Dark Night [Hardcover]

Dorothee De Monfreid (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf . . . tiger . . . and crocodile?!

Little Felix is all alone, walking home through the forest when he hears a spooky howling and spots a wolf approaching! His luck turns from bad to worse when a tiger scares away the wolf and a crocodile scares away the tiger! Can something as small as a rabbit help Felix scare away the wild things prowling the woods? This empowering picture book is perfect for any child who’s ever wanted to turn the tables on scary beasts lurking at night.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2—Felix walks into the dark woods (he looks as though he has stepped straight out of a Jules Feiffer cartoon). He is in for a run of bad luck. A scary sound—"AHOUOUHOU!"—sends him running to a hiding place in a hollow tree. It's a wolf, warming itself by a great big fire. Another, even scarier sound frightens the wolf away—a tiger. But wait! The tiger clears out at the scariest sound yet, which issues from a really large, really nasty crocodile. Will Felix be stuck inside the tree forever? A doorknob, a flight of stairs, and a clever rabbit lead the little boy to a way through his quandary and his fear. In fact, the two small, peaceable beings turn the tables, not once, but twice on their terror-inspiring counterparts. A little cool-headedness, a dollop of ingenuity, and a big helping of friendship convert a hopeless situation into a gentle and downright funny triumph. The best part of this wonderful tale is that Felix is an Everyman among children. There is nothing about him that sets him apart from his readers, and every child will be able to picture himself/herself in his shoes. De Monfreid's watercolor-and-ink illustrations are simple, charming, and extraordinarily expressive, making this a lovely book to add to any collection.—Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY END

About the Author

Dorothée de Monfreid illustrated I’d Really Like to Eat a Child by Sylviane Donnio. Her deceptively simple writing style and vivid illustrations have been published in more than a dozen children’s books in her native country—she lives in France.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (September 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375856870
• ISBN-13: 978-0375856877
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 0.4 x 10.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,068,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for a little one, December 1, 2010

By 

Jennifer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Night (Hardcover)

For some reason my 21 month old son just loves this book (French version). He repeats some of the words and phrases as I read it out loud to him, and as soon as I finish reading it, he says "again" and this can go on for a while. He likes the animal characters, the mask, and seems to like that there's a real story. So many children's books geared to his age focus on teaching vocabulary but aren't actually very entertaining, so this one stands out.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dark Night, February 26, 2011

By 

Molly Pearson - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dark Night (Hardcover)

This is a disappointing title. It was on the Washington Children's Choice Nomination list, but I found it to be kind of scary and trite.

3 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Loudest Roar, November 24, 2009

By 

Catherine W. Hughes (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dark Night (Hardcover)

On a dark night, when walking through the forest, Felix heard a loud noise and hid in the hollow of a tree. A wolf was building a large fire to warm himself, when he heard a loud noise. The tiger, who had roared, warmed himself by the fire, only to hear a third loud noise. A crocodile, who also roared, came and warmed himself by the fire. Felix found a doorknob in the tree hollow, following it to a small kitchen. A rabbit came and offered to help Felix go back outside. Felix and the rabbit dressed up as a monster, growling at the animals that passed their way, until they finally reached Felix's house and scared the other animals away.