The Light Inside

by Dan Misdea

How far would you go to find your very best toy if it went missing? Join a timid jack-o'-lantern on an adventure through an eerie forest in this sweet and quirky wordless picture book!

Nighttime can be scary, especially when you don’t know what might be lurking in the dark. So this little jack-o'-lantern always keeps its favorite toy close by for comfort. But when a huge gust of wind separates them one day, the jack-o'-lantern must gather up bravery and set off on a journey—just as nighttime draws closer—to get its friend back.

Dan Misdea’s eye-catching artwork and charming story will remind readers that they can overcome most fears by trusting in themselves and finding the courage that lives inside their heart.

Genres: Halloween, Picture Books, Graphic Novels, Adventure, Holiday, Childrens, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

Published August 8, 2023

Reviews

[Andi Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the sweetest little wordless picturebook to share with the sweetest people for Halloween. The story will be a little different every time, especially if you let a child tell it to you. It’s tiny, but don’t be fooled, it could take a while to get through. There’s a lot to talk about: sequences, facial expressions/feelings and inferences. 🎃

[Zach Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Brave Little Pumpkin. Off he goes on a journey from being scared to having courage. Loved it.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute and cozy wordless picture book!

[Ken Yuen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small book, big content. Misdea jammed quite a bit of story in this wordless book

[Lisa K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the art! A shy jack-o-lantern kid goes looking for their plushie and sets some things right along the way. Wordless.

[Bekah Hubstenberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little pumpkin gets his favorite toy swept away by the wind and a cat takes off with it. Will he be able to catch up to the cat and convince him to give him his toy back?
Light on the spooks but pumpkin boy pulled a lot of clear expression for being a fruit.
Wordless with different sized panels. Perfect for one on one reading for Halloween.

[Ryan Harro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book for my niece who is 3 years old and she LOVED it!! The illustrations were crisp, clear and easy to follow. The story line is perfect for a child to follow. Love the purchase and can't wait for more from Dan Misdea!

[Sleepninja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book so much. I might be obsessed now, with how cute the art is and how well the story was told just with illustrations.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange wordless story about a young boys nightmare where he’s searching for his stolen stuffed mouse. Along the way he uses kindness to solve different situations.

[Shari · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wordless book that would be wonderful to read with a little one, letting them tell you the story as they turn the pages. The book is tiny (not quite 15cm x 15cm) but perfect for small hands, and the art is adorable. Our little hero starts out feeling frightened of the dark and all the things that might be in it, but when he must go rescue his stuffed mouse, he finds the courage (his light inside himself) to face his fears and discovers that often things aren't as scary as they seem, and that even scary things can be faced with friends.
Highly recommend, just make sure to put it in a special place in your library where it won't get lost!

[Clara Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is a wordless picture book that leaves you uncover the plot of the story based on what you see. From what I saw, the little pumpkin boy in this story went through acts of bravery and kindness to get his stuffed animal back. It is overall a very wholesome story!
I think it could be really good for children to also learn how to draw conclusions from purely visual aspects. There is certainly a lot to talk about within the illustrations on each page. I think that children will definitely enjoy this story!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wordless adventure that starts when a Pumpkin-headed child loses a toy. What follows is a search for the toy combined with trading up sequence for one needed thing after another.

I found this very adorable, but am wondering whose decision it was to make it so tiny. It would fit well in small hands, but the sizing makes the pictures quite small. A larger format would have been easier on the eyes.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wordless "spoopy" (one part spooky, one part cute) story reminds me of a "book" I wrote in first grade about a jackolantern who loses his candle. In this case, it's his stuffed mouse. It's a silly fun adventure with black cats, witches, and caves, sure to bring on dreams of trick-or-treating thrills.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet wordless picture book about a "little pumpkinhead dude" (as my nine-year-old called it) who goes on an adventure to get his purple mouse back from an "adorable" vampire cat. With a cute art style, the halloween elements (witches, monsters, and skeletons) aren't very scary and the wordless picture book format helps readers add their own words. We plan to purchase this one :)

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute and VERY tiny little wordless book. It's a little bit spooky but a very cute little journey as our pumpkin headed friend journeys to save his lovey from a spooky cat. Great for Halloween, but its small trim size means it is best for laps or solo reading.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book that just happened to catch my eye. Unintentionally, I ended up reading it right after finishing Mage and the Endless Unknown, which sort of colored my experience as another wordless story. This is much more wholesome, though there is something mildly disturbing about the idea of a jack o'lantern-headed child.

[Kenzie Hulsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Light Inside published in 2023 is under wordless book in our log for ages birth to 6. This halloween themed book follows a jack o lartern through a journey looking for a lost item in the woods. 3/5

[Riley Yoder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so cute! It is a story of being brave told with no words only illustrations. Following pumpkin boy going through what I would describe as tests of courage in order to get his stuffed mouse back. I love the art style and the character design of this book.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute, wordless graphic novel that I found at my local indie bookstore.

[Rebecca Caufman]

Wordless picture book

[Rachael Hobson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet wordless picture book about finding courage 🧡

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wordless book that is fairly easy to follow, but also allows for a little personal interpretation.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute wordless picture book

[Tina Hoggatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful Halloween-y, wordless picture book, small enough to fit in a child's hand. A pumpkin boy goes in search of his toy mouse. Hijinks ensue. Comics inspired illustrations by the author.

[Katie Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming little wordless comic/picture book about being brave and showing kindness with a Halloween/slightly spooky twist.

[A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an odd and unexpected delight!

[Holly Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think is better suited for a preschool classroom or maybe home use. Super cute story about a little boy’s adventuresome nightmare/dream. No words. A full story.

[Elyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be fair, there were like three different words in this book, but it was so cute. A lesson on asking for help and facing your fears.

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short but good book. It was cute and heart warming.☺️

[Alicia Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. Great year-round read for kids.