Orion and the Dark

Description

Orion is scared of A LOT of things, but most of all he's scared of the dark. So one night Dark decides to take Orion on an adventure. Emma Yarlett's second picture book combines incredible illustrations and spell-binding storytelling with inventive die-cut pages that make Dark come to life in the hands of the reader!

Emma Yarlett graduated from University College Falmouth in 2011 and since then has finished her debut picture book, created animation artwork for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and has illustrated a non-fiction book by Julia Donaldson.

Orion is a small boy who is scared of a lot of things, (spiders, monsters, popping balloons, girls...) but, in particular, the dark. HE has tried all sorts of remedies: eating carrots to help him see in the dark, painting his room with neon paint - nothing works. He hates bedtime, and tosses and turns in fear until one night he shouts at the dark to 'Go Away', and a dark starry shape comes alive and drops in through his skylight. More scared than ever, he remembers his manners and introduces himself. Dark shakes his hand with his own dark hand (sticking out as a flap) and takes him on an adventure. He asks Orion to show him all the scary places in the house, and rationalises the noises and shadows, and does the same with the noises in the street, but Orion is still scared of the darkest place - the night sky. They fly off, Snowman-like, and of course Orion meets the group of stars which share his name, and they think he is really cool. As the sun climbs back into the sky they go home, and now Orion doesn't want to say goodbye to his new best friend, but Dark promises he will never be far away...This illustrative style is a little similar to that of Oliver Jeffers, and certainly this is an attractive book, but, if a small child is afraid of the dark, the idea of a big dark creature turning up in the bedroom and whisking him/her up into the sky may not be very reassuring, and it should be parents who explain away the scary noises etc. Perhaps this story would help a child to tell of any fears, which could then be handled sensitively. This is a book to know about, and to make an assessment whether it is appropriate for the children around you. -- Diana Barnes * The School Librarian Journal * Scared of the dark? Well don't be. The latest book from Emma Yarlett can unravel all of those things that go bump in the night, those mysterious shadows and scary sounds. It really doesn't have to be a scary place.Meet bobble-hat wearing Orion. He's scared of lots of things, but most of all he's scared of the dark. His Mum says he has a big imagination, but what does she know?One night Orion receives a visitor which will change his view of the dark forever. The Dark pops in for a special visit and he shows Orion how magical the night time can be.Take an adventure with your own tour guide, the Dark. He even reaches out a helping hand to reassure you (I kid you not) and shows you all of the interesting and wonderful things that the dark can offer. It really isn't such a scary place after all.We adore this story and the beautiful illustrations that accompany it. There's so much to see and little snippets of bite-sized text. I've been told to tell you to watch out for the moustached talking star! He is one of our favourites.I must also give a special mention to Emma's gorgeous hand-created typography which is an utter delight. Under the cover you are treated a spread of beautifully stylised lettering. The cover alone is a work of art.Orion and the Dark will be on many wish lists of the young (and a those a little less young) and we couldn't recommend it more highly.Watch out for our interview with Emma coming shortly. She lets us know about where her obsession with the dark comes from and how she creates her stories. -- Sarah Yewman * picturebooksblogger * Orion is a precocious boy with some big fears, and the biggest one of all is the dark. Although he tries to approach the problem analytically and ingeniously (he considers "dressing up like an owl," because "everyone knows that owls can see in the dark"), nothing can vanquish his anxiety. Then one night the dark becomes the Dark: a smiling, twinkling, biomorphic creature who extends a midnight-blue hand of friendship (thanks to a hand-shaped die cut). The Dark leads Orion on a night of friendly mischief (bed bouncing!), common-sense talk, and a trip into the very heavens where Dark reigns. Orion is sold: "I realized the Dark could be fun, and the Dark could be interesting, and the Dark could be magical." Yarlett (Sidney, Stella, and the Moon), working an evocatively nocturnal palette of greens and blues, draws on an impressive repertoire of compositional and narrative techniques to portray this touching celestial friendship. The varied images are gorgeous to look at, and they will leave readers feeling fortunate to have witnessed these two protagonists' starry-eyed mutual affection. Ages 3-7. Agent: Louise Lamont, LBA Books. (Mar.) * Publishers Weekly * Fantastic story about facing your fears, full of humor, momentum, trust and and moving parts. There are a couple of cut-out pages that enhance the story, providing a physical transition - Dark's