Let the punishment fit the crime

For some reason, children always love to see naughty children getting a well-deserved comeuppance, even if the culprit's vices are identical to their own.  Perhaps it is due to their strong sense of justice--for the world to be set to rights, every crime must be punished.  When you mix this feeling with a strong dose of Schadenfreude, black comedy, and some clever rhymes to help the medicine go down, the result is Cautionary Tales for Children, written by Hilaire Belloc in 1907.

The title of the first story immediately lets the reader know what he is getting into: "Jim, Who ran away from his Nurse, and was eaten by a Lion."

Things don't get better from here.  We also learn of "Matilda, Who told lies and was Burned to Death," and "Henry King, Who chewed bits of String, and was early cut off in Dreadful Agonies."  Each child's tale is told in a brief poem, in which their misbehavior brings on natural consequences wholly disproportionate to the original offense.  There is no forgiveness or redemption in this world, and even the children's parents don't seem particularly sorry to see them go, since they only got what they deserved.  All this would be incredibly depressing if it were not obviously a joke.

Edward Gorey is such a perfect match for this material as an illustrator, it's hard to believe he did not supply the original artwork for this book.  But, though Gorey is known for his macabre Edwardian drawings, his birth was still eighteen years off when Belloc wrote these poems in 1907.  There are several versions of the book available (it is in the public domain), but I would only recommend purchasing the Gorey version, which appropriately captures the dark satire of Belloc's verses.

I have to admit not everyone likes this book.  My father was reading it to my children and stopped halfway through, asking if they could pick something a little less disturbing.  However, I (and my children) have always had a good laugh over it.

Ages: read loud 5-8

Rating: A-