It's a little known fact that not even some of the biggest fans of the late master of horror George A. Romero's cinematic output may be aware of, but back in the 1990s Romero wrote a children's book titled THE LITTLE WORLD OF HUMONGO BONGO, which only found a publisher in Belgium, where it was released in French. Romero himself couldn't even read his own book. Over twenty years later, HUMONGO BONGO has finally received an English language release, courtesy of ChiZine Publications, in association with Untold Horror.
Featuring illustrations by Romero, the book has the following description:
When everything is easily crushable under well-meaning feet, how can a Humongo ever fit in in such a little world?
From the creator of Night of the Living Dead and the zombie movement that permeates our culture today, comes a sarcastic and cynical children's tale of different creatures trying to coexist in a benign, yet power-hungry environment. In line with Antoine de Saint-Exupery's Little Prince, The Little World of Humongo Bongo is a beautiful metaphor on the evolution of our civilization, depicted with humour and simplicity.
Former Fangoria editor Tony Timpone wrote the foreword, and the book also includes an interview with Romero that was conducted by Untold Horror's Dave Alexander.
The book tells the story of
a gentle giant living on the planet Tongo, who encounters a tiny race of people called the Minus who turn on him in a fit of greed as they colonize his small planet.
Romero meant for it to be "a parable about over-population, greed, and all of the terrible values that we humans have."
This seems to me like it's a must-have addition to any Romero collection. If you'd like to pick up a copy of THE LITTLE WORLD OF HUMONGO BONGO, you can do so on Amazon.
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