arm reaching out, and later, holding close. The pages are so detailed that it's a difficult layout to do as a read aloud with an entire class, but in small groups it would work, where children will want to pause regularly during the reading to absorb the iteration and detail on the pages. I love how when Orion faces the biggest 'dark' he knows, the outside dark, night sky and Dark comes into his room, Orion's manner insist he greet Dark politely. The endearing anthropomorphism of Dark and his imagination, which is as big as the Orions's show children how fears and worries can be transformed into 'friends'.Yarlett's color palette for this is gorgeous with plenty of teal and blue and occasional orange/pink. My favorite spread is the arrival of day! Dark and Orion's characters' pop and I love her great variety of font in the asides. * Miss Marple's Musings * Author-illustrator Emma Yarlett first caught my attention with her picture book Sidney, Stella, and the Moon, and now I can't stop re-reading her newest offering, Orion and the Dark. One glance at the cover and my book-stuffed heart says, "Yay!" My instincts rarely fail, and neither does Yarlett.Orion's fears are myriad: dogs, deep water, monsters, plaid. But the most terrifying thing of all looms at the end of each day, hovering at the top of a steep climb up to Orion's bed: the Dark. Despite his most creative solutions, bedtimes-and the Dark-are unavoidable. But delightfully, the Dark is less monstrous than Orion feared. Together, they explore and de-scary all the nighttime sounds and places, from closets and drains to ceiling fans and snoring.Yarlett is the best kind of author-illustrator, incorporating exciting fonts into her whimsical images, pulling the reader in again and again. Her text is simple enough for young children, but clever asides will keep adults entertained. Quirky sketches and thought bubbles fill each colorful page to perfection. Best of all are two die-cut pages in which the Dark literally embraces Orion-and the reader's imagination.Night-shy children will find companionship in Orion and comfort in the Dark's gentle, friendly appearance, while grown-up readers will invent excuses to keep this book on their own shelves. -- Jill Lorenzini * BookPage * At some point most young kids (even some older ones) have fears about the dark. Bedtime and nighttime in general can set a child's imagination alight and sometimes there is just no convincing them that there is no mutant alien in the wardrobe!Orion and the Dark is a brilliant and completely stunning picture book for children that tackles these widespread fears of darkness beautifully and cleverly.The little boy, Orion is scared of a lot of things, but most of all, he's scared of the dark. He has tried countless ways and explored many options for avoiding the dark, but nighttime always comes.But one night, everything changes. Dark really does come to Orion, in the form of a friend who take his hand and shows him the reality of darkness and all it contains. On their adventure they investigate where all the spooky sounds and creepy shadows came from, giving answers to so many questions.Dark teaches Orion a new understanding of darkness and the two become great friends.This book completely won us over. Not only is is visually beautiful and full of intricate illustrations that you and the kids can pour over, but it is such a clever way to communicate the reality of nighttime and darkness to young children.With young children ourselves we know the challenges darkness can bring to a family. This book is a fabulous conversation starter and offers a new perspective on darkness for kids.The kids adore the die-cut pages as well! * Review Zoo * Orion is a little boy who is scared of a great list of things, but especially the dark. Despite his best efforts, like painting his room with glow in the dark paint and dressing up as an owl, he is still afraid. Orion still dreads bedtime. One night the dark comes to visit him, together they face all his fears and find out that the dark is really not so bad. This is a wonderful book! The illustrations are fantastic, with a hand that is its own page for kids to reach out for. The creature that is Dark, is adorable and full of the night sky. Lots of little details to look at and explore. Why then I am reviewing it as OPTIONAL? Because I think bedtime fears belong in the great books for home reading category, to read with a grownup and talk about, but not as a topic for a school library. Would make a perfect gift for a little one who is scared of the dark. -- Stephanie * Kiss The Book * I first discovered Orion and The Dark at the Candlewick booth at ALA Midwinter in Chicago earlier this year. I read and reread it, gushed about it, sent people to read it, e-mailed Nerdy Book Club to see if I could review it as soon as it was officially out. When I instantly adore a book so much I want to write a Nerdy post about it, it's basically love at first sight...or read.I so quickly fell in love with Orion and The Dark because it's a great story of overcoming fear. As a mentor text, I can see the discussion it might start around what scares us and why. It got me thinking about what I was scared of when I was little. What came to mind