Oh my, I LOVED this one! well put together, and absolutely morbid. I cannot tell you how much I adored this read.

For fans of crime, murder, and a little mayhem, this is a must read!

This book was very unique and interesting. I am not sure how many children will be interested in it throughout the year, but I can see it being popular around Halloween time.

This is the perfect book for anyone who enjoys the macabre. Each letter of the alphabet is represented by a morbid word. For example, G is for grotesque. The page with the letter and word is illustrated with bones to build the letter and a little “old-fashioned” girl in a blue dress and her teddy bear interacting with the letter in some way. Then, the corresponding page has a definition of the word and may also provide an example of its use in history.

There are words that I’ve never heard before so it was a learning experience to read the book. It’s not a children’s book, but an older child who is an avid reader may appreciate the vocabulary building. I know quite a few adults who would appreciate this book as well. It’s a fun twist on an alphabet book.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an eARC of #TheMorbidAlphabetBook by #GabrielleFerrara in exchange for honest feedback.

Book Review: The Morbid Alphabet Book by Gabrielle Ferrara

Rating: 3 Stars

As I delved into "The Morbid Alphabet Book" by Gabrielle Ferrara, I was immediately struck by the unique combination of the macabre with the educational. This fully illustrated book offers a morbid twist to learning the alphabet.

The book features a diverse range of morbid words, each paired with a corresponding definition, creating an intriguing learning experience. From A to Z, readers are taken on a journey through the darker side of language, expanding their vocabulary in a creative and engaging way.

One aspect that truly stood out to me was the illustrations that accompanied each page. The detailed artwork brought the morbid words to life, adding depth and visual appeal to the learning process.

While I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it to be suitably morbid and fascinating, I must admit that it may not be as appealing to younger children. This book is better suited for parents to read to their children, and/or more suitable for older readers who (unfortunately) probably outgrown traditional alphabet books.

That said, "The Morbid Alphabet Book" is a thought-provoking and visually captivating piece that offers a fresh take on alphabet books. It challenges traditional educational norms and invites readers to embrace the darker side of learning in a fun and engaging way. Whether you're a lover of the macabre or simply seeking a unique educational experience, this book is sure to leave a lasting impression.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

Cute little alphabet book with interesting drawings. I can easily see how this book can be used by adults to approach the topic of death with younger children.

This is a very unique way to learn the alphabet. With morbid words for each letter of the alphabet along with a brief explanation of what the word means, this has you covered from A to Z.

I had to go back after reading this to check the genre. Because I was under the impression this is marketed as a children's book. And lo and behold, yes, it is.

This is desperately catagorized wrong.

I enjoy showing my kiddo all the things. Cute things, creepy things, funny things, sad things. I REALLY enjoyed reading him The Dangerous Alphabet years ago, and we had an amazing giggle over all the things in the background of each page.

Silly me, I expected something similar here.

My 7, almost 8-year old, was bored to tears. Literally fell asleep before we even got halfway through the book.

This is such a contradiction. Each page is illustrated CRAZY simply, but the wording is super advanced and above my kid's age range. I couldn't even summarize it in a way that held his interest.

I started thinking about my 12-year old niece, who also enjoys creepy things, and how this would not have held her interest.

This needs so much more work to be edible. As of now, you can nibble on the edges but it's not worth a bigger bite.

I kind of wanted this one to be more like the Gashlycrumb Tinies, more dark humor. It's really more of a basic vocabulary of terms around death and autopsies. More of a curiosity than anything.

Well....the title says it! Morbid! What a fun little book though! I loved it! It would make a great Halloween gift.

A great one for children (or parents) who are just a little bit different. Children love gory facts as well, I really enjoyed reading this with my 8 year old and we both learnt some things.

