Creepy

This modern cautionary tale crackles with deadpan humor, designed as a wicked picture book for adults, an in-joke especially for parents at their wits’ end who still can laugh about it, by siblings Roberts (My Begging Chart) and Sensenbrenner. “Are you ready for a scary story? Once there was a creepy, creepy, creepy lady. She was so creepy.” Well-kempt in casual athletic wear, a market bag slung over her shoulder, the immediate impression is more bougie than boogie woman. But there’s this: “She only ate one thing: children’s ears.” Roasted, baked on parchment paper, basted, charcoal-grilled, her culinary practice is comprehensively documented over four coolly absurd pages in unfussy but tidy illustrations. In one highlight, two perky ears rest quaintly in the bowl of a pink KitchenAid mixer. How did she come by all these children’s ears? The answer to that question feels inevitable, a bit on-the-ear as an anti-screentime PSA. The format is a slight departure from Roberts’ celebrated autobiographical comics, but the same bemused smirk animates these pages, each neutrally rendered glue gun and inspirational placard holding in a chortle. It’s a brisk gag gift to pass among exhausted parents who laughed over Go the F--k to Sleep. (Oct.)