Ray

by Alex Latimer

When night falls and the shadows get longer and darker, Mouse is scared. How will he find his way home? Luckily he meets a firefly who reassures him, 'I'm Ray and I'll light your way.' On their starlit walk, however, it can seem that every shadow is lurking danger. And the meerkat, chickens, frogs and squirrels who join them agree-until Ray flies close with his light and shows what the shadows really are. But sometimes, just sometimes, the shadows might be just what they look like . . .

36 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 31, 2023

About the author

Alex Latimer lives near the border of a national park so when not writing or drawing, he spends his free time shooing baboons out of his lounge. The Boy Who Cried Ninja is his first book for children. He lives in South Africa.

Reviews

[Capn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mouse is having such a lovely walk that he doesn't notice how late it is.
When the shadows grow longer and it starts to get dark, Mouse is very scared. But then, there is a glow of light and a firefly appears saying, 'I'm Ray and I'll light your way!'
Join Mouse, Ray, and their friends (who are definitely NOT scared of the dark) for a night-time walk packed full of surprises.

You know how imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery? I think Jon Klassen (of "I Want My Hat Back" fame) has often been imitated, probably at the behest of publishers.

I just get the feeling that this is what they were going for. Or maybe it was a Julia Donaldson's "The Gruffalo" inspiration: let's have a little twist at the end!

This had potential. We thought it was building to a delightful climax, and I thought I knew where it was going (that mouse would realise that the dark had advantages, too). But that's not where it went.

And while it had a dark humour punchline of sorts (nothing to do with the titular firefly, either), it just... wasn't funny.

I'm not entirely convinced I won't be on the dreaded "Nighttime Nightmare Beat" tonight with this one (I had to make light of it really quickly, and point out that the final page at the end paper had an illustration to suggest that they all made it safely in the end... through the (rear) end?!... Many hasty escape scenarios were thought of, by me, and I had to dig-deep to get a guarded giggle or two. Like I said, if this book gets me up tonight, I might knock another star off.

Predation punchline, animals of vastly diverse natural habitats, and somehow the firefly isn't immediately zapped by the tongue of a frog... if the intended resolution (I'm trying to keep spoilers out of this) was somewhat scatological by nature, then anatomy and the entire digestive system is owed an apology. Zero educational content, which would be acceptable had this been actually funny.

Bit of a mess, if I'm honest.

[Kasım Arda Yetkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Türkçe’ye “Ben Karanlıktan Hiç Korkman” diye çevirmişler. Bazı gölgeler çok zorlama olmuş ama yine de eğlenceli kitap. Sonu aslanın midesinde bitiyor. İlk kez mutlu sonla bitmeyen bir kitap okudum. Resimleri güzeldi.

[Tatiana Gomes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Associado ao medo do escuro e a comunidade. Mostra também como um animal tão pequenino como o pirilampo pode ser tão importante para os outros e fazer a diferença no bem -estar dos animais.

[Robynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book with a great refrain, funny illustrations and a great twist at the end!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wij lazen hem in het Nederlands: Daan doet haar lichtje aan

[Kitchen Sink Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Light can make shadow, and shadows can look dark. Does that make shadow something to be scared of? Ideally not. Ideally shadows, and the dark, are not scary at all, but to little children who don’t really know the dark it can be scary, the more so if they have vivid imaginations. This is where Alex Latimer’s Ray comes in. He has written a book to help children, whether they are afraid of the dark or not, understand that it doesn’t have to be a scary place, that shadows can be fun, and that best of all fears, as well as happiness, are best shared. Laugh yourself silly and never be afraid again with this marvellous book.


Mouse is scared of the dark and yet he has had such a lovely day, such a lovely walk, that he had not realised how dark it had become. He is worried that he won’t get home safely until he spies a glow coming from a flower. This glow is Ray, a firefly, ready to light the way for Mouse. Mouse tries to be brave… then he sees a snake… but what’s this? Ray’s light shows a meerkat in the log pile! A bear is just chicken’s nesting in a cactus plant and a crocodile is just five frogs by a log. It seems that every shadow they meet has an alternative, and that all the animals might just be a little afraid of the dark too… With a very funny and clever twist at the end, be ready for plenty of laughter, demands to read this book over and over again oh, and do pay attention to those end pages for clues…