LITTLE LIT: IT WAS A DARK AND SILLY NIGHT-A REVIEW

But now it has! And what a delight.

With a three year old daughter in the house, you get to read the usual realm of kid’s books, from Disney tales to classic fairy tales and everything in between. But this book breaks all the boundaries of “kid’s lit”. Heck, it smashes through them at breakneck speed. Using a wide assortment of creators...and wait until you see who those creators are...with varying styles, LITTLE LIT: IT WAS A DARK AND SILLY NIGHT, weaves it’s magic over readers of all ages.

First, some background. IT WAS A DARK AND SILLY NIGHT is the third anthology in a series which fuses children’s authors and comic creators together. Published by Harper Collins, the book follows two previous national bestsellers: FOLKLORE AND FAIRY TALE FUNNIES and STRANGE STORIES FOR STRANGE KIDS. The book is edited by the husband and wife team of Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly. For the uninitiated, here is where the comic creator’s connection comes into play. Spiegelman, for those who may have been sleeping under a rock for the last decade or so, is a legendary creator whose MAUS: A SURVIVOR’S TALE won the Pulitzer. He was also the driving force behind RAW-a groundbreaking comic series in the 80’s and whose influence is still being seen today. Francoise is the art editor for THE NEW YORKER.

Pretty heady credentials for a children’s anthology.

So who else is in the book, you ask? Well, how about Tony Millionaire-the man behind the cult hit SOCK MONKEY. Basil Wolverton was one of the greatest comic creators of our time with such works as SPACEHAWKS and LENA THE HYENA. He is represented here as well. Kaz, whose Fantagraphics series UNDERWORLD, has been a huge hit with comic fans is in here as well as Gahan Wilson, whose scary cartoons have appeared everywhere from THE NEW YORKER to PLAYBOY. And he collaborates with Neil Gaiman.

Yes, THAT NEIL GAIMAN.

Well, that’s fine you say. But do ANY of these people know how to write a children’s book? Well...yeah...they do. And if that’s not enough, throw in some of these folks.

Martin Handford. Who? WHERE’S WALDO? Oh...THAT MARTIN HANDFORD!

There’s William Joyce, who has created DINOSAUR BOB and worked on ROLIE POLIE OLIE. Barbara McClintock is a multiple award winning children’s creator. And the ever elusive Lemony Snicket who is best known for A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, also contributes.

Okay, so how silly is IT WAS A DARK AND SILLY NIGHT? Well, pretty silly! In Snicket and Richard Sala’s book opener, silly stands for “Somewhat Intelligent, Largely Laconic Yeti”. It’s a fun little tale of a girl and a yeti where everything isn’t exactly as it seems.

How silly? J. Otto Seibold and Vivian Walsh’ contribution stars two penguins and a trip to Hollywood. Tony Millionaire’s contribution is a puzzle where the reader must assemble the panels in correct order so the story makes sense. Have no fear-the answers ARE published in the back of the book.

William Joyce’s stunning art and clever storytelling highlight his contribution featuring the adventures of Art Aimesworth “Crime fighting Boy buckaroo”. It’s a very stylized piece which harkens back to the feel of LITTLE NEMO IN SLUMBERLAND.

Gaiman and Wilson, two mad geniuses in their own right(meant with total respect, mind you) is twisted and bizarre and, because it IS Gaiman and Wilson, features the dead.

Since Basil Wolverton died in 1978, I would love to know where the editors dug up his contribution. A spaceman lands on a strange planet with inhabitants who have never laughed. Written with tongue firmly in cheek(and great sight gags throughout) and illustrated in Wolverton’s quirky style, this tale has quickly become my favorites. Joost Swart contributes a tale of a good deed gone horribly...and hilariously wrong.

Carlos Nine tells a semi traditional fairy tale that drifts between comic strip art and beautiful paintings. The story within the story is comic styled while the narrators pieces are illustrated.

Kaz refuses to leave his UNDERWORLD style behind and gives us one of the weirder pieces in the anthology about the trials and tribulations of being adopted.

Barbara McClintock gives us a wonderfully rendered two panel illustration with 12 subtle differences. Spot the differences also has the answers in the back. And a good thing because some of them are EXTREMELY tough to find. Patrick McDonnell’s tale stars an owl and a moon that is afraid of the dark. R. Sikoryak, a frequent contributor to THE NEW YORKER and NICKELODEON MAGAZINE, turns in a one page do it yourself dark and silly night where the reader inserts the nouns and verbs of their choice.

The whole thing is wrapped up by Handford’s endpapers. Bizarre, beautiful, crowded...and yeah, Waldo IS there!

This is such a great little book(pun intended....this 11x14 hardcover clocks in at 45 pages-fairly hefty as illustrated children’s books run). My daughter laughed where she was supposed(and even where I was supposed too, proving once and for all that kids DO get it better than we adults) and thoroughly enjoyed the illustrations...even the scary ones by Gahan Wilson. However I would caution parents that not all of the tales are bed time reading, especially Gaiman and Wilson’s. While not scary in the sense that we may know, the theme of death is a bit of a jolt for some impressionable kids. Make certain you preread this book and decide what tales are right for your child and their age.

And comic fans, if you’re not knocked out by the lineup of talent, than you need to go back and look at those folks I’ve mention. hey-collectors!!! There’s a NEIL GAIMAN tale. For that reason alone, die hard comic buffs should be all over this!

And while you’re at it, you need to also pick up the other two books in the series. FOLKLORE AND FAIRY TALES which features Charles (BLACK HOLE) Burns, Daniel (EIGHTBALL) Clowes, Walt(POGO) Kelly, David (BATMAN) Mazzuchelli, Chris(ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY) Ware and many others. And STRANGE STORIES FOR STRANGE KIDS boasts the likes of Burns, Jules Feiffer, Kim Deitch, Maurice Sendak and more.

For those “comics ain’t good reading” critics, this book and this series blows the myth away and proves that the sequential art form IS alive and well for children of ALL ages.

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