Some of your books are weird. Are they appropriate for my child?
"I do not know your child. But I will say I do not subscribe to the notion that every book is for every child. I make the kinds of books that I liked as a kid. I don't like ordinary, middle-of-the-road books. I like funny, odd books that excite and challenge a child. There are enough people doing nice books about manners and feelings and magical unicorns. I do not do those kinds of books."
- Lane Smith
There is something delicious in being wicked and laughing about it. Most prominently, I am drawn to children's "horror" stories because of their brilliant sense of humor. Because they tackle life's most horrible scenarios with the forthright innocence of a child, making the tales, by nature, funny and delightful in their tragedy. When writing The Squickerwonkers (November 18, Titan Books), I took my cues from one of the original tragic comedians when he said, "I prefer an interesting vice to a virtue that bores" (Moliere).
This list is a nod to the books that have tickled my wicked sense of humor in their accurate and sensational portrayals of human senselessness. Some I discovered as a child and discovered myself in them, and some I sought out in adulthood, to remind myself of that delightfully naughty corner of my spirit that no one seems to like to talk about, or know how to talk about, except maybe a few brave authors...
The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey
There is no better place to start when talking about children's spooky stories than with the great and, in my opinion, untouchable Edward Gorey (yes, he was born with that name). He has written and illustrated countless, horrifying, illustrated tales for children. My two favourites as a child were The Dwindling Party and The Gashlycrumb Tinies. Both stories are littered with death, but I've chosen The Gashlycrumb Tinies to open this list because it's a strikingly dark alphabet book that grimly describes the death of 26 well-named children where The Dwindling Party only enacts the deaths of four adults and two children... although The Dwindling Party does leave an unfortunate boy orphaned at the end... and it's a pop-up book, so... on second thought... maybe Dwindling Party takes the cake.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Who doesn't know and love Dahl. He was dark, he was unabashed and he always sided with the kids. As a child, for a long spell, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory was my all-time favourite book, and as an adult I would still stand by it as Dahl's best horror. Those freaky little Oompa-Loompas knocking off harmless (if bratty) children inside the walls of an unmistakably strange factory was just too delicious. And Dahl's overt sense of justice in the acts was what made the book all the more alluring.
Rainbow Goblins by Ul de Rico
Perhaps not as obviously funny, but most certainly overtly dark, The Rainbow Goblins was also one of my childhood favorites. In this immaculately illustrated story, a hungry mob of goblins set out across lands to hunt down the beautiful rainbow and gobble up all its color. In an eerie, heroic and ironic twist at the end, both innocence and beauty themselves conspire against the goblins to murder them before they can eat up the rainbow. Deliciously dark.
Duck, Death and the Tulip by Wolf Erlbruch
Just a couple of years ago I was turned on to this fascinating tale for children that looks death, literally, dead in the eye. Also beautifully illustrated by Erlbruch himself, this short story tells the tale of Death coming to visit an unfortunate and oblivious duck. In his hands, Death brings a black tulip for the duck which he will pass to the duck when his hour comes. The friendship that ensues between Death and the duck in the hours leading up to Duck's passing is both humorous and tender, leaving the reader, in the end, with a deeply unsettling sense of comfort.
Wicked Nursery Rhymes by Gris Grimly
I make no secrets about my love of nursery rhymes, and none tickle me as much as the devilish ones. In Grimly's
Wicked Nursery Rhymes
, he takes the cautionary tale to new levels with hilarious stories like the fantastic Miss Muppet who's a psychopathic wretch who torments children and mutilates animals but gets her just deserts when her parents lock her in the cellar where she dies with spiders in her hair. (Insert satisfied evil smirk here.) What I find astounding and wonderful about Grimly is how his creepy drawings always, somehow, soften his spooky stories. I don't know if it's the soft watercolor hues or the adorable round faces and pointy noses, but there is something innately gentle about his terror laden images that allows him to go to the depths of darkness and the heights of horror without causing too much offense.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.