Publishing 2025
The Child Who Lied or The Propeller Man and other stories
Take heed, dear children — have a care,
For many dangers lurk out there.
Stay sharp of mind, but kind of heart,
And fortune’s hand will play its part.
But those who leap before they look,
May find their fates within this book.
Here the foolish, cruel, and cold —
Their lives are tales that must be told.
''This is the fable of a child, whose behaviour was quite wild.''
In this darkly funny and deliciously twisted collection of modern cautionary tales, children who lie, cheat, and misbehave meet the most dreadful of ends. Inspired by the wicked works of Dr. Heinrich Hoffmann and Hilaire Belloc, these rhyming tales warn of the terrible consequences awaiting those who refuse to mend their ways.
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Meet the girl whose lies lead to a most unfortunate encounter with the dreaded Propeller Man, the boy whose own filthy bedroom turns against him, and the child who watches so much TV he becomes the very chair in which he sits.
With each grisly fate brought to life through vivid illustrations—be it an octopus dragging down the girl who defiled her swimming pool or a shark devouring the reckless child swimmer—these stories linger long after the last page is turned.
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Perfect for older children with a taste for the macabre (and adults who never outgrew their love for Roald Dahl and Edward Gorey), this collection is a gleefully sinister reminder that reckless behaviour never goes unpunished…
Read at your peril!