So, a few months back I stumbled across a children's book in the random heap of books in at a local thrift store. I immediately went for it because of the amazing illustration on the cover. The style was in a way like mine. It looked like pen and ink with some cross-hatching on it. I had to have it. It was only a dollar, but I would have paid more, of course. What was this book? Welp, I'm about to tell you all about it. Keep in mind that I am in no way a book reviewer nor do I know how to do such a thing. I'll try my best, though.
Book title: The Brothers Gruesome
Author: Susan Elgar
Illustrator: Drahos Zak
Published by: Houghton Mifflin Company
Released in 2000
Printed by: Sino Publishing House in Hong Kong
The basic synopsis of the book is that these three brothers go about committing utter destruction by eating and stuffing their face with all that lay in their path. This includes their mother, gardens, trees, shoes, pots and pans, bats - well you get the idea. Everything. I love that it's not a typical cutesie (is that a proper word to use?) type of children's book. It's a bit different. The word "gruesome" in the title explains it well, because they are in fact just that. It's pretty great.
Here is one of my favorite lines with the illustration from the book:
"In the town of their birth they were loathed and feared,
But in the depths of hell they were worshipped and cheered."
The little devils are just the coolest with their sharp, pointy noses and flickering black snake-like tongues. I also really admire the colors used in these illustrations. The coloring also varies in some pages which also makes it very appealing to me. There is a page in which the gruesome three are traipsing about a forest on their quest to devour all that they can. I enjoy the blues and how the brothers are left to be illustrated only a sepia color with the bright moon lighting the way. It's just really wonderful - and look at that face peering through the left! I just love it.
I shouldn't go too far into the story since you should just find it and give it a looksee for yourself. This little book really does inspire me to work harder. The in-rhyme style even makes me want to write and illustrate my own book since it is related to something I would write. I see books like this from time to time and I always fall in love with them. In a way, it makes me think of Edward Gorey and his style of writing. It even reminds me of Grimm's Fairy Tales a bit as well, albeit less gruesome.
People often think of children's books as being only about learning the morals, tying shoes or taking ol' Spot out on a doggy adventure - and there's nothing wrong with those - but there's a whole world of different types of children's books that people don't know about. Having said that, the moral of this story is likely greed, but a fun way to go about it nonetheless.That is what has always drawn me to children's books. The imagination is boundless and the possibilities are endless. Did I mention that they don't necessarily have to exclusively for children? Of course not! There are no rules to reading and no one should limit their child-like wonder to their age. That's just no fun.
Remember at the beginning when I said that I wasn't a professional book reviewer of any kind? Now you see.
I should end this with links to buy this incredible book if you're interested. So, here is what I found on the information superhighway:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Brothers-Gruesome-Susan-Elgar/dp/0618005153
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/brothers-gruesome-drahos-zak/1003581060?ean=9780618005154
Till next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment