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    The Dark
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    The Dark
    Unavailable
    The Dark
    Audiobook6 minutes

    The Dark

    Written by Lemony Snicket

    Narrated by Neil Gaiman

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Laszlo is afraid of the dark.

    The dark lives in the same house as Laszlo. Mostly, though, the dark stays in the basement and doesn't come into Lazslo's room. But one night, it does.

    This is the story of how Laszlo stops being afraid of the dark.

    With emotional insight and poetic economy, two award-winning talents team up to conquer a universal childhood fear.

    A Hachette Audio production.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateApr 2, 2013
    ISBN9781619696891
    Unavailable
    The Dark
    Author

    Lemony Snicket

    Lemony Snicket had an unusual education, which may or may not explain his ability to evade capture. He is the author of the 13 volumes in A Series of Unfortunate Events, several picture books including The Dark, and the books collectively titled All The Wrong Questions.

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    Reviews for The Dark

    4/5

    293 ratings35 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Wow. This is a beautifully illustrated, perfect book about bravery, courage, problem solving and the innate fear that humans have of the dark.The depiction of "the dark" as an entity that lives and moves speaks to the vivid sense that most children and many adults have of the dark being not just the absence of light, but a presence in it's own right.It shows a young child using communication, resourcefulness and sheer courage to overcome his specific problem, and move beyond his fear.Gorgeous illustrations by Jon Klassen, wonderful layout, nice thick paper, a cozy size... everything about this book is marvelous. Thanks Lemony for a great book.
    • 5/5
      This is by far the best picture book I've read in 2013!
    • 5/5
      This is a great story for Halloween season. I had a great time reading this and so did the student I'm tutoring. This book started a great discussion between us. It was clear he loved the book. I highly recommend this book for a classroom and its a great bedtime story too!
    • 5/5
      Creepy vibe in the beginning withe description of the dark and the places it hangs out. I wanted to scream, "No! Don't go in the basement!" But I'm glad Laszlo did. Teachers: great example of personification (of the dark) and tone.
    • 5/5
      Lazlo is afraid of the dark, until the night he goes down into the dark, dark basement and realizes that there's nothing sinister or at all scary hiding in the shadows.Beautiful pictures accompany a beautifully simple storyline about how a little boy finds the courage to face his fear and in the process realizes that there isn't anything to be afraid of.
    • 5/5
      The illustrations are my favorite but that does not means the story is not great. Lazlo is a boy that lives in a huge creeppy house and it happens that the dark lives in the basement. Lazlo is afraid of the dark until one day he decides to go visit her in the basement.
    • 4/5
      What if you were afraid of the dark, and it lived in your basement? A unique, an ultimately reassuring look at the dark.
    • 5/5
      Snicket and Klassen are a perfect match in this brilliantly written and illustrated story about a young boy embracing his fear.
    • 5/5
      A simple story, great for bedtime stories！ Enjoyed it thoroughly!
    • 5/5
      Freaking fantastic. Perfectly rides the creepy line to deliver some relief from fear. Beautiful, beautiful book in both text and image.
    • 5/5
      a lovely little night cap on a Sunday evening
    • 5/5
      If you have a little one that's afraid of the dark, this book will give them an alternate perspective. It is written in true Lemony Snicket style and reminiscent of his Unfortunate Events series. Also, great illustrations.
    • 3/5
      "Laszlo is afraid of the dark," the narrator of this engaging picture-book from author Lemony Snicket and illustrator Jon Klassen declares, going on to inform the reader that despite this fact, "The dark is not afraid of Laszlo." One night when his light goes out, Laszlo finds himself being addressed directly by the dark, and invited down to the basement to get something the dark has for him. By the end of the experience, our young hero is no longer afraid...I enjoyed this exploration of one boy's fears, and how he learned to overcome them, and think that younger children who have such fears themselves - of the dark, or perhaps just of the closet or the basement - will be able to identify with Laszlo's experiences. The artwork, as is to be expected in a Klassen picture-book, is immensely appealing, with dramatic alternation between black spaces and sepia-toned light ones. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about experiencing and coping with fear, as well as to fans of Jon Klassen's artwork.
    • 5/5
