The Dark by Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen

I only purchased this book on the account that I enjoyed Klassen's very witty picture book I Want My Hat Back so much. This particular picture book, written by Lemony Snicket and illustrated by Jon Klassen, was released in Australia in April this year, and it will not disappoint.  Basically, it is about a boy, Laszlo, confronting his fear of the dark. In this new take on an old theme, the dark is the foil of the main protagonist, the scared little boy. The dark is adept at hiding, has many guises, is  unpredictable, and hides in the dark. Klassen's illustrations capably contrast the light and the dark, and also cleverly portray the different hues and moods of the day using overlapping panels of muted colours. There are also pages which are nearly totally black, save the details we see in the beam of Laszlo's torch. 

I am looking forward to sharing this book with Archie, my grandson, when he is old enough to understand it.

Click on the link below to see the trailer promoting the book..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgiRc3CytPM

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

The Bad Beginning is the first of thirteen novels in North American author Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. It was released in paperback (this one) under the name The Bad Beginning; or, Orphans! The novel tells the story of three children, Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire, who are orphaned by an fire lit by an arsonist and sent to live and sent to live with their distant and conniving cousin Count Olaf. I have the DVD which is probably best viewed after reading all the books in the series. Click on the link below to see a trailer of the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWB1HGnA3tA