It Was a Dark and Stormy Night (Picture Puffin) [Paperback]

Allan Ahlberg (Author), Janet Ahlberg (Author)

Book Description

Series: Picture Puffin

On a dark and stormy night, a small, brave boy named Antonio is kidnapped by brigands and carried off to their secret cave. Bored, the chief demands that Antonio tells a story, so he weaves an incredible tale of bears on beaches and bats in castles and the Thingy that lives in the moat, which enthralls his captors. But can he be clever enough to trick them and make his escape? A charming, witty yarn-within-a-yarn that will captivate children as much on bright, sunny days as on dark, stormy nights.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Meticulously meshing words and pictures, the Ahlbergs ( The Jolly Postman ) present an unusually witty yarn-within-a-yarn. Dozing while tending his family's goats, eight-year-old Antonio is kidnapped by a band of brigands and their bored chief, who demands that the boy tell a story to pass the time during, yes, a dark and stormy night. A rather rude bunch, the rogues keep interrupting Antonio (whose tale features these very brigands), heavily editing his narrative ("No crocodiles or sharks--no jaws!"; "No Brussels sprouts!"). With a good-natured "Right-o!," the lad repeatedly starts over. Eventually Antonio tells of a "Thingy" lurking in a castle moat who is about to do in the chief and his cronies. As this distresses them greatly, the boy wisely switches his plot to "something pleasant": a lavish banquet followed by a treasure hunt. But when Antonio's tale has the chief demanding all of the booty, the fictional brigands protest loudly--much to the chagrin of the real brigands, who fear their master's wrath. Mayhem ensues, leading to a very clever finale. As always, Janet Ahlberg's delightfully detailed art offers youngsters lots to look at--and to laugh at. Ages 7-10.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Ages 5-8. Captured by brigands, taken to their mountain cave, and ordered to tell a story, a plucky lad named Antonio entertains his captors with a tale that captivates the childlike chief and his band of dim-witted desperadoes. Led into acting out the story, the brainless brigands eventually fall into such confusion that Antonio escapes and returns to his loving family. Rather like Colin McNaughton's Jolly Roger (1988) in its spacious format and humorous tone, this illustrated story offers the satisfaction of an eight-year-old outwitting a band of outlaws more silly than sinister. The large pages give plenty of space for the detailed, full-color artwork and plenty of room for the text to linger over words, words, words: "Roast potatoes . . . tons of them, all crisp and golden--and piping hot, freshly made spaghetti, tagliatelli, vermicelli, macaroni--and, best of all, perhaps, a huge tureen of delicious and enticing stew." An appealing read-aloud choice with a longer story than most picture books. Carolyn Phelan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140545867
• ISBN-13: 978-0140545869
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,003,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read-aloud for sophisticated young listeners, October 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night (Viking Kestrel picture books) (Hardcover)

Antonio's story evolves entertainingly as he plays off the behavior of his captors. His growing confidence builds the energy of the story. When our family read this together, we could just imagine it being great fun to stage the action for children. The interruptions of the brigands make the story lively, but a little confusing at times. It helps to use different voices for the primary characters (Antonio and the Chief) and the narration.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, June 20, 2004

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night (Paperback)

We started reading this book to our daughter when she was 4 - one chapter a night. When she became a proficient early reader, she delighted in reading it herself or having us read it to her, the whole book at a sitting. It sparks our imaginations, makes us laugh, brings up discussion topics, makes our mouths water (for Antonio's family breakfast, *not* the brigands' stew). Enough pictures to satisfy the 4 to 6 year old, good length for early readers, a great first chapter book. And fun for the whole family :)

5.0 out of 5 stars Cute book!, June 6, 2010

By 

Book Lover (New York) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night (Picture Puffin) (Paperback)

My husband used to love this book as a child so I bought it for him to read to our son. It is a really cute book and it looked like new when it arrived.