Alfi and the Dark - Hardcover

Miles, Sally

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0877015279 ISBN 13: 9780877015277

Publisher: Chronicle Books Llc, 1988

Synopsis

On a night when he cannot fall asleep, Alfi meets The Dark and learns where he goes when someone turns on a light.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-- In rhymning couplets Alfi, a dumpling-faced youngster, wonders where the dark goes when the light is switched on. The dark, to his surprise, answers his question: he never goes anywhere, he's still there, but he can't be seen when a light is shining. This explanation satisfies the little boy, who has made a friend of the dark and will never be afraid again. Unfortunately, this book will not satisfy readers. The rhyming text is sing-songy, bland, and humorless. Le Cain's dark watercolors try to imbue the book with a little humor, but they also miss the mark. The boy and the personification of the dark are awkwardly drawn, appearing cartoon-like in nature, rather than fearful or frightening. A contrived explanation for an unexplainable phenomenon, this book fails to alleviate fears since most children fear what the dark hides, not the darkness itself. --Karen K. Radtke, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

When Alfi wakes up in the middle of the night, he wonders out loud where the Dark goes when the lights are turned on. The Dark hears Alfi's question and agrees to answer him, but only after the boy offers his own theory. Alfi suggests that the Dark goes up into the sky beyond the Light. The Dark is silent, feeling sad and lonely, for he believes the Light has all the fun and friends. Only when Alfi promises to be the Dark's friend forever is the secret shared: Dark is simply invisible at times. A reassured Alfi falls asleep as the Dark watches over him. The usually scary Dark is presented as a vulnerable being and therefore nonthreatening. Le Cain's pictures sympathetically portray the Dark as a large shadowy profile, a friendly court jester's face with a gaping grin and a swooping chin. There is comfort in this book, which gives Dark all the encompassing warmth of a well-loved blanket. Ages 2-6.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Chronicle Books Llc
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0877015279
• ISBN 13: 9780877015277
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32