Status
Available
Call number
Description
"Young Chris loves pretending he's a brave astronaut, exploiring the universe. Only one problem--at night, he's afraid of the dark. Only when he watches the moon landing on TV does he realize how exciting the unknown can be. Inspired by the childhood of real-life astronaut Chris Hadfield"--
Genres
Collection
Publication
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (2016), Edition: Illustrated, 48 pages
User reviews
LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
A young boy dreams of space but fears the dark in this engaging picture-book autobiography from Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, co-written with Kate Fillion and illustrated by the fabulously talented Fan brothers. Convinced that aliens are lurking in the dark, young Chris has trouble at bedtime,
Less of a full biography than a brief memoir of a memorable episode from a memorable life, The Darkest Dark is both informative and entertaining. It functions as an exploration of a common childhood fear, and how young people might confront and overcome that fear, through reexamination and through expanding (or changing) one's perspective, but it is also a depiction of a momentous moment in human history, as seen through the eyes of one child. In this latter sense, it reminded me a bit of Dianna Hutts Aston's The Moon Over Star, which also dealt with a group watching the moon landing in 1969. I enjoyed the narrative here, finding the young Chris Hadfield a believable and sympathetic young protagonist, but I also greatly appreciated the illustrations. Having discovered the work of Fan brothers in their gorgeous picture-book debut, The Night Gardener, I was very excited to see this second title, and I was not disappointed. The artwork here, done in pencil and colored digitally, was absolutely lovely, capturing both the beauty and the menace of the dark which so frightened the story's hero. Recommended to young space lovers and would-be astronauts, as well as to children who are afraid of the dark.
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and doesn't really want to sleep in a separate room from his parents. But when he watches the Apollo 11 moon landing on TV in July of 1969, while on vacation on Stag Island, Ontario, he realizes that outer space, the very thing he finds most entrancing, is the darkest dark there is. This leads to a reassessment of what darkness is, and how he feels about it, as well as to a life-long goal of getting out into that darkness...Less of a full biography than a brief memoir of a memorable episode from a memorable life, The Darkest Dark is both informative and entertaining. It functions as an exploration of a common childhood fear, and how young people might confront and overcome that fear, through reexamination and through expanding (or changing) one's perspective, but it is also a depiction of a momentous moment in human history, as seen through the eyes of one child. In this latter sense, it reminded me a bit of Dianna Hutts Aston's The Moon Over Star, which also dealt with a group watching the moon landing in 1969. I enjoyed the narrative here, finding the young Chris Hadfield a believable and sympathetic young protagonist, but I also greatly appreciated the illustrations. Having discovered the work of Fan brothers in their gorgeous picture-book debut, The Night Gardener, I was very excited to see this second title, and I was not disappointed. The artwork here, done in pencil and colored digitally, was absolutely lovely, capturing both the beauty and the menace of the dark which so frightened the story's hero. Recommended to young space lovers and would-be astronauts, as well as to children who are afraid of the dark.
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LibraryThing member melodyreads
true story (more or less) of a child who grew up to be an astronaut - but had trouble sleeping in his own bed because the night was so dark
LibraryThing member LazybeeJr
The Darkest Dark is about a boy who gets over his fear of the dark after watching the moon landing on tv. It's by astronaut Chris Hadfield and was inspired by his childhood experience of watching the first moon landing. It's a sweet story about dreams with beautiful illustrations. Kids who are
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interested in space will particularly enjoy this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member DJ_Cliffe
Wow! What a gorgeous book. The story is clear and simple while not talking down to the reader. I enjoyed it thoroughly. And the illustrations! Amazing art work. I'd never heard of the artists before but I'll certainly be on the lookout for more of their work. All in all a joy to read and own.
LibraryThing member laVermeer
Chris is the bravest space traveller in the universe — except for one thing: he’s afraid of the dark. And space is very, very dark.
THE DARKEST DARK is a lovely book on many levels. It evokes a moment of global history almost fifty years ago and relates it to the life of a specific Canadian boy
THE DARKEST DARK belongs in public libraries across Canada and would make an excellent addition to any home library. A great pick for kids and adults alike.
THE DARKEST DARK is a lovely book on many levels. It evokes a moment of global history almost fifty years ago and relates it to the life of a specific Canadian boy
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who went on to an astonishing career. At the same time, the story presents a theme many children today can identify with. The illustrations are just delightful, and the back matter extends the story in an inspiring way.THE DARKEST DARK belongs in public libraries across Canada and would make an excellent addition to any home library. A great pick for kids and adults alike.
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LibraryThing member Robyn126
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
He has the will, the desire and the dream of being an astronaut but the only problem, he is afraid of the dark.
Spoken from the voice of a young Chris Hatfield a young boy recalls a monumental time in his journey to become the man from space.
