Rating: 
Summary: Twisted and Delicious
Review: I read this all in one sitting and thought it was a wonderful, twisted blast of sardonic fun. I've always appreciated Burton's odd and dark sense of humor, so I felt perfectly at home within the pages of this little book. It's a bit pricey for the length, but I got over it. However, unless your kids are as weird as I was as a kid, I probably wouldn't make it bed-time fare for the young'uns. If you're a fan of calming hysterical children freaked out by dreams about the boy with nails in his eyes, then by all means...
Rating: 
Summary: Funny as all get-out.
Review: Tim Burton, The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories (Morrow, 1997) Someone needs to explain this to me and fast, 'cause I don't get it: how is it that bad poetry (and yes, folks, this is truly bad) and art that looks like a second-rate Edward Gorey ripoff (Burton is not the illustrator that he is the sculptor and animator) can be so insanely funny? I am completely at a loss for why I liked this anywhere near as much as I did. Let's face it, if you squint right while watching The Nightmare Before Christmas, it's obvious even in Burton's finest work that the specter of Edward Gorey looms large over Burton's material; it has never been more obvious than it is here. Many of his characters even seem to have the same basic brushstrokes Gorey used in his illustrations. Which is not to say they're bad; they just look like Edward Gorey work. Not even as blurred as Bacon's famous study of Pope Pius. And the verse? Absolute doggerel. Even conceding the idea that Burton is using Gerard Manley Hopkins-esque sprung rhythm (which he's not, because sprung rhythm does, at least, HAVE a rhythm), the implementation is so amateurish that it's impossible despite the rhymes to call this anything resembling poetry. but good living Christ on a crutch, is this book funny. Morbid, twisted, insane, gut-churning (despite the pretty cartoons, folks, this is not one to buy for the kiddies; flip through the title story for a good example of why), and full of laughs. One almost gets the idea Burton was going for a place as the anti-Dr. Seuss. Little vignettes about characters who fade in and out like Dish Network reception in a typhoon, popping up unexpectedly here and there and doing exactly what you were hoping they wouldn't. If you are at all a fan of Tim Burton, this is a must-read. If you're not, you're probably going to notice the faults and not find what lies beneath them. ***
Rating: 
Summary: Makes Me Feel Like Cackling Evily...
Review: I got this book for Christmas because I LOOOOOOOOVE Nightmare Before Christmas and mom thought I'd like this too. It's certainly...different, but I love it. People keep saying that it's really about deep concepts and being an outsider and being ignored and hated and maybe it is, but that isn't how I see it. It looks more to me like he was just being creative and writing some poems and pictures to go together. There probably is deeper purpose to it, but when I get inspiration I always do stuff like that! (You should meet my lonely vampiress who just can't help sucking the blood of the men she falls in love with...) And whatever you do DON'T take this stuff too seriously. That's what leads to you looking at this and thinking it's scary and awful, but it really isn't. The Boy With Nails in his Eyes was not written to be something you look at and think how terrible anybody must be to write something about such a horrid little boy. It's to look at and go "Ha! A kid with nails in his eyes!" (or maybe something a little more intelligent than that...but you get the idea) You'd have nightmares forever if you really took this stuff too seriously and I don't mean disregard it, just enjoy it in a way that makes you feel comfortable. It's cool stuff, you just have to look at it right. It's so delightfully twisted...makes me feel like cackling evily, MWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!...ahem
Rating:
Summary: Not just a book but a Masterpiece
Review: I don't know if the book could be any better although I wish it would have more pages of Burton's unusually magical works. I think this would be a great book to read to children. The stories would teach them about diversity, life and acceptance. For adults, this book would be quite entertaining. This is one of those books that you should get and keep within the family as a treasure for future generations. I hope you enjoy it as much I did.
Rating:
Summary: This was what it tried to be...
Review: This small, short book was surprising to me. Though it was, as I said before, very short, it was a good length for something of this type. The poems were each very unique and offered new morals to the reader. Some people could argue that it was too grossly disgusting (I meant to be repetitive), but it was just showing the true ways of people...or un-people...The world shuns freaks and monsters, just as these poor children are. They only want to be accepted. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and will treasure it for my book collection because not only was it entertaining, the binding is very nice. You don't need to read it to be satisfied. The nice, black cover should be enough...Well, Good-bye!
Rating:
Summary: Poor, poor Oyster Boy!
Review: Tim Burton takes you on a wild ride in this collection of twisted and funny stories and poetry. This is definitely a unique twist on fairy tales.
Rating:
Summary: Great fun, but a little too short.
Review: This is one great book. All the stories are fun and amusing, the only bad thing about it is that it is pretty short. Some stories are only four lines long, although when you read them you realize that they are best the way they are.
Buy this book, but don't think it will take more than perhaps 12 minutes to finish (although you'll have great fun during all those minutes). P.S. Sorry about my bad English.
Rating: 
Summary: High ranking reviews are deceptive.
Review: Tim Burton is a great addition to Hollywood movies. He adds something different that is really needed right now. I do however feel that it is my preferred medium for him to express himself. This book reads similiar to Roman Dirge's "Something Scratching." Well if anything is scratching it's not praise. This book while being better than Dirge's work is still like a bad Shel Silverstein with better illustrations. The book is bound well and the quality is great.... I think 7 years ago I'd find this book adorable, but now when I need a "dark fix" I think better writer's like Gaiman sate that hunger. It is cute and mildly amusing at times and aloft (not in a good way) at others. My recommedation is to read the sample pages provided here before your purchase. This book is more of a novelty than it is a literary work.
Rating:
Summary: Gorey art plus Silverstein poems equals trite boring junk
Review: I like Tim Burton stuff, I really do. But Oyster Boy was a let down. It's a very small book with very little content. It has a really Gorey type drawing style, and that's always fun, but it wasn't anything new or interesting as far as creepy art goes, and not nearly as good as actual Gorey art. The stories are short; most bits aren't even a page long and read like silverstein poems.
The only high point of the book is probably the multi-page oyster boy story, but all the rest are just lame attempts at being weird.
Rating:
Summary: Intoxicating
Review: I grabbed a copy of this book straight off the shelves of a local book store as I had been a long time admirer of Tim Burton's works, having caught most of his movies. Contrary to some of the reviews, I did read them to my children aged 5 and 7 who shared the humor in almost a macabre manner. But I had to censor some of them out for their unsuitability. Yet, they could enjoy the poems over and over again, especially the Staring Girl and Roy The Toxic Boy. The Toxic Boy does actually provide a lesson in oxone layer depletion and it was an appropriate platform to teach the children about damage to the environment. In their child-like purity, they see read the book as it is without prejudices but I would advise a lot of parental guidance for the nature of the materials. I had intentionally skipped references to sex in the poems but they still enjoyed it for the level of humor that they perceive. For adults, it has a lot of deeper levels of meaning which at once is humorous, tragic and makes one reflect a lot about children and the sometimes tormented existence they lead.
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