My Friend The Dark

Darkness is something that can spark fear and anxiety in young children. Even my 10 year old sometimes needs a little light to fall asleep at night so it’s a topic that continues to come up throughout childhood. Hello, Dark by Wai Mei Wong and Tamara Campeau attempts to ease those fears and reframe the darkness as a friend instead of something to fear.

In this lovely story, a child explains all of the things that make the dark seem scary but then reframes their thinking to remember all of the good things that happen when the lights go out. How animals can play when the sun goes down and how the moon and the stars can shine when the world is dark.

Wai Mei Wong is an early childhood educator and has drawn on her experiences working with young children and their families to create this beautiful resource which also includes strategies parents and caregivers can use to help ease bedtime anxiety. Working in a preschool myself, I have definitely fielded the question about bedtime/nighttime anxiety and think that this story would make a great addition to the resource shelves in daycares.

The illustrations by Tamara Campeau make the dark seem less intimidating and more like a great new friend. The rich blues in all of the illustrations add a dreaminess to the story. I especially love her depictions of the nighttime animals and the wonderful book covers featured in the child’s bedroom.

This is definitely a story I will be adding to our preschool resource shelves for the next time we encounter the bedtime questions.