Nonsense! The Curious Story of Edward Gorey is an illustrated biography of one of the most interesting children’s book authors. Who was Edward Gorey? Born in 1925 in Chicago, Illinois, Gorey grew up loving books. This love continued to grow as he made his way through college and landed a job at a major publishing company.

While at this publishing company, Edward worked on other people’s books until one day he realized he wanted to create his own. So he did.

Gorey’s books have strange, darker themes. In fact, most aren’t even really considered for kids. They were controversial at the time they were published and continue to be found more in YA sections than with other children’s books.

For example, The Gashlycrumb Tinies is a macabre alphabetic tale that chronicles the demise of 26 unfortunate kids. Sure, some of these scenes may not be appropriate for younger eyes and ears. But telling whimsical tales about the world is a great way to gain awareness of the dangers that are out there.

Not everyone will appreciate Edward Gorey’s style, but for me and my kids, he was a great find.

Nonsense! The Curious Story of Edward Gorey was written by Lori Mortensen and illustrated by Chloe Bristol.