disney versions of these stories before, but the folkloric origins of the tales reside well within the depths of the Black Forest and contain chilling undertones that are far more suited to the strange and slightly sinister airs that Grimly brings to life on the page. As I opened the tome - of decent size and heft, to my delight - I puzzled over the table of contents in brief, spotting many familiar tales and not a few from the deeper catalogue cuttings, before diving straight into the collection. Imagine my surprise when I found myself puzzling further as I encountered each of Grimly’s sparse illustrations. As I turned page after page, rarely did I spy a familiar face and I was hard pressed to match many with their narration without dipping quickly back into the surrounding stories to find their scenic settings. Well done, Grimly, for choosing to illustrate the unexpected (though, as readers we should not be surprised by this choice), and for forcing us to dig into the loam once again to learn our lessons from the Volkskunde. Of course, we were delighted by every illustration we encountered - disappointingly sparse though they were, as if Grimly had been given a maximum quota meant to emphasize the Grimm’s words, and keep his illustrations from consuming the tales whole. Considering that even in their darkest moments, the brothers rarely give details that are too gristly in their tales (the mere hint and subtext is enough to send a chill down our spines), and Grimly can easily veer off into the very depths of fright (and does, on occasion), it is possibly a good thing that the editor of the collection enforced a sense of balance - after all, I doubt that this book was marketed towards the horror crowd, and was instead destined for the bedside tables of the slightly odd (but not sociopathic) child. Overall, a bit of an odd collection; not quite meeting my expectations for the delicious macabre Grimly that I continue to crave, and yet not entirely disappointing either. show less

Nothing satisfies the need for some spooky Halloween vibes than a Gris Grimly illustrated picture book, and reading this one on the night of the full moon was absolutely perfection! Grimly takes a simple journey narrative, adds an object counting conceit, and packs the pages with his delightfully macabre characters to give us an excellent October season read. We follow along as a young girl leaves her house on the classic quest for treats, but gets more than she bargained for as she show more encounters all kinds of spectral spooks who seem to have taken over the town as the veil thins for Halloween! Not a single human is to be found, but she makes quick friends with everyone from the pumpkins who line her fence to the witches brewing a potion, and she seems to have managed to put a giant bow on one of the wolves by the final celebration - adorable and charming in a very “can I pet that dawggg” way! The moon makes a grande finale entrance to end the party, scare all the creatures away, and whisk her home to her bed, which provides just the right gasp of spooky drama to end the tale. This book was an easily delightful read, and makes me want to really get into the Halloween spirit. Time to take to the streets as twilight descends, and see what spooks we can scare up! show less

Using the classic childhood song Five Little Pumpkins as his starting point, author/artist Gris Grimly here creates an engagingly spooky countdown picture-book for Halloween. As a child ventures outside on Halloween night, she encounters the eponymous ten spooky pumpkins, who find nine cats, who find eight bats, and so on. Eventually all of the creatures described have a party together, before the one moon rises, and the eerie wind sends everyone running for home...

With an entertaining text show more in rhyme and delightfully expressive illustrations, Ten Spooky Pumpkins would make for an excellent Halloween read-aloud for younger children. The artwork, done in watercolor and ink, manages to be both sweet and scary, making excellent use of color and light to capture the magic of Halloween night. I particularly liked the depiction of the toothless witches (naturally), and the party scene at the end. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for Halloween fare for younger children, perhaps three to six years of age. show less