the willowdale handcar, the doubtful guest

The Willowdale Handcar or the Return of the Black Doll and The Doubtful Guest are both picture books written by Edward Gorey, an illustrator who wrote children's books tending towards the macabre. (more info on edward gorey.) They're a cult hit nowadays, and have influenced many people, including myself. Blablablah, selfpromotion!

Anyway, they're darker toned, and even though I read them myself when I was young, they don't quite fit into today's overly colorful dumbed-down childhood curriculum.

The Willowdale Handcar or The Return of the Black Doll is about a group of travelers who find an old-fashioned handcar. At first they visit sights and exclaim at things they've never seen, but after awhile the reader begins to sense that something is slightly off, perhaps just a bit absurd. They travel for months without needing to rest, and see absurd sights, like a mansion balancing on the edge of a cliff, or a house burning down in the middle of a field. It doesn't have a clear resolution, but that fit the book.
Most people, by a quick survey of the internet, seem to think this is "funny in its absurdity" (direct quote)... actually, I thought it was a bit creepy. It could be funny at first glance but if you look closely at the pictures, it's really just disturbing. Good book, though definitely not for younger readers. Its place in the children's section of my local library is rather dubious, if I was (still) working there, I would move it to the adult. 4/5 stars.

The Doubtful Guest is far better, and downright hilarious. One day a family finds a strange creature wearing a pair of white sneakers standing in their hallway, face to the wall. It won't pay any attention to them, so they go to bed hoping it will be gone in the morning. The next day and in the days to follow it turns out to be a nuisance, appearing in soup tureens and examining chimney flues and all kinds of things that get in their way and drive them crazy. The book has a surprise twist (SPOILER if you hadn't read this as a kid)-- it never left, and has been there seventeen years. I loved it even more rereading it! I hear this is becoming a movie, courtesy of Warner Bros. (don't quote me on this, it may be a different Gorey book), so I'm curious to see how they portray the creature. 5/5 stars.