Night Light: A Story for Children Afraid of the Dark Book

Fear of the dark is a common experience most of us outgrow —we don't know how. Parents know the fear usually simply stops, but children don't—they are simply afraid. This delightful and inventive story taps the inner resources we use to calm our fears and, in so doing, provides, another spark of growth for young readers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jack Dutro, Ph.D., is an Ericksonian hypnotherapist, a marriage and family therapist, and a counselor at Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen, Washington.

ILLUSTRATOR BIOGRAPHY: Kenneth Boyle is an illustrator, sculptor, model animator, and art teacher in New York City.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-- A well-meaning, but fragmented, attempt to allay children's fears. Dutro utilizes the technique of metaphor to create a subterranean miniature world in which the Woodlet child, Kalispel, is afraid of the light of day. His friend convinces him to face this fear and they ``find the light at the end of the tunnel . . .'' The concept and psychology are sound, but the story meanders in its flowery language and forced message. The introduction of a human child at story's conclusion creates a confusing distraction that detracts from the magic. Boyle's black-and-white pen drawings are quaintly curious, but lack the vigor necessary to capture and hold the attention of young children. Stay with Robert Crowe's Clyde Monster (Dutton, 1987), Alison Coles's Michael in the Dark (EDC , 1985), Barbara Mossman's The Night Lion (Houghton, 1991), and Joanna Stubbs's With Cat ' s Eyes You'll Never Be Scared of the Dark (Andre Deutsch, 1983; o.p.). --Celia A. Huffman, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Cleveland