On March 24, 2020, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will release my latest picture book biography, NONSENSE, THE CURIOUS STORY OF EDWARD GOREY, illustrated by Chloe Bristol. I'm especially delighted with this release because I remembered reading a collection of poems as a child written by John Ciardi called, THE MAN WHO SANG THE SILLIES. One poem that still stood out in my memory a lifetime later was "The Happy Family" about putting children to bed. "Before the children say goodnight, Mother, Father, stop and think: Have you screwed their heads on tight? Have you washed their ears with ink?" Who could forget Gorey's illustrations of headless children reaching for their heads floating around the room? Edward Gorey--a unique author and illustrator with an equally fascinating story.
