SuitabookThe Dark
Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Jon Klassen
- Reading
- Read it aloud in a calm voice, pausing at the dark’s repeated calls and looking closely at where the flashlight falls. Afterwards, ask which pictures felt reassuring and which felt eerie.
- Themes
- Facing a nighttime fear: Lazlo is afraid of the dark, keeps a flashlight nearby and eventually follows its call to the basement. The story presents fear as a recognisable childhood experience and explores approaching what feels frightening, rather than treating the darkness only as an enemy.
- Light, darkness and reassurance: Muted colours, gritty textures, inky blackness and the flashlight’s illuminated areas shape the visual experience. The book presents this favourably.
- Worth knowing
- The darkness calls to Lazlo and leads him to the basement, and the illustrations are sometimes described as eerie. The resolution is friendly, but the build-up may still feel unsettling.