      The dark is a very interesting thing. There’s a lot of it when the light is off, as young Laszlo finds out when his night light bulb fails. Then the dark comes into his room. Prior to this event, the dark lived quite happily in (unsurprisingly) dark places such as the basement, drawers that no one ever opened, and occasionally behind the shower curtains. At night the dark had a huge expanse to roam outside the creaky old house where they both lived. Laszlo and the dark respected each other’s space. The dark knew Laszlo and Laszlo knew the dark—in fact they even greeted each other. Well, the dark didn’t actually answer back. It never spoke until one fateful night when the bulb in Laszlo’s night light fails. The dark calls to Laszlo. Then Laszlo gets out of bed and answers the dark, which leads him all the way down to the basement…This deceptively simple illustrated story is especially relevant for kids who are afraid of the dark. Who can say they didn’t fear something that lived under the bed, behind the door (no, that was never an old dressing gown!), or at the bottom of the stairs? This book depicts the dark and the fears of a little boy who has to learn that everything has its designated place and purpose. Without the dark there is no light. Without the night there is no day. Without the dark we would never see the moon and the stars. Without all the things in Laszlo’s house, providing hiding places for the dark, there would be no dark. And the dark is a necessary part of life. The size of the book, 11x7.1 inches is actually the perfect size for little hands to grasp. In addition, the dark looks very big (there’s a lot of it, as I said) while Laszlo looks very small, creating a huge contrast between them. The story has mystery, shivers, scary bits, and leads the young reader all the way down to the basement, where the dark turns out to be very helpful indeed. I’d recommend this for all young readers and their parents (who might still be afraid of the dark). It is a charming tale by the inimitable Lemony Snickett, beautifully illustrated by Jon Klassen. Five stars.
    • 5/5
      Illustrations are creative and effective, story is strong and philosophical, language is rhythmic and poetic, book design is supportive of text and pictures. Fpr readers of all ages, and for re-readers throughout their lives. Imo, Caldecott-worthy. It almost makes me want to read Snicket's Unfortunate Events.
    • 4/5
      You know how some picture books simply beg to be read aloud? This is certainly one of them. Snicket has written a delightful story of a little boy exploring the dark. The art by Jon Klassen is gorgeous and has a lovely color palette and use of textured effects. I hope these two collaborate again.
    • 4/5
      The genre of this book is fantasy. Laszlo is afraid of the dark, who happens to live in the basement of his house. One night, when his light goes out, the dark pays Laszlo a visit and Laszlo gets over his fear.
    • 4/5
      I liked this book for two reasons. First, the illustrations allow the reader to really dive into the story, and feel the emotion behind the writing. For example, the part of the story where the dark is no longer in Laszlo's room, the illustration shows the room well illuminated from the point of view of the night light. I also liked that this book is relatable for children of all ages because many children, and even young adults have a fear of the dark, just as Laszlo had. The big idea of this story is that the dark isn't as scary as it seems.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book because it tells the story of "the dark" which a lot of children and grown ups alike are scared of. It makes the dark seem like a person too, almost like a friend so that instead of being fearful of it, kids can accept and embrace it. The dark is so often associated with bad and scary things but this book shows that not only is it something that all children have to deal with, but its not something you have to be afraid of.
    • 4/5
      SUMMARYLaszlo lived in the same house as the dark and was afraid him. One night, his nightlight went out and the dark visited him. The dark urged him to come downstairs. When he got downstairs, he saw a nightstand. The dark told him to open the bottom drawer. He found a new lightbulb. He then realizes that the dark is not to be feared. He replaces his nightlight and returns to sleep. He continues living with the dark, but it does not scare him anymore.REVIEWAs I was reading this story, I noticed that the dialogue for the dark was always in the black portions of the illustrations while Laszlo's dialogue was always in the beam of light that the flashlight created. I think this was a very subtle and creative way of distinguishing between them and showing that divide. Overall, I liked how Laszlo learned that our fears are not always warranted and that the things we fear may actually help us in the end.
    • 5/5
      This is a fantastic book for children who have a fear of the dark, and are in need of solution. I love how simple the text appears but really each more is very carefully chosen to create the right atmosphere. Moreover, Klassen's illustrations add to that mysterious atmosphere, and focus on a child's perspective of the dark. Overall, a must read for anyone who has or teaches young children.
    • 5/5
      "The Dark" is a story of Laszlo who is afraid of the dark. But one night, the dark visits him in his room when his light bulb goes out. Laszlo follows the dark as he tries to find out what it wants to show him. I really loved this book. The illustrations make the reader feel like they are taking the journey with Laszlo. In the illustrations, the light is only placed where Laszlo has his flashlight pointing and the surrounding area is completely dark. This is exactly how Laszlo would see the house, so it really allows the reader to feel as if they are there in the story as well. Also, I loved the way the author used personification by giving "the dark" human like traits. For example, the dark could talk and visit Laszlo. In the story, "the dark" calls Laszlo's name and tells him "I want to show you something." The story ends as the dark leads Laszlo to the basement, bottom drawer where the light bulbs are stored. Laszlo realizes that the dark was only trying to help and begins to let go of his fear of the dark. The big idea is to teach the reader not to be scared of the dark and to overcome their fears.
    • 5/5
