I wasn’t quite sure “Goodnight Tomb”  would actually work. Maybe because it’s a tricky balance of “beloved bedtime ritual” meets, well,  “zombies.”  

What convinced me that the story might have an audience was when my friend Alex decided to perform it as a crankie two years ago. (Have you seen a crankie? It’s a moving panorama that uses shadow puppets and live music to tell a story.*)

Scene from “Goodnight Tomb.”

When I watched Alex’s performance, I scrunched down in the theater seat,  nervous about how the story would be received. (Vulnerability is not one of my core competencies.) 

I’ve never been so relieved to have people laughing at something I wrote. And when the show was over, one woman said, “I’d buy that book.” 

Well, it took a while, but Bob and I finally created “Goodnight Tomb” and published it last week.

Scene from “Goodnight Tomb.”

For what it’s worth, I think that reviewer’s quote in the subject line (“Funny and sweet and gross”) captures our version pretty well.

So if you know a kid who likes the sweet and the gross mixed together in equal measure, share the story with them. We’ve posted the first part of the book on our storyblog and we’ll share the second part next week.

If they like it, you can buy a physical copy or a Kindle version.

Happy reading!

Jeff and Bob
Co-founders, 320 Sycamore Studios

*Here’s a peek into the world of crankie artist Katherine Fahey.