Customer Reviews

A Dark, Dark Tale (Picture Puffins)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a surprise--and disappointment--to see the cover of this book in green instead of brown as my copy is!! Green makes the book look like spring and fun. Back to my brown picture with a castle in the background in fog and mist and browns! A real invitation to a scary experience just as Ruth Brown, the author/illustrator intends!

Even the title page has cobwebs and mushrooms and spiders and a tiny, little mouse caught up in the browns of the book. So we begin: "Once upon a time there was a dark, dark moor." The browns and grays and strip of purples and touch of yellow show a desolate moor. Oh, wait, not so desolate! What do I see in the blowing, dark grasses? Hide, little rabbits and mice, here comes the owl looking for you! Look, in the distance! What is that? A dark dark wood?

"On the moor there was a dark, dark wood." How many creatures can you find hiding there? Way up on the hill is a dark, dark castle. Look carefully, there's the black cat we saw on the cover. He has taken us to a dark, dark door. Inside in the dark, dark hall there are gargoyles and cobwebs and shadows and that black cat.

As the cat takes the reader deeper and deeper into the darkness of the great house, things get scarier and scarier. How the story ends sometimes makes children laugh, sometimes annoyed, but never scared! That's all I will say!

This book is a wonderful Halloween treat because it has such an unexpected ending! A must for all library collections!

This story is great for toddlers. I first checked it out at the library when my son was 2 and a half. He loved it and wanted me to read it over and over. I ended up buying the book since we had to check it out so much! The journey of a black cat builds on a mystery of what is going to happen at the end of the story. It's a perfect gift to give to young children. Enjoy it - we still do!

This "Dark Dark Tale" by Ruth Brown is simple, short and sports a gothic flair. The illustrations (also by Brown) are nothing short of brilliant. Brown the artist captures the fog, shadows and light of her own dark dark little world. Perfect for preschoolers (my two year old loves it and always anticipates the ending), it holds their attention (there can't be more than 120 words in the entire book) with the repetative prose that children love. Perfect for lovers of children literature and childrens illustrations as well (which is what drew me to the book in the first place). We love it and read it daily.

This book is rather cute and there is a cat that runs through the pages, making an appearance here and there. I loved the fact that this book presents itself as a "dark, dark" book and it really is funny that it is not a "dark" tale at all. The "darkness" is more about the lack of light than it being about evil.

You start in a moor and walk through a woods. Then there is a dark castle and you walk up to the door. Once you enter the castle, you are in a dark hall and go up some dark stairs. You are in a fairy tale castle and then you see a dark passage. You are tempted to look behind a dark curtain and then the cat stands looking up at a dark cupboard.

The last page shows a mouse in a box with a rather frightened look on its face. So the only fear in this book is that the cat has found the mouse. Although it does seem the cat leaves the mouse sleeping happily in his little bed with his miniature candle and miniature slippers.

The beauty of this book is in the art. Ruth Brown studied art at the Birmingham College of Art and the Royal College of Art. She has worked on animated films for the BBC.

Meowingly Cute.

~The Rebecca Review

My preschooler was drawn to the attractive cover on this book [we got it at a library book sale] - a black cat with an imposing castle/house in the background set against a full moon. The cover looks like one of those antique journals, and I was sold. The story itself is simple, and the text is repetitive, the words "dark, dark" found on almost every page, except the last. Initially, I was quite concerned that it would be too scary for my preschooler, but it's not. In fact, apart from the dark setting, and yes, some creepy illustrations, e.g. the forbidding house, the dark stairs, etc, the anticipation of something horrible or gruesome at the end makes for a fun reading experience. My little one squealed at the end, and wanted to read it over and over! A delightfully creepy and fun picture book, recommended for ages 2-6.

The artwork is beautiful and detailed. My three year old loves to find the cat in each picture and to find the faces in the windows, walls, and curtains. One can always find something new in the paintings. The story uses repetitious wording, so he can virtually read it to me. We have read this book many times, yet neither of us ever gets bored with it.

A friend recommended we purchase this book for our 2 year old. We did and she loves it. I thought it might scare her, but it was quite the opposite. She points out the rabbits, owls and cats throughout the book and laughs when she sees the mouse at the end. A truly great book and a quick "read" too.

A wonderful choice for young children at Halloween or any time of year. Reading this aloud is lots of fun -- you can make it seem scary as you go through each page, then watch your child's reaction at the end. My son wanted me to read this over and over. We also have fun looking for all the little critters in the forest: owls, bats, tiny glowing eyes peeking out of the dark places, the cat, even a badger!

Very similar to A Dark Dark Wood which I have also reviewed, just as popular with the children at my centre, they absolutely love the thrill and suspense I create when reading it.

When I was a little girl, I remember asking my sister to read this book to me, over and over and over again. I loved looking at the detailed, spooky illustrations. I loved the repetition...I loved following the black cat throughout the dark, dark house. And best of all, I loved the very ending of the tale. No worries, I won't spoil it for you! So now, I want to share this incredible book with my young niece :)