He has the will, the desire and the dream of being an astronaut but the only problem, he is afraid of the dark.
Spoken from the voice of a young Chris Hatfield a young boy recalls a monumental time in his journey to become the man from space.
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From the the time of the moon landing Chris knew he would travel to space and make his home of Canada proud. With an engaging story, beautiful illustrations and enough factual information to satisfy a budding astronaut Hatfield's story entertains and inspires. When based on such passion and personal experience, there is no way the story could turn wrong. Show Less
LibraryThing member Bonnie_Ferrante
This picture book is written by Chris Hadfield, one of the, world's most famous astronauts, and Kate Fillion a best selling author. Together they tell the true story of Chris's childhood fear of the dark.
As a small boy, Chris love to play astronaut. He liked to pretend he was fighting deadly
His parents struggled to get him to sleep in his own bed. They even gave him a bell to ring if he was nervous. But nothing seemed to help.
One special day, Chris's family joined several others watching the moon landing on television. Chris was amazed and he also noticed that outer space was darkest dark ever. That night, he was able to cope with his dark room. He became hooked on exploring the night sky. He seriously pursued his dream of becoming an astronaut and one day, it came true.
That is where the story ends. Fortunately, Hadfield has written two other books about his experiences as an astronaut. After reading this picture book, children can find more about Hadfield from these books or online.
What a wonderful twist for a little boy who is afraid of the dark to grow up and travel into space, in fact live there for five months. How inspirational for children who have similar fears. This book teaches them that as they grow and learn, they will change and be able to conquer the things that hold them back. How reassuring to know an astronaut was once afraid of the dark.
The vocabulary in this book is suitable for children ages 5 to 8. There is just the right amount of text on each page. Both the text and the illustrations are infused with a subtle sense of humor.
When it was time to get out of the bath and go to bed, he told his father – politely, because astronauts are always polite – "Sorry, no can do. I'm on my way to Mars."
On the page where Chris dreamed he flew a spaceship to the moon, his rocket is made from cardboard, his dog is also suited up and floating beside him, and Chris carries a flag with pictures of the two of them and their names printed in childish script "Chris and Albert."
Although the book is in color, gray and black are dominant throughout. At first, because of Chris's imagination, the dark holds frightening creatures with glowing eyes. As Chris matures, those glowing eyes are replaced by twinkling stars and glowing galaxies.
The last two pages read as follows.
And, he realized, you're never really alone there. (in the dark)
Your dreams are always with you, just waiting.
Big dreams, about the kind of person you want to be.
Wonderful dreams about the life you will live.
Dreams that actually can come true.
This is a well written, beautifully illustrated picture book that will teach your child about a brave, brilliant, and personable Canadian hero as well as inspire him or her to pursue big dreams.
As a small boy, Chris love to play astronaut. He liked to pretend he was fighting deadly
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aliens, but his imagination created a fearful atmosphere when his room was dark. "The kind of dark that attracts the worst sort of aliens."His parents struggled to get him to sleep in his own bed. They even gave him a bell to ring if he was nervous. But nothing seemed to help.
One special day, Chris's family joined several others watching the moon landing on television. Chris was amazed and he also noticed that outer space was darkest dark ever. That night, he was able to cope with his dark room. He became hooked on exploring the night sky. He seriously pursued his dream of becoming an astronaut and one day, it came true.
That is where the story ends. Fortunately, Hadfield has written two other books about his experiences as an astronaut. After reading this picture book, children can find more about Hadfield from these books or online.
What a wonderful twist for a little boy who is afraid of the dark to grow up and travel into space, in fact live there for five months. How inspirational for children who have similar fears. This book teaches them that as they grow and learn, they will change and be able to conquer the things that hold them back. How reassuring to know an astronaut was once afraid of the dark.
The vocabulary in this book is suitable for children ages 5 to 8. There is just the right amount of text on each page. Both the text and the illustrations are infused with a subtle sense of humor.
When it was time to get out of the bath and go to bed, he told his father – politely, because astronauts are always polite – "Sorry, no can do. I'm on my way to Mars."
On the page where Chris dreamed he flew a spaceship to the moon, his rocket is made from cardboard, his dog is also suited up and floating beside him, and Chris carries a flag with pictures of the two of them and their names printed in childish script "Chris and Albert."
Although the book is in color, gray and black are dominant throughout. At first, because of Chris's imagination, the dark holds frightening creatures with glowing eyes. As Chris matures, those glowing eyes are replaced by twinkling stars and glowing galaxies.
The last two pages read as follows.
And, he realized, you're never really alone there. (in the dark)
Your dreams are always with you, just waiting.
Big dreams, about the kind of person you want to be.
Wonderful dreams about the life you will live.
Dreams that actually can come true.
