George in the Dark

October 6, 2014
During the day, George is the picture of bravery—he stands up to bullies and even eats worms—“But bedtime was a different story.” Valentine (The Bad Birthday Idea) shows George being physically removed from his bedroom door by his “fed up” parents and deposited under the covers with a stern warning to stay put. After George realizes that only he can rescue his beloved Bear, who’s stranded in the middle of the bedroom floor surrounded by all kinds of horror (in reality, the shadowy terrors are simply George’s own toy collection), he finds new reserves of courage—in fact, he’s “almost fearless.” Rendering George and his red jammies in full color while his bedroom is depicted in turbulently textured, graphite chiaroscuro, Valentine strikes a delicate balance between assuring readers that George has nothing to fear while also showing just how deeply frightened he is. There’s a palpable sense of relief mingled with victory in the final scene, as a now-confident George surveys his room and knows he’s master of the house. Ages 3–7. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House.

September 15, 2014
George's fear of the dark is clear from the cover, where the bedsheets are drawn up to his nose; young listeners will want to know if this ends well. In the daylight, the blond protagonist is fearless. He scales tall trees, rescues damsels in distress and downs insects in a single gulp. The darkened bedroom, however, has him quivering at the threshold. Valentine creates just the right balance of humor and sympathy around her character. Readers will chuckle at his rigid body-parallel to the floor, as his father attempts to pry him from the door-and at the whites of his terrified eyes in the total blackness of the next spread. The gouache-and-colored-pencil illustrations are rendered with visible graphite strokes for these nighttime scenes. This choice adds to the tension on pages where familiar objects appear to have menacing expressions. George's teddy bear and pajamas (both red) stand out, so when he accidently tosses his blanket-wrapped companion across the room during the climax, observant viewers will know something before George does. The boy's empathy for another (his bear is scared too) prompts him to summon his courage, venture past the shark-shaped laundry basket and conquer his debilitating emotions. This depiction rings true in its portrayal of the paralysis of fear and the power of the right circumstances to motivate change. (Picture book. 4-6)

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