Switch on the Night

Book excerpt: From bestselling writer Ray Bradbury and beloved author-illustrator duo Leo and Diane Dillon comes a unique, dreamy perspective on overcoming a fear of the dark. A lonely little boy who is scared of the dark sits in his room alone, with only light for company, until a little girl named Dark appears and shows him that light switches don’t just switch off the light—they switch on the night. And to switch on the night is to switch on the stars, the moon, the crickets, and the frogs. With the Dillons’ dreamlike illustrations, Switch on the Night is sure to reassure any child who has felt afraid of the unkown; the story will also impress adult readers with its imaginative approach to understanding that which is different. “Bradbury’s story of a boy who conquers his fear of the night with the help of a child named Dark has been newly illustrated with appropriately mysterious, dramatic artwork, clearly influenced by M. C. Escher’s work.”—The Horn Book “The Dillons’ interpretation works well intellectually and aesthetically.”—Booklist