Title: A Patch of Black
Author: Rachel Rooney
Illustrator: Deborah Allwright
Age Group: 0-5
Synopsis: A lovely sing-song story about how to turn fear of the dark into whimsical fantasies that sooth you to sleep.
The Low Down:
Deborah Allwright is a favorite of ours. We loved The Night Pirates and so when I saw her name on A Patch of Black I knew we were taking it home with us. The illustrations are beyond amazing and the story is sweet and begs to be memorized and used as a lullaby.
The premise of the book focuses on a small child who is afraid of the dark and a parent who is soothing away the fears. Instead of focusing on any negatives they instead focus on all of the things the dark brings with it. All the things that can be done with a bit of night sky. The child creates a sail for her ship, a flag for her castle, a magic carpet to paint the stars, a magic cloak, a hammock among the jungle and a pillow filled with sweet dreams. The rhyming verses almost leap off the page and into song, making me instantly fall in love with them. Even if the illustrations were absolutely terrible (they couldn’t be with Deborah Allwright at the helm) the lines would still be able to paint pictures of delight.
Luckily, the pictures are fabulous and Deborah Allwright succeeds in tickling the reader’s imaginations and taking them on whirlwind adventures. Each line is brought to life in these sparkling representations of beauty and whimsy with every page seeming more precious than the last. I was prepared, based on our previous experiences, for very nice illustrations but these almost took my breath away. I want to be this little munchkin who is unsure of the dark, so that I too can race down ice cream covered hills to pluck chocolate coins off trees or have toast and tea with a dragon. Each page pulls you in and drives the story home. It really is a perfect marriage of skills and a pairing that leaves me feeling pleased that I can reap the benefits.
Story Tips:
- If you don’t sing this to your little one than you should at least work to make sure your cadence is very rhythmic. It honestly makes the story come alive.
- Each page is rich in detail and hidden excitement. Even the pages between adventures. Take time to examine them.
I need more!
Deborah Allwright is amazing and has a plethora of fabulous books that she’s illustrated. We very much enjoyed The Night Pirates but I’m very excited to discover more. Her newest one was out on August 1st: There’s a Monster in My Fridge. You can find more details on Amazon or Google but I avoid her website as it’s cute but not very easy to find things and just ends up directing you to Amazon anyway.
This was our first experience with Rachel Rooney. She has a few other books and poems that she’s done, including a retelling of Sleeping Beauty and an interesting looking book called: My Life as a Goldfish.
Add to my library:
UK Amazon:A Patch of Black
US Amazon: A Patch of Black
