I was so excited when I saw this book, Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen are two of my favourite writers of children's books (and one favourite illustrator) and this did not disappoint. This is the story of Laszlo and how he stopped being afraid of the dark. The dark usually stays in its room (the basement) and in corners and behind the shower curtain but one night the bulb in Laszlo's night-light goes out and the dark visits him in his room. This is, first of all, a beautiful looking book - Jon Klassen's illustrations are always fantastic (check out his amazing 'I Want My Hat Back') and in this instance they compliment the story perfectly. And then the story itself is wonderful - a perfect explanation of what the dark is and why it's actually not that scary. There is also a great page explaining those scary noises in the night (why we need a creaky roof to keep the rain out of our house) and the scary corners that the dark hides behind (why we need a shower curtain to stop the bathroom getting splashed.) This is the perfect book if you have a child that has any anxieties about the dark or night-time noises, but it's also a brilliant book with a great story that I would recommend to everyone.

This is a beautiful book, one that you might want to keep forever. I felt that the story of Laszlo and his fear of the dark was done so gently and sensitively. The illustrations were done so well and I loved the contrast between the light and the dark in the pictures. I can't recommend this highly enough for any parents who have kids who are afraid of the dark.

What small child is not afraid of the dark? The dark is an unknown entity; anything could be hiding in it. What parent has not gone through the whole saga of trying to explain to their child that ‘There’s nothing there that wasn’t there in the light’. Even as an adult, don’t we get a little bit afraid of the dark? There’s a reason why the scary part of a horror film is at night, not in full daylight in the middle of a sunny field. Along comes Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen’s new picture book all about the fear of the dark. I was very excited when I found out that this book was coming out, what a brilliant combination between author and illustrator. They seem to have been made for a joint partnership. The book is brilliantly but simply illustrated and the style of writing is just right. Laszlo is afraid of the dark. The dark and Laszlo live together in the same house. Laszlo does not like the dark, it frightening’s him. This is the story how Laszalo overcomes his fear of the dark and learns that in fact the dark is not something that needs to frighten him, that it serves a purpose.. The words and Illustrations make the book a must for kids bookshelves.