A Petrifying Parody
by Michael Rex
I had heard about this around Hallowe'en last year, but didn't get my hands on a copy until Hallowe'en had passed. I tripped across it again the other day and thought I should just back up a bit and tell you about it, since hey, some kids are into the creepy all year round!
This is a take-off on the classic Goodnight Moon, but replaces the great green room with a cold grey tomb, and fills it not with the everyday objects of a child's room, but with creepy things that still, somehow, manage to retain a strong influence of the original in the illustrations.
The rhythm works perfectly, a there are just enough similarities (bowl full of mush vs. pot full of goo, for example?) to make this spot-on. The monsters and creepy stuff are drawn in a style that nods to Clement Hurd's illustrations, though are not trying to replicate his work, while they manage to make even the creepiest look a little cute and friendly, so this is accessible even to young kids.
I think, to be honest, that this might just be brilliant.
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