The Ghastly Dandies Do the Classics

by Ben Gibson

Overview

They're dapper. They're monstrous. They're erudite. They're the Ghastly Dandies, a breed of beast that happen to be as well-versed in classics as they are well-dressed in knickers and neckties!

These ghastlies are guaranteed to delight readers of all ages with their clever renditions of Moby Dick, Hamlet, The Odyssey, Pride and Prejudice, Sherlock Holmes, and more.

These classic, illustrated tales told by monsters are sure to make your own little "ghastly" giggle. It's the kind of book you'll want to read to your kids, read again with your friends, and show off on your coffee table when you're done.

Don't miss the first compendium of adult classics ever to be told by monsters!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101631362
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	08/15/2013
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	64
File size:	48 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

Ben Gibson is the co-founder and art director of Pop Chart Lab, a Brooklyn-based design company that seeks "to render all of human experience in chart form." Ben lives in Philadelphia with his wife and their son. The Ghastly Dandies Do the Classics is his first book for children.

Editorial Reviews

01/01/2014
Gr 3–6—Gibson offers a collection of seven stories-among them "Don Quixote," "Hamlet," and "The Great Gatsby"-each covered in eight pages. A glance at Gibson's website reveals his penchant for graphic classifications (pasta, cameras, breweries) and visual connections, e.g., cocktails and literature. So, the leap toward an illustrated book was inevitable, but Gibson has much to learn about the craft of creating a picture book or easy-reader narrative. Much of the insipid dialogue ("Daisy! Please share!" and "Look, ghost! To sleep,/maybe to dream-/I've had it up to here!") is printed in a large font, while some of the text gets lost in the gutter. The digital illustrations are frenetic and colorful, but the scale and composition are clumsily handled. An omniscient narrator relates a watered-down plot summary on banners, while furry black monsters-the Dandies-enact the dramas. The question is: who is the intended audience? This book is not clever enough to work on multiple levels: it is neither sophisticated enough to appeal solely to adults, nor engaging enough to sustain a child's interest. There are better adapted classics or fractured tales available for young readers.—Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library

School Library Journal