I wasn't really sure what to expect here but considering I am a proud owner of The Gashlycrumb Tinies (if you know, you know) I had to check this out. This had a bit less tragic death but a lot more definitions. I quite enjoyed it. I even learned some new words. The Victorian style illustrations make it all a bit whimsy (can a morbid book be whimsy?) and I particularly loved the sweet wholesome teddy bear included. You should buy this for every mortician, those with a great sense of humor, and owners of the the previously mentioned Gashlycrumb Tinies in your life. (If you don't have anyone like that in your life, you should find someone that awesome and then buy them this book)

Pros: This book is delightfully morbid, with fantastic illustrations and clever definitions. This book is for a niche audience, but I also know exactly who I would gift this book to because they would love it (both adults and even for certain baby showers). My favorite detail is that the letters are illustrated as bones. I also learned new words/terms while reading this book (like "haruspicy" and "zoothapsis"), which was fun! I especially enjoyed learning about the artist's background and hope see more of her work!

Cons: This is not a con but is a note that not every book is for every reader, which can be a very good thing! I love that books like this exist for the readers who love the morbid and macabre.

Thank you to Uniquely Morbid and NetGalley for the opportunity to read his book.

I loved this one! Quirky books for children - yes, okay, probably an older child - are my faves. The illustrations were beautiful and the breadth of the vocabulary covered was really great. I think a lot of kids and parents would enjoy this one together, and honestly, even some child-free adults would like to have this book!

There have been better abecedaries before this, but it was mildly interesting. Could be fun for kids interesting in more creepy, weird subjects, but I would also recommend Edward Gorey's The Gashlycrumb Tinies.

A really fun and cute, yet disturbing alphabet book. I had a lot of fun with this one. My class thoroughly enjoyed it and it allowed for some unique conversation.

I actually loved this. It's different and so refreshing to see something new. I love how the whole design, illustrations and chosen words fit so perfectly with the Victorian period theme 🪦🧸

Not sure that I know how to review this one, because I honestly could not figure out who the target audience would or could be. I think that, as an alphabet book, it's a bit creepy and adult for anyone learning the alphabet. And by the time you get to middle school when kids may become fascinated with the macabre and morbid, they are definitely not going to want to read a picture alphabet book. As an adult reading, I will admit that I learned a few terms, but overall, not for me. The artwork was very basic and not as detailed as a semi-Victorian style would warrant, which is what it leans on. The choice of words and how they were presented was also questionable to me. First, we have pronunciation but not in the style of an actual dictionary, but the book contents lends themselves to a more mature reader who would likely know how to pronounce quite a few of these words; and the words were a mixed bag for me because some were morbid and about death directly and then others went a bit off track and seemed to have been arbitrarily chosen by the author. There were just better words for some of the letters that would be more morbid than what was chosen IMO.

I would have a hard time recommending this to anyone really, unless the person is a collector of illustrated books and a fan of the morbid, which seems to be a very small niche audience. But maybe that's because I'm not in that space so can't truly comment.

Definitely not a read along for a child or a picture book for that matter. More for a mature reader. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the illustrations were more detailed and made up for the fact that the book is primarily a dictionary of terms.

As expected, author and illustrator Gabrielle Ferrera’s is more Edward Gorey than Dr. Seuss; however, adults will rejoice in this alphabet book. Each letter — from Apothecary to Zoothapsis (specialized coffins that enable the buried to ring for assistance if they’re not actually dead and wake up) — reveals interesting statistics or historical bits. A quick but delicious read.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Uniquely Morbid in exchange for an honest review.

I really like the artwork in this book as it is very detailed and in the Victoran style. The book itself would be more geared to older children 13 and up. I would not read this to a younger child. I like that there are new words even I did not know and the definitions after the word is shown. This book would be nice for a Halloween party for older children and adults. I think the author was clever in the concept and hit the morbid theme on hands down.

I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

I loved this little book! I loved the words and the illustrations and I cannot wait to get a copy for my niece- I have always loved Edward Gorey style artwork. I even ordered myself the tiny crumb ghastlies. This book was perfect