Emily's (Secret) Book of Strange

Emily's (Secret) Book of Strange
by Rob Reger and Buzz Parker [j741.5 Reg]

I'd seen occasional illustrations of Emily the Strange for years, in odd places all over the country, and had glanced at one or more of the Emily books in bookstores and been intrigued. So...when I saw this one at the library (one of two Emily books we own), I decided to finally take the plunge and read it. Emily, who started as a counter-culture commercial icon, is an intriguing literary creation. She's an unusual cross between a punker, a goth and the seriously twisted little girl Wednesday Addams. This book doesn't really have any plot to speak of -- it is merely a strung-together series of Emily-themed slogans or sayings. The true charm or intrique of this book, however, is the hidden imagery. The artist (Parker) and publisher use a variety of different inks to create images within images. My favorite is a large, red flower, in whose petals (if you shift how you hold the book), you can see ghastly, ghoulish faces. Emily is definitely an acquired taste, and one that I don't think I'll stick with, but this book is certainly an interesting one, and should appeal to folks with both a wry, dark sense of humor, or fans of Charles Addams work. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Wikipedia page for Emily the Strange ] | [ official Emily the Strange web site ]

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