This book is truly wonderful
Jacob is afraid of the dark. Every night he goes into all the rooms in his home and switches on the lights. He even wears a light on his head to bed. One night the lights all go out, including the one on his head. He is in total darkness, that’s when the night shows him it is nothing to be scared of and why the dark is important as much as the light.
The book is just beautiful, both the rhyming words and the illustrations. It is exceptionally engaging and I’m sure that children will not only enjoy a fab story they will also learn a lot too about what the dark does and why nature needs it.
For any child that is afraid of the dark, this book is a must. It will reassure them in a relaxing manner and make them understand that there is nothing to fear.
Coming back to the illustrations, these have been drawn with so much love and care. I especially love the night scenes with their black backgrounds and colours that really stand out.
This book is truly wonderful. It has short sentences and as it rhymes, young children who are just learning to read will find this easy to follow. It would work perfectly as a bedtime read to ease those woes about the dark.
Another charmer from Peta Rainford! BUY IT
Smooth-flowing rhyme in a reassuring story about the Dark
My 7-year-old has recently started complaining about a ‘fear’ of the dark. Frustrating, when it’s not a long-standing problem. We’ve talked about what dark is, what dark is useful for, why there’s nothing to be frightened of. Sometimes though, it takes another child’s similar experience to encourage and reassure.
He read this himself and enjoyed it, and we discussed it. Jacob, the protagonist, is terrified of what might be in the dark. He is made to see the use of darkness, what needs it to survive, what would happen if we didn’t have dark. It reminded me of Jill Tomlinson’s ‘The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark’, but for a younger audience.
I appreciated the approach, the examples used, and really enjoyed the rhythm and natural-feeling rhymes. The examples are relevant and interesting to the target market (planets, animals), and I really liked the full-illustrated look of the book, with the text integrated inside the scenes.
Could be very useful for parents/teachers/educators needing to address this topic with children. Suitable for toddlers and older and gives opportunities to discuss natural history and nocturnal sleep patterns, astronomy, plants and seasons.
For ages 3 and above, would continue to have a place in KS1 classes.
Another great book for children from Peta Rainford, with a great message
Loved the drawing style, especially the delicate and serene depiction of The Dark contrasting with Jacob and light. This book should help lots of children overcome their fears. When I was a child I used to be terrified of things under the bed at night (still am sometimes even though I’m grown-up now). This would have helped me I’m sure. I love looking at the night sky now and wish I’d started looking at it sooner. And we do need councils to cut the amount of light pollution in our cities so our children can see the riches above us: the red glow of Mars, tracking satellites and the ISS as well as the stars and constellations which change position with the seasons.