Gris Grimly, creepy, dark and totally cool
Gris Grimly is one of my favorite kid's book author and illustrator. Grimly's style is creepy, dark and humorous. I have a couple of his books and they are at the top of my favorites list.
I came upon his books while shopping for my daughter's eighth birthday a few years ago. Every birthday she gets a couple of really nice hardback books, usually classics with beautiful illustrations, that year she requested that I refrain from buying cutesy, girly books. So after digging through all the books with bunnies, and fairies, and princesses I finally struck gold with Gris Grimly's Wicked Nursery Rhymes. The following year I got Edgar Allen Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness illustrated by Grimly.
Grimly's style is reminiscent of Edward Gorey with a touch of Tim Burton. His color palette is subdued, mostly earthy tones on sharp, dramatic black line; but the characters he creates evoke a creepy feeling in the reader. Grimly's make believe world is a dark one for sure. The book is recommended for kids ten and older due to the dark humor. But could it be too dark for the little ones? I don't think so, has anyone else read these books?