was a memory of sitting in my dad's car, asking him to wait a few more minutes before making me go into the first day of summer camp. Then, when time was really up, I begged him to walk in with me and help me figure out where to go. This reminded me of other times when I've been scared to walk into a new situation. Now, I don't get as freaked out because I know I can always introduce myself to people and start making friends but for a long time, I hated the thought of being somewhere new and not knowing anyone, where to go, or what to do.I'm sure everyone can think of something that scared or scares him or her and relate to Orion in this book. What I love even more is that once we start thinking about what scares us, then like Orion, we can start learning more about what scares us and it might not seem so scary anymore. Because, aren't we more scared the less we know? Once you examine something, look at it closely, understand how it works, see it from different angles, it doesn't seem so scary. When we know more, we're less scared. This is such a great message to share with kids and to remind adults of as well.Orion and The Dark is the perfect book for talking through what scares us and offers a great invitation to think or write about what scares us. But what makes the story truly stand out is the gorgeous artwork. I happened to visit Lake Michigan after I bought Orion and The Dark at the bookstore and I was amazed by how breathtakingly beautiful the colors are in this book and how they compare to the brilliant water and blue sky that was in front of me.Orion and The Dark is a gem of a book. Between the story and the artwork, it's picture book heaven. I think of it as a wonderful blend of Lemony Snicket's The Dark and Dan Santat's Beekle. There are even a few pages with sweet cut-outs that I'll let you discover for yourself. Overall, I'm pretty sure if you read this book, you'll find yourself hugging it to you and thanking Emma Yarlett for bringing this story to life. -- Jen Vincent * Nerdy Book Club * Today's stunner is teeming with amazing illustrative detail. You need to allow plenty of time to wander leisurely through its pages.Orion's imagination is something of a curse, resulting in an extensive list of things he's scared of. At the top of the list, his number one fear; the dark. In spite of ingenious attempts at eliminating the dark from his life, every night Orion is forced to face his worst nightmare. Finally he cracks, "I've had enough of you DARK! I wish you and your scary sounds, your murky monsters and your pitch blackness would just... just... GO AWAY!"And this is where beautiful, beautiful Dark, the character makes an appearance. He's not even slightly what Orion imagined Dark would be like, he's awfully polite. (I loved my first ever interactive picture book handshake!) Together Orion and Dark share some amazing adventures, and from that night on, Orion puts his biggest fear to bed.This one needs to be seen to be appreciated, get your hands on a copy right now! * My Friend Lucy * Every time we hear that Emma Yarlett has produced a new book, or is illustrating someone else's stories, we get a little over-excited. Charlotte is a huge fan of Emma's - because her artwork is always gorgeously detailed, there's always a necessity to read her books again and again and again so you don't miss anything, and her stories are deftly woven to inspire and delight. "Orion and the Dark" deals with a theme we have seen several times before, and looking back through the blog it's a theme that seems to consistently feature in books that end up as our "Book of the Week" nominees. Children's fear of the dark can be a very real fear - and a problem for parents who want to make sure that their child feels safe in their environment, and also get a good night's sleep so they're not complete grumpy-chops in the morning. ...Emma's talent is that she engages children on two levels in her books, she wraps them up in an exciting and stimulating story, then engages their curiosity and observation with her beautiful illustrations. We mentioned at the top of the review how gorgeously detailed they are, and how Emma uses various media, collage and top-notch character work to give her stories a truckload of immersion and emotion. We've gushed enough. Simply put, go and buy this book. If your own children have their own fears about darkness and what lurks therein, this could be a really brilliant book to offer reassurance that the dark is nothing to be scared of - in fact sometimes the dark holds hidden wonders and amazement all of its own.Charlotte's best bit: There are some utterly brilliant spreads in this where elements of the page 'fold out' to describe the action in the story. Truly wonderful and such a brilliant idea to immerse children in the story and in books this way. Daddy's Favourite bit: For someone relatively new and fresh to children's books, Emma is fast becoming the safest pair of hands in the business for both illustration and storytelling duties. This is a theme we've seen before but Emma's take on it feels original and engaging from page one right through to the end. -- Phil May * Read It Daddy! * The idea that dark is all embracing is wonderfully demonstrated in this story wherein we join young Orion as he confronts his greatest fear.(There's a nod to Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen's The Dark here.) "I've had enough of you DARK! I wish you and your SCARY SOUNDS, your MURKY MONSTERS and your PITCH BLACKNESS would just GO Away!" he yells into the darkness of his bedroom and beyond. Dark however, has other plans and slips in through the skylight. Imagine how Orion is feeling right then. Despite his fear almost beyond imagining, Orion is a well-mannered lad and holds out his hand to greet his visitor. So begins an adventure wherein thanks to the intruder, Orion discovers that some of the darkest places can actually be fun. And those scary bangs, rustles, creaks, growls and all the other scary outside noises are not at all frightening. Just one more job to do now ...Off the two soar, into the night sky - the darkest of all places and it's there that Orion really and truly concludes that even he cannot possibly be scared of his new friend DARK, a friend that will never be far off and will always return bang on time. There is plenty to amuse and just that slight frisson of fear for readers within the covers of this one. Children particularly delight in the large reaching hand of Dark as it moves across the page to shake Orion's hand and to bid him au revoir at the end of the "SUPER DUPER, SPIFFADOCIUS, INCREDAMUNDO", as our young narrator describes his adventure.If you share this story with a group make sure they have opportunities to explore the wealth of detail - visual and verbal - in and around the illustrations; indeed in many places, words and pictures are an integrated whole. I love the benevolent, almost amorphous portrayal of Dark, Orion's notepad jottings and sketchbook problem-solving 'thinks' bubbles, oh, and the scatterings of stars - on the narrator's onesie and in other places throughout; pretty much the whole inky everything in fact. -- Jill Bennett * Red Reading Hub * Publishing in May 2014 'Orion and the Dark' by Emma Yarlett is a book which encapsulates the potential for a story to be beautiful, engaging, clever, thoughtful and funny all wrapped up in an exquisite physical package. Orion is just an average little bobble hatted chap with everyday common or garden fears, tartan / wasps / girls / sheds, This hilarious list continues and also includes haircuts. Smaller readers will absolutely relate to Orion's biggest most terrifying fear, the one which makes him quiver in his boots and his tummy shake... Orion is scared of the dark.With a breathtakingly ingenious and deceptively simple die cut page, Orion is taken by the hand by his biggest fear and invited along for the adventure of a lifetime. Reminiscent of The Snowman in the most complimentary way, Orion is gently encouraged by the dark to conquer his fears one by one with his new friend by his side. The spine-tingling adventure continues as we are whisked into star speckled outer space for a moment of peace and reflection before returning home. Orion and the Dark is a tear-jerking heart-stirring triumph. This book projects the very essence of freedom, mindfulness, adventure and the value of true friendship in it's purest form. An impossibly perfect bedtime story to be cherished. Simply stunning.(TOP TIP - Take a sneak peek beneath the dust jacket of the hardback for a visual feast of epic proportions!) -- Emma O'Donovan * The Booksniffer * Emma Yarlett's second picture book is not easily categorised. It is full of humour, charm and adventure; a tale of friendship and overcoming fears. These are all themes which are familiar but her book is wonderfully original, and is sure to resonate with readers young and old.Yarlett's artwork is a joyful mix of painterly blue washes, contrasted with a lovely variety of papers which add texture. Her layouts are constantly surprising, engaging and, at times, arresting. Emma Yarlett is a rare illustrator who seems to thrive as much in simplicity as she does with complexity. Dark and Orion's journey into the sky and back is sweeping and sophisticated; her depiction of the starry night sky is beautiful and luxurious, and yet she is equally adept at pages full of detail. The busier a page becomes the more she takes it in her stride, seemingly revelling in the chaos. Orion's list of solutions to his fear is a plethora of scribbled thoughts and explanations, followed by an additional explanation as to why each idea would fail; what Yarlett excels at is visually explaining her jokes economically, and with such clarity. This talent, for it is no trick, is repeated with a cacophony of worrying sounds and their sources. Pay particular attention to Orion's big plans at the back of the book, and lookout for Orion's belt, which is cleverly referenced throughout and even makes a cameo. Because of her attention to detail, all her written asides and notes, the book is bursting with content; perfect material to scrutinise and discover a-new with every read.Orion and the Dark is exactly what you want from any book, most specifically a bedtime book: it is inventive, imaginative, reassuring and to be read again and again. Like the 'Dark' and her painted night skies, Emma Yarlett's book is magical. -- Meg Mclaren * The Illustrated Forest *