Day 14!
Today’s book is very fun.
I don’t LIKE the dark, but I wouldn’t say I’m AFRAID of it.
And yes, partially because I LOVE this book!
I got to meet the creators at Hicklebee’s in the spring of this year.
First the book, then the event!
Title: The Dark
Published by: Little, Brown, and Co 2013
Written by: Lemony Snicket
Illustrated by: Jon Klassen
Word Count: 561
Pages: 40
In one word: Enlightening (yup, pun intended!)
In one sentence: Yes, the dark is everywhere, but what if it’s trying to tell us something…then we better listen, right?
Favorite pages:
Likes
- I love how the dark has a voice in this book, and is one of the main characters.
- The illustrations are superb; I love when all we see is little Laszlo and the dark.
- I love the long page of text right before you see what the dark wants to show Laszlo.
- And I absolutely love the ending and how the conflict is resolved.
Learns
- Take a universal truth or fear (which I would argue the dark is) and put a twist on it, and you’ve got an AMAZING story.
- Inanimate objects talking CAN work.
Ok, now on to their visit.
Here’s the sign that was outside Hicklebee’s:
Unfortunately Lemony Snicket couldn’t make it, so his representative, Daniel Handler, came for him. No one was that upset about it though.
Hicklebee’s was PACKED! Proof #1:
Proof #2
Jon and Daniel went on to talk about how they worked together.
“They worked together…in the way you’d work together to rob a bank, or kidnap a little girl…but they haven’t done that….yet!”
Cue Daniel Handler staring down at a little child:
Then they talked about their lives growing up, and their favorite books.
Jon talked about liking Pinocchio.
“The man owns a wooden boy AND a fireplace!” said Daniel, shaking his head.
Jon showed a picture of him swinging as a child.
“Such a waste of time,” said Daniel. “All you do is go back and forth, back and forth…”
Daniel pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket to offer up some wisdom from Lemony Snicket himself:
“Don’t drink poison.
A little bit will make you sick,
a little more will make you sicker,
a huge amount will…”
He flipped over the paper, but there was nothing written on it.
“Well, I guess there’s nothing to wrong with a huge amount,” said Daniel.
Then they got to talking about the book.
“There’s parts that are light and parts that are…poorly drawn,” said Daniel.
Then he challenged Jon.
“I’ll read and you do the drawings, and we’ll both do it blindfolded.”
He, of course, put the blindfold on Jon first, then didn’t put one on himself.
Some kids at this point yelled out to Jon to try to protect him from being tricked.
It was adorable.
Jon drew a few things,
then drew a crab.
The thing about a crab is if Lemony Snicket sees one, he screams, running out of the room…
which is just what happened when he finally saw the one Jon drew 🙂
I had a blast meeting them.
First I fueled up on some pizza,
and wrote thank you notes.
Then, of course, I had to get a picture with them and Singe Singe.
I’ve met Jon plenty of times, so I actually had another plan.
You know Eric VanRaepenbusch, right?
Of Three Ghost Friends and Happy Birthday, Author fame?
Well, he’s also one of my friends, though I’ve never met him in real life.
I know that he and his whole family are HUGE fans of reading,
so I asked him the names of his children so I could make this sign:
And then get a picture of Jon holding it!
Daniel took one look at Singe Singe.
“Can I do anything I want with him?” he asked.
“As long as you don’t injure him,” I replied.
And that’s when he started doing CPR on Singe Singe.
Well, the getting the heart moving part.
“LIVE MONKEY!” he yelled. Yeah, yelled.
“I WANT YOU TO LIVE!”
Possibly the best author photo with Singe Singe EVER.
Here’s my signed copy:
Overall, a very good day.
I know some of you have read this one.
What’s everyone reading today?
Oh. My. GOSH. SO FUN!!!
“Unfortunately Lemony Snicket couldn’t make it, so his representative, Daniel Handler, came for him. No one was that upset about it though.” HILARIOUS.
I am so jealous of this entire post and everything in it.
THE DARK is on my TBR list. I’m more eager than ever to read it now, Kathy Ellen. And I’m super jealous that you met Jon Klassen and Lemony Snicket. It sounds like it was a great event. Oh, and CPR for Singe Singe? I didn’t even know he was sick.
I had to read CARNIVORES by Aaron Reynolds (of CREEPY CARROTS fame), illustrated by Dan Santat, 2013, Chronicle Books. It’s been nominated for this year’s Cybils competition, and I’m a round one judge. I would not have pulled this off a shelf to read on my own. Nope. Never. I’m a vegetarian. I also had a sweet, sweet pet bunny, and more than once, this book mentions bunnies as…I can’t even say.
Okay, okay. It’s a good book. It’s well written. The illustrations are great, especially the way the characters’ eyes express feelings of surprise, fear, satisfied hunger pangs. There are chuckles throughout and the book ends with a good laugh.
Even so, I will not read this book ever again. 😉
I loved “The Dark”. I was disappointed when the authors had to postpone their event at Mrs. Nelson’s although I did managed to get personalized signed copies. They still may show up.
I have met Jon Klaussen, though. I told him about the Pudding Bunnies who are named in honor of Daniel Pinkwater. The Pudding Bunnies cried for three days after accidentally overhearing me read aloud “I Want My Hat Back”. Jon Klaussen wrote an apology to them in our copy. It was amazing.
The second time I Jon Klaussen, I brought along The Pudding Bunnies so they could meet their favorite author. He was very sweet with them.
Today I read “No, David” by David Shannon. He will be coming to Newport Beach Library next month, and so I figured I should finally read his work.
I am so jealous that you got to meet such fabulous talents! It sounds as if they are both very personable and funny (which is what I was hoping they would be like). Anyway, I read Buffalo Wings by Aaron Reynolds. It was super-cute and funny. You figure that someone had to write a book about buffalo wings and buffaloes having wings and this one was very well done.
Kirsten, looks like we both had an Aaron Reynolds day.
“Officer Buckle and Gloria” by Peggy Rathmann is what I read today.
Today was a sleepy day, so I read “Good-Night Moon.” That was my second to last bunny book. Tomorrow I will read the one that makes me cry. Can you guess which one that is?
What a cool time you had at the book signing!
Today I read Froggy Goes to Hawaii by Jonathan London. With a cold rainy day in the 50s, I’m ready to go to Hawaii, too!
THE DARK is so wonderful! I love Jon Klassen’s illustrations. He is such a nice guy isn’t he?
Today I read JOURNEY by Aaron Becker. I love when I can be transported and told a wonderful tale by only pictures. Beautiful book.
I read The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. You will acquire great happiness through friends with your generosity. That is my fortune cookie summary.
What a great author visit! So fun! I will put “The Dark” on my list to read.
For day 14, the kids and I read one of the books featured here, “Big Mean Mike” by Michelle Knudsen and illustrated by Scott Magoon. My son especially liked this book. I have to agree with a couple commentators that the bunnies were the stars of the story! I loved that the bunnies never spoke. I’d love to know if the author ever wrote a version giving the bunnies a voice and then changed it.
When I read The Dark I appreciated the somber mood that was created with careful word choice when describing the setting.
Speaking of dark, I read ONE DARK NIGHT by Lisa Wheeler. I really like books where the whole time you predict something will happen, and then there’s a great twist at the end. I think the words used when describing the bear vs mouse and mole, plus the onomatopoeia is fun in this book.