This is a well written, beautifully illustrated picture book that will teach your child about a brave, brilliant, and personable Canadian hero as well as inspire him or her to pursue big dreams.
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LibraryThing member Whisper1
The story and illustrations are lovely. A book about overcoming fear and uncertainty which most children and adults can relate to.
Written by Canadian Chris Hadfield, who is one of the world's well-known astronaut, this is a story of how he was gripped by fear of darkness. Until, one night while
Learning to watch the night star and learn about planets and space, he set the goal of becoming an astronaut.
Written by Canadian Chris Hadfield, who is one of the world's well-known astronaut, this is a story of how he was gripped by fear of darkness. Until, one night while
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looking up at the stars, he had the sudden realization that space is about as dark as dark can get.Learning to watch the night star and learn about planets and space, he set the goal of becoming an astronaut.
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LibraryThing member Polilla-Lynn
When Chris Hadfield was a little boy he was afraid of the dark. Although he loved pretending he was an astronaut, it wasn't until he watched the historic moon landing on TV that he realized there was nothing darker than space. He had to overcome his fear if he was going to attain his dream of
This is a wonderfully told non-fiction story with gorgeous illustrations.
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becoming an astronaut. This is a wonderfully told non-fiction story with gorgeous illustrations.
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LibraryThing member raidergirl3
I'm a huge fan of Astronaut Chris Hadfield. This children's book, a biographical look at Hadfield's life is a wonderful look at how fears can be conquered and dreams can come true.
Child Chris (with an adorable pug dog) is afraid of the dark and having a hard time getting to sleep. Adding his
The last few pages with photos and a message from Astronaut Hadfield bring his story back to the present. Hadfield is a very positive, inspiring Canadian and this book is much like him.
Child Chris (with an adorable pug dog) is afraid of the dark and having a hard time getting to sleep. Adding his
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active imagination and fascination with space has him seeing aliens everywhere. The first part of the book could be set in any time and it is not until Chris has to go to a neighbours with the only television around to watch the moon landing that you realize it is set in the 1960s. When Chris realizes that space is dark, the darkest dark, he manages to overcome his fear.The last few pages with photos and a message from Astronaut Hadfield bring his story back to the present. Hadfield is a very positive, inspiring Canadian and this book is much like him.
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LibraryThing member gilbertine
As a Chris Hadfield fan, I was excited when I won this book, and I am pleased to say I'm not disappointed. The gently told story told with an understanding of childhood fears and hopes is beautifully illustrated by the Fan brothers. This is going to be a welcomed Christmas present.
LibraryThing member jwyss
I received a free copy of The Darkest Dark: Glow-in-the-Dark Cover Edition by Chris Hadfield in exchange for an honest review.
The story seems to be about a little boy who is afraid of the dark and exhausted parents who are at their wits end. After unsuccessful attempts to have him sleep the night
Like all good picture book tales, this story has an unexpected twist at the end. Not only did the boy overcome his fear of the dark, he discovers the beauty of the wonderous night sky.
The story seems to be about a little boy who is afraid of the dark and exhausted parents who are at their wits end. After unsuccessful attempts to have him sleep the night
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through in his own room, the parents threaten not to go to a special event. The young Chris Hadfield gathers his courage and stays in his room the entire night so that he can see the moon landing on the neighbour’s television set. Like all good picture book tales, this story has an unexpected twist at the end. Not only did the boy overcome his fear of the dark, he discovers the beauty of the wonderous night sky.
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LibraryThing member SandyAMcPherson
This story was entertaining and a delightful foray into recounting a child's fear of the dark at bedtime. It was additionally appealing because this is based on the true story of Chris Hadfield as a young boy who became an astronaut. Whether many children will relate to how Chris solved his anxiety
Perhaps the best value is that the story opens a dialogue for younger children that families can have ~ by seeing what's fascinating about the dark and talking about what might seem scary. My one disappointment with the book was that only the cover had 'glow-in-the-dark' illustrations. Looking at illustrations in the dark could have facilitated a happy dark-bedroom-experience after the story was read.
Note: I received an ARC from Tundra (Penguin Random House) Books via LT Early Reviewers in exchange for an unbiased review.
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in the dark certainly depends on many factors, not just realizing that 'the universe is big and full of many fascinating things'. The added biography and message from Chris at the end is a great way to initiate kids into reading biographies, a genre that's somewhat overlooked in juvenile literature.Perhaps the best value is that the story opens a dialogue for younger children that families can have ~ by seeing what's fascinating about the dark and talking about what might seem scary. My one disappointment with the book was that only the cover had 'glow-in-the-dark' illustrations. Looking at illustrations in the dark could have facilitated a happy dark-bedroom-experience after the story was read.
Note: I received an ARC from Tundra (Penguin Random House) Books via LT Early Reviewers in exchange for an unbiased review.