      At first glance, the book seems a little too dark for younger readers. The audience should be chosen carefully, but this book brings a very relevant fear/issue for children to light (pun intended). The Dark begins speaking to Laszlo when his night light burns out. It convinces him to go down to the scariest part of the house, the basement, and face his fears. While down there, Laszlo learns an important lesson that sometimes scary things are actually important, and not something to be afraid of at all. The creaky roof keeps you from getting rained on. the cold windows let you see outside, and the dark makes it so not everything is light. Snicket chooses his words so well in this story, and the illustrations are just as poetic as the words. Young readers might not understand how beautifully written this story is, but they will understand that Laszlo is no longer afraid.
    • 3/5
      I don't really know what to think of this book. It was very well written. I think it does send a really good message out to kids in the end about why they shouldn't be afraid of the dark, but this is only after an extremely creepy story about the dark calling you to it and taking over your house. It is very Lemony Snicket, but not something I would necessarily recommend for most younger children. I think everyone is afraid of the dark at times, but I don't see this book being effective for most small children.
    • 4/5
      In this book by Lemony Snicket, the dark takes on human characteristics when he speaks to a young boy named Lazlo. Lazlo is afraid of the dark, but in this story, he learns to become friends with it, after the dark lures him into the basement so that he can get a replacement bulb for his nightlight. I loved the language that Snicket used to make the story seem eerie and creepy, but also to cast light (pun intended) on darkness. I love the way that the darkness was illustrated, and how the flashlight came into play. I think it would be a great book to read to young students to address this type of fear. Also, John Klassen is my favorite children's illustrator.
    • 5/5
      Genre: FictionAudience: Pre k-3This is a great book about how Lazlo conquers his fear of darkness. This is a wonderful book for children of all ages, especially ones who are afraid of the dark. The illustrations are also very good.
    • 4/5
      Mentioned as a possible 2014 Caldecott winner, even though it did not garner an award, this book is well worth that honor.Like most young boys and girls, the dark is a fearful enemy, working against you to the sound of the slow tick, tick, tock, tock, of the bedroom clock. As covers are pulled over the head and each sound seems like a scratching creeper, Laslo is no stranger to the sweaty sickness of the dark that waits in the corners to invade his space.Knowing that the dark resides in the basement by day, waiting to creepy crawl up the bedroom stairs, Laslo tries to conquer his fears of this very real being. As Laslo communicates with the dark, he is shown a cabinet where, on the bottom drawer, there are light bulbs.Now, no longer afraid, Laslo makes a friend of the dark and it never bothered him again!
    • 3/5
      I like the pictures. They set a very dark mood (no pun intended). Little patches of light surrounding only the little boy. The pictures, in this case, are better than the story. I like the idea of the dark being a scary thing, until the little boy gets to know him. But I don't love it as much as I want to. And I do want to think Lemony Snicket is a genius.
    • 4/5
      In this picture book from acclaimed author Lemony Snicket, a boy named Laszlo is afraid of the dark. To him, the dark is personified as a dresser in the basement. Laszlo visits the basement during the day hoping that by being nice to the dark, it will not come visiting him in his bedroom at night. Although this doesn't work as plan, Laszlo and the dark eventually come to terms with one another.I loved a lot of Lemony Snicket's previous works and this was certainly a decent addition to his oeuvre. There is one page that is a bit overly didactic, but the rest reads like a well-oiled narrative that also happens to help allay a common childhood fear. The illustrations by Jon Klassen are particularly well done, and I enjoy the way he plays with light and shadows in the book's drawings. This book would be a good addition in a home or classroom when talking about a child's fear of the dark and/or simply for a discussion on light and shadows or daytime and nighttime.
    • 5/5
      The Dark by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Jon Klassen, is Laszlo's story of how he stops being afraid of the dark.Klassen's illustrations are subtle, yet represent the darkness, and the light created by a flashlight, in a very realistic manner. Klassen clearly focuses the reader's attention exactly where it should be. I really like how Laszlo's slightly fearful look never changes until after he is helped by the dark.Snicket does anthropomorphize the dark a bit when he says that it hid, sat and waited. His repetition of small phrases is effective. The large bit of text in the middle, brilliantly discussed by GR and SLJ blogger Betsy Bird, is an interesting choice, that could slow down the story a little, and could require shortening or skipping by some of those who read it aloud to young listeners.This is a book that requires re-reading before one reads it aloud to children, to determine what kind of voice to give the dark. Such effort should be well worth such time and attention. It's a unique collaboration that should calm fears of the dark for a great number of children. The Dark is highly recommended for school and public library collections. 4.5 stars. For preschoolers to grade 2, darkness, fear, basements, and fans of Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen.