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THE DARK

Name: THE DARK
Author: Lemony Snicket
ISBN: 978-0-316-18748-0

by Lemony Snicket ; illustrated by Jon Klassen ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 2, 2013

A lovely if uneven offering about a common childhood fear.

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Are you afraid of the dark?

Laszlo is. The dark mostly keeps to the basement, but sometimes it hides in the closet or behind the shower curtain. Every morning Laszlo greets the dark when it is safely back in the basement, calling “Hi, dark,” down the staircase. He hopes that this acknowledgement will keep it from coming to him in the night, when a night light illuminates his bedroom as he goes to sleep. He keeps a flashlight at the ready on his pillow, just in case. And one night, the dark does come—presumably the night light has gone out. Laszlo answers the dark’s call to the basement, where he sees a small dresser. “Bottom drawer,” the dark says, and inside he finds light bulbs. The next scene shows his bedroom now illuminated by the returned soft glow of the night light, and Laszlo no longer fears the dark. Klassen’s artwork outshines the text, which, although poetic and begging to be read aloud, falters in its pacing and delivers an anticlimactic (if friendly) resolution to its initially creepy tone. The gouache-and-digital illustrations make the most of the references to light and dark, however, confining the palette to muted tones that contrast satisfyingly with the inky black. Laszlo, though a new creation for this story, somehow seems satisfyingly familiar.

A lovely if uneven offering about a common childhood fear. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: April 2, 2013

ISBN: 978-0-316-18748-0

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2013

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

- BOOK REVIEW
SWARM OF BEES
by Lemony Snicket ; illustrated by Rilla Alexander

- BOOK REVIEW
THE BAD MOOD AND THE STICK
by Lemony Snicket ; illustrated by Matthew Forsythe

- BOOK REVIEW
GOLDFISH GHOST
by Lemony Snicket ; illustrated by Lisa Brown

- PROFILES
The Rules of ‘The Dark’

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I AM A SPICY NUGGET

by Loryn Brantz ; illustrated by Loryn Brantz ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 8, 2026

An instructive tale about big feelings, lightened up by a furious kid’s theatrics.

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An angry child attempts to calm down.

A kid with paper-white skin, clad in a blue dress and striped tights, makes an absurd request: “Can we get a pet penguin, name it Marshmallow, and feed it carrots?” Mom, off-stage, says simply, “Not today,” and the tot transforms into a rather odd creature: a spicy nugget! The nugget is imperfectly ovoid in form, with red rosy cheeks, rage-filled dot-eyes, and a spiraling black-hole mouth. The sight gag works beautifully: When one feels truly angry, all poise disappears, leaving only a flailing ball of rage. Our protagonist hurls a teddy bear, unsuccessfully tries out a list of calming methods, and finally retreats to bed, where “I can feel my breathing; I know that I am safe.” The youngster reverts back to human form, and Mom arrives with kind words: “You are not your big feelings. You are not your angry thoughts.” The takeaway is unmistakable, especially at the story’s conclusion: It’s OK to get mad and important to practice coping strategies. The young narrator expresses emotion with fabulous vigor, though the story’s lilting rhyme scheme occasionally distracts from these outbursts with cuteness. Nonetheless, this increasingly enraged nugget-child is irresistible; anyone who’s grappled with overwhelming emotions will relate—in a word, everyone.

An instructive tale about big feelings, lightened up by a furious kid’s theatrics. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026

ISBN: 9798217042142

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
NOW THAT YOU'RE HERE
by Loryn Brantz ; illustrated by Loryn Brantz

- BOOK REVIEW
FOR YOUR SMILE
by Loryn Brantz ; illustrated by Loryn Brantz

- BOOK REVIEW
IT HAD TO BE YOU
by Loryn Brantz ; illustrated by Loryn Brantz

- SEEN & HEARD
Brooklyn Readies for 2026 Book Festival

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK LOST AND FOUND

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 18, 2026

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.

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Beep! Beep! Beep! Toad and Little Blue Truck get ready for a hayride.

After the titular vehicle is loaded with hay, Toad is nowhere to be found. “Beep! Beep! Beep! Where are you, Toad?” asks Little Blue Truck. All the barnyard animals look for him. Sheep searches the meadow. Goose and Duck check the pond. Others pitch in, too, but Toad seems to have disappeared…until Hen hears snoring coming from the pile of hay in the back of Little Blue Truck. Although the text’s scansion is imperfect in places (adults may want to pre-read to ensure a smooth read-aloud), the bouncy meter and rhyming text nevertheless capture the energy of the search and the farmyard community’s concern for Toad’s safety, making this a solid storytime choice. Eye-catching illustrations with rich, fully saturated colors balance the right level of detail while still highlighting the animal that is the focus of each verse. By introducing one farm animal at a time, Schertle also helps the youngest readers begin to identify barnyard animals by name and understand their unique farm homes. Traditional animal sounds are part of the text, and listeners will add them to their vocabulary. It all ends with the promised hayride, bringing the tale to a joyous ending.

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed. (Picture book. 4-7)