Scared of the Dark is a short rhyming story, aimed at children to give them comfort at night time and show that it is not as scary as they think it is. Running through several scary situations, it explains what they might be and that children have nothing to fear from them. It then goes on to show what is going on at night, that it doesn’t have to be scary at all, and that it can be as full of life as the daytime if you know what to look for. It ends by wrapping it all up and giving children something to think about as they go to sleep.

What caught my eye on first reading was how wonderfully it is illustrated, with each panel matching up with the rhymes, while the text is very clear and readable on each page. This would allow it to be read alongside children who can follow the pictures or words depending on their age. The rhymes are consistent throughout and while it seems like some might sound better with slightly different phrasing, it truly comes to life while being read aloud. Then the cadence and word choices really show it in its best light. The choice of language is such that young children would soon be able to learn the words and join in reading along. Formatting wise, there is nothing wrong with the book, each page is clear and I didn’t see any spelling errors.

The only issue for me id that some pages have two verses and some have one. It would have been good to have stuck to one format and perhaps have some more of the illustrations. But this is a minor gripe as each illustration works with the verses that are displayed alongside it.

Overall, I would certainly recommend this book for anyone who doesn’t like the dark regardless of age, but it makes an excellent story to help children get over their fears or what might be lurking in the dark.