The Dark

The Dark

By Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Jon Klassen


Like many children, Laszlo is afraid of the dark.  The dark lives in his basement, where Laszlo does not go. Every morning, Laszlo opens the basement door, peeks at the dark and says, "Hi, dark."  Maybe this way he can keep the dark at bay.  

But the dark has other ideas.  One night, the dark visits Laszlo in his room and invites him downstairs… to the basement. Will Laszlo dare to follow?  Would any child?

Laszlo’s encounter with the dark enables him to work through his fear, and will help young readers do so as well.  Laszlo faces the dark and is rewarded by being brought back to the light.  Although The Dark ends on a positive note, this story may be a little too frightening for preschoolers.