The Washington Post - Kristi Elle Jemtegaard
Lemony Snicket's succinct text is as deadpan as ever…What makes this book stand out above other books on childhood fears is the fact that Laszlo negotiates directly with the living, breathing dark—and comes to terms with it in a way that children will understand intuitively. No lectures (or adults!) are needed. These cunningly designed illustrations—wedges, cones and arcs of light floating in blackness—illuminate the story with impeccable grace.
The New York Times Book Review - Bruce Handy
Daniel Handler, writing as Lemony Snicket, does a wonderful job of…I was going to write "personifying the dark," but "thingifying" is more like it…The illustrations by Jon Klassen…are fully up to Handler's lovely-spooky conception, poetic and concrete in equal measure.
From the Publisher
New York Times Best Illustrated
2014 Charlotte Zolotow Award Winner
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
ALSC Notable Books for Children
*"With his command of language, tone, and pacing, Snicket creates the perfect antidote to a universal fear. Klassen's spare gouache and digital illustrations in a quiet black, brown, and white palette (contrasted with Laszlo's light blue footy pajamas and the yellow light bulb) are well suited for a book about the unseen. Using simple black lines and color contrasts to provide atmosphere and depth, Klassen captures the essence of Snicket's story."
—The Horn Book, starred review
*"In its willingness to acknowledge the darkness, and the elegant art of that acknowledgment, The Dark pays profound respect to the immediacy of childhood experiences."—Booklist, starred review
*"While it might not combat fear of the dark, it's an ingenius introduction to horror movie—style catharsis, and a memorable ride on the emotional roller coaster that great storytelling creates."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
*"Snicket and Klassen present a picture book that tackles a basic childhood worry with suspense, a dash of humor, and a satisfying resolution."—School Library Journal, starred review
* "An offbeat — and spookily atmospheric — approach to fear of the dark, with a creative story and high-impact artwork...an enjoyable thrill."—The Bulletin, starred review
* "Readers are going to want to read this one over and over."—Library Media Connection, starred review
"Laszlo, though a new creation for this story, somehow seems satisfyingly familiar."—Kirkus Reviews
Library Media Connection
* "Readers are going to want to read this one over and over."
The Bulletin
* "An offbeat -- and spookily atmospheric -- approach to fear of the dark, with a creative story and high-impact artwork...an enjoyable thrill."
Kirkus Reviews
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)
