In the Dark

June 15, 2023
Prejudice collides with neighborly goodwill when love and truth overcome superstition. "They came in the dark and took the narrow path that only witches used. Everyone said that's what they were." A suspicious text laden with ill will and shadowy scratch-lined art full of foreboding imagery fills the top half of the page. On the bottom half, however, a different narrative takes place. The top is told from the perspective of villagers who eye the people in the woods with suspicion bordering on outright accusation ("They brought cloaks and brooms--so many brooms"), while the bottom half is a gentle counterpart ("We brought cloth and wooden handles"). Turns out, the people in the woods are constructing beautiful bird kites to fly. And when harsh winds tear away those kites, the now remorseful villagers bring supplies of their own to help the people of the woods fly their birds again. Certainly the resolution to the conflict between the two groups comes with unrealistic ease, so the true lures here are the art and design. The split pages, containing two conversations at once, require a certain level of sophistication on the part of young readers. Meanwhile, Luyken imbues her art with a palette of blacks, greens, purples, and golds that hint at more than just misunderstandings in the shadows. Characters are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A marvelous mix of autumnal spirits with a deeper call for understanding. (Picture book. 6-9)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 31, 2023
Via a perspective-oriented picture book that’s printed to flip vertically, the creators delicately explore a community divided. On upper pages, Hoefler’s conversational text introduces a woods, and figures within, as they’re seen by members of an external community (“They came in the dark and took the narrow path that only witches used. Everyone said that’s what they were”). Glimpses of action unfolding within the forest, meanwhile, are rendered on bottom pages, narrated by a pale-skinned child who’s part of the group being whispered about (“It was a woods full of birds”). Inky multimedia images by Luyken offer a limited view into the woodland, where greens, purples, and yellows hint at the true occurrences taking place. Slowly, readers come to understand the alternate meaning behind the broom-like objects transported, the nighttime bonfire, and the “dark shapes flying over the ridge,” whose silhouettes resemble those of Halloween witches. With genuine emotion, the creators cleverly portray both the split community, and the whisperers’ remorse when they learn they are mistaken. Human figures are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 3–7.

September 1, 2023
The townspeople are suspicious of the outsiders in the woods with their cloaks, brooms, and black cat. One spooky night, the townsfolk mistake the others' bird-shaped kites for witches, but when a storm helps the townsfolk realize the truth, the two groups unite to celebrate and "dance like kites." The book's vertical layout -- with, at first, the townspeople's point of view on the top and the others' on the bottom -- and the use of different fonts effectively tell the story from two different perspectives. Hoefler's text is atmospheric and lyrical; Luyken's mixed-media art, in a limited palette using mostly black and yellow, excels at portraying the eeriness of the woods as well as their benign reality. Martha V. Parravano

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from August 1, 2023
Preschool-Grade 3 *Starred Review* Fear and misperceptions keep villagers in the dark. With a unique and effective design, this haunting and atmospheric picture book opens vertically with dual narratives providing both sides of the story. The first voice at the top of the page is full of suspicion, apprehension, and alarm: "They came in the dark and took the narrow path that only witches used. Everyone said that's what they were." In a moody palette of midnight black and sunset mauve, Luyken's dramatic ink, watercolor, and colored-pencil illustrations show mysterious shadowy images. The voice that appears in italics at the bottom half of the spread calmly explains, "It was a woods full of birds." Superstitious speculations fly, with reported sightings of a black cat and cloaked figures carrying brooms. One little girl with sunny-yellow pigtails from the village above is able to look beyond the divisive rumors. Visiting the woodland below affords her an opportunity to see her neighbors (and their pet kitty, Mingus) in a different light. As the villagers come to realize the errors of their preconceived notions, they make sincere reparations to try to mend what was damaged. Magical and astute, In the Dark sheds light on building community through kindness, compassion, and connection.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2023

Gr 1-3-An all-but-bifurcated page makes a mystery of events in the woods, with a gossipy, speculative narrative running across the top of spreads, and a quieter, more neutral reporting of activities on the bottom: "They came in the dark and took the narrow path that only witches used. Everyone said that's what they were," is the book's opening line, but below it in italics, it reads, "It was a woods full of birds." The tone of suspicion deepens. Along the top, the story is, "They danced around fires at night-witches' brew." By contrast, a cheery glow lights the bottom half of the page, accompanied by the words, "We made our own light." A blonde child from the gloaming on the upper part of the page begins to interact with a dark-haired child of the lower part, whom readers later see dancing joyfully, right before an illustration of "their" dark shapes filling the skies. As the two stories intersect, suspicion gives way to grudging admission of truth, and then genuine regret for the misguided assumptions. The people who took the narrow path were building and flying kites. The simplicity of the two tales, which were inevitably headed for collision, combined with distilled use of colors, hidden by great inky sweeps of black, give this book the clarity of a church bell ringing in the distance. When shapes become visible, revealing a diverse group of celebrants in scenes that dance with purple, gold, blue and green, readers will shake off the haunting beginning, but turn to it again. The story's lesson takes hold quietly and honestly. It's a bit shaming for adults; children may not grasp the gravity of the misunderstandings. VERDICT A bold venture in storytelling will appeal to children for its overall atmospherics and the twist in the plot, but the finger-pointing is aimed squarely at us.-Kimberly Olson Fakih

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2024
The townspeople are suspicious of the outsiders in the woods with their cloaks, brooms, and black cat. One spooky night, the townsfolk mistake the others' bird-shaped kites for witches, but when a storm helps the townsfolk realize the truth, the two groups unite to celebrate and "dance like kites." The book's vertical layout -- with, at first, the townspeople's point of view on the top and the others' on the bottom -- and the use of different fonts effectively tell the story from two different perspectives. Hoefler's text is atmospheric and lyrical; Luyken's mixed-media art, in a limited palette using mostly black and yellow, excels at portraying the eeriness of the woods as well as their benign reality.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)