The Gashlycrumb Tinies

This alphabet book is one of Edward Gorey's best-known works. Each letter represents a child and their unfortunate and comical deaths happen in dactylic couplets, accompanied by Gorey's distinctive black and white illustrations. The book provides a sarcastic rebellion against the traditional view of childhood as sunny and instructive. Gorey's morbid humor comes from the mundane ways in which the children die, mocking parental paranoia.