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LibraryThing member gypsysmom
I've been a fan of Chris Hadfield's ever since he broadcast from the International Space Station. He has done so much to popularize space exploration and Canada's place in that field. This latest children's book from him should be popular with any child who has ever looked up into the sky. It
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should also help any little ones get over a fear of the dark. I can hardly wait to pass this book on to a great-niece or great-nephew to see their reaction. Show Less
LibraryThing member kawaiibelle
The first thing I did when I received this book was to run to the nearest light source to charge it up, then turn off the lights to marvel in the glow-and-the-dark cover. I also enjoyed the content of the book itself. The pictures were delightful, I loved looking for Albert on every page. And the
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story about a boy conquering his fear of the dark to pursue his dreams is one that I think will be a great tool for parents to start conversations with their kids. Show Less
LibraryThing member LDVoorberg
Very read-out-loud friendly, which is important for a children's book. Good story arc, great illustrations. Glow in the dark cover is fun, also. Stories that say "as long as you dream it you'll achieve it" aren't my favourite, but at least this one does say Chris worked really hard to achieve his
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goal. That hard-working part is a key message that often gets lost. Cute "autobiography." Show Less
LibraryThing member wcs53
This is a wonderful picture book by Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield. The story of the main character, a young boy named Chris, is based on Hadfield's own childhood dream of becoming an astronaut. This is the kind of picture book my kids would have loved and it would have surely become a family
For such a short story, there's a lot going on in this book. The artwork, by the Fan brothers, is great and there are lots of different things to pick up by looking closely at the pictures. There is also a short biography of Hadfield at the end of the book, as well as a page of photographs.
This is a great picture book, that any family with young children should add to their shelves.
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favourite. The overlying theme is that dreams can come true, especially if one is willing to work hard to make it so.For such a short story, there's a lot going on in this book. The artwork, by the Fan brothers, is great and there are lots of different things to pick up by looking closely at the pictures. There is also a short biography of Hadfield at the end of the book, as well as a page of photographs.
This is a great picture book, that any family with young children should add to their shelves.
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LibraryThing member WeeTurtle
Even without the knowledge of who Chris Hadfield is, the book is a delightful read about a young boy overcoming fear in order to be what he wants to be, and changing his perspective of things while doing it. The book is well made, the pages are thick and the drawings show both realistic homelife as
For youth interested in space (or the youth interested in dogs, I was very fond of Albert) the book is a recommended gift. It includes a brief biography of Commander Chris Hadfield with photographs and a statement.
The glow-in-the-dark cover really does, though I find these things work best with sunlight instead a light-bulb.
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well as fanciful dreams. One thing I appreciate about the illustrations in book is the inclusion of the date via the calendar and the newspaper that both show July, 1969. The detail is likely to be missed by a young reader but noteworthy to an audience that knows the significance.For youth interested in space (or the youth interested in dogs, I was very fond of Albert) the book is a recommended gift. It includes a brief biography of Commander Chris Hadfield with photographs and a statement.
The glow-in-the-dark cover really does, though I find these things work best with sunlight instead a light-bulb.
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LibraryThing member leahdawn
A wonderful book about overcoming fears and learning to find beauty in unexpected places.
Chris is a boy who has big dreams of traveling to space, but at the same time he's very afraid of the dark. However, Chris changes his perspective on the dark and comes to view it as something vast and
This is a great book for any age, not just for kids. The story is really well-written and doesn't patronize the reader. Kids and adults alike will appreciate the message about changing perspective, and the lovely art goes a long way to making the story engaging. Highly recommended.
Chris is a boy who has big dreams of traveling to space, but at the same time he's very afraid of the dark. However, Chris changes his perspective on the dark and comes to view it as something vast and
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beautiful rather than sinister.This is a great book for any age, not just for kids. The story is really well-written and doesn't patronize the reader. Kids and adults alike will appreciate the message about changing perspective, and the lovely art goes a long way to making the story engaging. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member visuallibrarian
Once again Hadfield has delivered an wonderful book the shares his love of space with a personal story-lesson. l look forward to sharing this with my grandchildren and library clients.
LibraryThing member Linyarai
This was beautiful, a great story of dreams and imagination.
LibraryThing member Jacea
Space is definitely the kind of thing that still inspires a childlike wonder for me. I love how that was captured in this book, and the artwork is gorgeous! I, of course, also love the little pug the accompanies the story's main character.
I am obviously way out of the actually intended age range
I am obviously way out of the actually intended age range
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for this or any other picture book, so I will probably be sending this along to someone with younger children. I do think they will enjoy it though, I sure did! Also MAJOR style points for that glow in the dark cover. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2016-09-10
Physical description
48 p.; 10.45 x 10.35 inches
ISBN
0735264821 / 9780735264823
Other editions
The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield (Paperback)