Elementary Secondary Higher Ed Common Reads

Elementary Education


Guides
Collections
News
(0)
Wish List (0)
Wish List
Download high-resolution image Look inside

In the Dark

Author Kate Hoefler
Illustrated by Corinna Luyken
Look inside
Hardcover
$18.99 US
RH Childrens Books | Knopf Books for Young Readers
6.38"W x 11.75"H x 0.4"D  
On sale Aug 29, 2023 | 40 Pages | 978-0-593-37283-8
| Preschool - 2
Reading Level: Lexile AD420L | Fountas & Pinnell M
Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies
See Additional Formats
With striking illustrations that will make your soul fly and spare text that will make your heart dance, this lyrical picturebook encourages us to set aside our snap judgements and quiet our fears of the unknown by shining light on what has been kept in the dark.

They came in the dark,
and took the narrow path
that only witches used.

Everyone said that’s what they were . . .

But what if everyone was wrong? Watch what happens when one girl steps into the woods and gets to know these newcomers. The spooky black cat? Meet Mingus! The broomsticks and cloaks? Cloth and wooden handles. And those shadows in the sky? Handmade kites, fluttering in the breeze.

When the breeze becomes a blustery storm, everything changes...including first impressions. 

Told from two perspectives, here is a gentle and timely reminder that all it takes to bridge the gap of misunderstanding and fear between people is an open and willing heart.
Kate Hoefler is the author of several picture books, including Nothing in Common (illustrated by Corinna Luyken), Great Big Things, Rabbit and the Motorbike, and Real Cowboys, which received two starred reviews and was a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. Kate received her MFA in poetry from the University of Michigan, where she was a Colby Fellow. She lives in Ohio with her family. View titles by Kate Hoefler
© Corinna Luyken
Corinna Luyken is the author-illustrator of Abc and You and Me; The Tree in Me (an NCTE Notable Poetry Book and Indie Bestseller); My Heart (A New York Times Best Seller); and The Book of Mistakes (which The Wall Street Journal called “sublime”). She is also the illustrator of In the Dark (Aug 2023) and Nothing in Common, both written by Kate Hoefler; Patchwork (A New York Times and Kirkus Best Picture Book of 2022), written by Matt de la Peña; Something Good and Adrian Simcox Does Not Have a Horse, both written by Marcy Campbell; and Weird Little Robots, written by Carolyn Crimi. She was raised in Oregon, California, and Hawaii; and studied dance improvisation, poetry, and printmaking at Middlebury College in Vermont. She now lives in Western Washington, near the Salish Sea, where she also likes to dig in the dirt, surf, and read with a cat (or two) on her lap. View titles by Corinna Luyken
"A story....told with a spare, lyrical prose that invites engagement. Luyken’s art....truly gives the feeling of an autumn bonfire glowing through the chilly shadows and brambles." —The New York Times

★ "Magical and astute, In the Dark sheds light on building community through kindness, compassion, and connection." —Booklist, starred review

"A marvelous mix of autumnal spirits with a deeper call for understanding." —Kirkus Reviews

"Via a perspective-oriented picture book that’s printed to flip vertically, the creators delicately explore a community divided." —Publishers Weekly

"Hoefler's text is atmospheric and lyrical; Luyken's mixed-media art....excels at portraying the eeriness of the woods as well as their benign reality." —The Horn Book

"A bold venture in storytelling will appeal to children for its overall atmospherics and the twist in the plot." —School Library Journal
additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo

About

With striking illustrations that will make your soul fly and spare text that will make your heart dance, this lyrical picturebook encourages us to set aside our snap judgements and quiet our fears of the unknown by shining light on what has been kept in the dark.

They came in the dark,
and took the narrow path
that only witches used.

Everyone said that’s what they were . . .

But what if everyone was wrong? Watch what happens when one girl steps into the woods and gets to know these newcomers. The spooky black cat? Meet Mingus! The broomsticks and cloaks? Cloth and wooden handles. And those shadows in the sky? Handmade kites, fluttering in the breeze.

When the breeze becomes a blustery storm, everything changes...including first impressions. 

Told from two perspectives, here is a gentle and timely reminder that all it takes to bridge the gap of misunderstanding and fear between people is an open and willing heart.

Author

Kate Hoefler is the author of several picture books, including Nothing in Common (illustrated by Corinna Luyken), Great Big Things, Rabbit and the Motorbike, and Real Cowboys, which received two starred reviews and was a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. Kate received her MFA in poetry from the University of Michigan, where she was a Colby Fellow. She lives in Ohio with her family. View titles by Kate Hoefler
© Corinna Luyken
Corinna Luyken is the author-illustrator of Abc and You and Me; The Tree in Me (an NCTE Notable Poetry Book and Indie Bestseller); My Heart (A New York Times Best Seller); and The Book of Mistakes (which The Wall Street Journal called “sublime”). She is also the illustrator of In the Dark (Aug 2023) and Nothing in Common, both written by Kate Hoefler; Patchwork (A New York Times and Kirkus Best Picture Book of 2022), written by Matt de la Peña; Something Good and Adrian Simcox Does Not Have a Horse, both written by Marcy Campbell; and Weird Little Robots, written by Carolyn Crimi. She was raised in Oregon, California, and Hawaii; and studied dance improvisation, poetry, and printmaking at Middlebury College in Vermont. She now lives in Western Washington, near the Salish Sea, where she also likes to dig in the dirt, surf, and read with a cat (or two) on her lap. View titles by Corinna Luyken

Praise

"A story....told with a spare, lyrical prose that invites engagement. Luyken’s art....truly gives the feeling of an autumn bonfire glowing through the chilly shadows and brambles." —The New York Times

★ "Magical and astute, In the Dark sheds light on building community through kindness, compassion, and connection." —Booklist, starred review

"A marvelous mix of autumnal spirits with a deeper call for understanding." —Kirkus Reviews

"Via a perspective-oriented picture book that’s printed to flip vertically, the creators delicately explore a community divided." —Publishers Weekly

"Hoefler's text is atmospheric and lyrical; Luyken's mixed-media art....excels at portraying the eeriness of the woods as well as their benign reality." —The Horn Book

"A bold venture in storytelling will appeal to children for its overall atmospherics and the twist in the plot." —School Library Journal

Photos

additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo

Additional formats

Other Books by this Author

Related Articles
education translanguaging collections affirming bilingual and multilingual learners
General Education & Professional Learning English Language Arts Favorite Authors & Series The Arts

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

General Education & Professional Learning English Language Arts Favorite Authors & Series The Arts
education classroom libraries the heart and soul of any curriculum
General Early Concepts English Language Arts Science & Technology The Arts

PRH Education Classroom Libraries

“Books are a students’ passport to entering and actively participating in a global society with the empathy, compassion, and knowledge it takes to become the problem solvers the world needs.” –Laura Robb   Research shows that reading and literacy directly impacts students’ academic success and personal growth. To help promote the importance of daily independent

Read more

PRH Education Classroom Libraries

General Early Concepts English Language Arts Science & Technology The Arts

About Elementary Education

Penguin Random House Education

Penguin Random House

About Elementary Education

Penguin Random House Education

Penguin Random House

Back to Top
0
    • 0
    Elementary Education
    Wish List (0)