Rotten Island by William Steig

“Recently discovered a William Steig book that had miraculously flown under my Steig-obsessed radar: the 1994 demented masterpiece ROTTEN ISLAND, wherein all the monsters are horrible to each other to the point of ruin, whereupon a flower appears, throwing them further into hysteria. Everyone kills each other and then the island burns up and then it rains and more flowers grow. A raucous delight! Perfect for small big minds!”

“Chaos reigns on a wretched island of terrible monsters who freeze into terrible shapes each night only to resume their ceaseless battling in the morning. Then, out of nowhere, a flower appears. Its beauty drives the beasts to utter madness, and the island is transformed. Yet another classic from that (still!) undersung genius of word and image William Steig.”