The Dark

by Robert Munsch, Michael Martchenko (Illustrator)

Jule Ann pounds on the bottom of a cookie jar, and a small dark lump bounces out. The Dark quickly gobbles up every shadow in sight, growing bigger with each one. Munsch’s plucky heroine resolves the perplexing problem with brilliant, spirited logic.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Canada, Fiction, Kids, Juvenile, Humor

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Robert Munsch was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Fordham University in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and from Boston University in 1971 with a Master of Arts degree in anthropology.

He studied to become a Jesuit priest, but decided he would rather work with children after jobs at orphanages and daycare centers. In 1973, he received a Master of Education in Child Studies from Tufts University. In 1975 he moved to Canada to work at the preschool at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario. He also taught in the Department of Family Studies at the University of Guelph as a lecturer and as an assistant professor. In Guelph he was encouraged to publish the many stories he made up for the children he worked with.

Munsch's wife delivered two stillborn babies in 1979 and 1980. Out of the tragedy, he produced one of his best-known books, Love You Forever. This book was listed fourth on the 2001 Publishers Weekly All-Time Best selling Children's Books list for paperbacks at 6,970,000 copies (not including the 1,049,000 hardcover copies). The Munsches have since become adoptive parents of Julie, Andrew and Tyya (see them all in Something Good!)

Munsch has obsessive-compulsive disorder and has also suffered from manic depression. In August 2008, Munsch suffered a stroke that affected his ability to speak in normal sentences. He has recovered enough that he is able to perform live, but has put his writing career on hold until he is fully recovered.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

You never know what you’re going to find at the bottom of the cookie jar.

Come see what happens when the Dark tries to overtake a neighborhood by swallowing shadow after shadow and getting bigger and bigger!

This story made heaps more sense after learning that Mr. Munsch wrote it for a child who was afraid of the dark. “Ooooh” popped right out of my mouth. Haha…I see. I liked it! It’s kooky and kind of creepy. One of my favorite combinations to find in a picture book.

Check it out! It’s full of imagination.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking for cookies one day, young Jule Ann instead discovers a small piece of Dark, which tumbles out of the cookie jar and begins consuming all the shadows nearby. Growing ever larger, the Dark eventually settles down on top of the house, obscuring everything around it. Fortunately, Jule Ann knows how to conquer it: luring it with another shadows, and trapping it once again in the cookie jar...

Originally published in 1979, and then revised in 1997, this picture-book from Canadian author/artist team Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko was apparently written for a young child who was afraid of the dark. The surreal humor to be found in the story here, and the ingenuity displayed by the young heroine, in tricking the ever-increasing Dark, both work to assuage the young reader/listener's fear, while the amusing artwork captures the offbeat sense of humor. Recommended to Munsch/Martchenko fans, and to anyone looking for picture-books that address the darkness, and the fear of it that we sometimes feel.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

From Canadian publisher Annick Press, this Robert Munsch title is about a thing that falls out of a cookie jar. A shadowy object, it calls itself, 'a dark' and has an insatiable appetite for anything in its path. It reminded me of Inkling by another Canadian author, Kenneth Oppel.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Depending on the tone of voice one uses to read this book, The Dark can be charming or terrifying. I enjoyed creepin' my students out with this menacing dark.

[Slayermel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a huge Robert Munsch fan, but I have to admit this is not one of my favourites.
My daughter even turned to me after we read it and said "this one was not funny, we didn't laugh"
In this story Jule Ann finds a little piece of dark and it seems to like to eat shadows. Every time it eats a shadow it grows, until eventually it's so big everything seems dark. Jule Ann comes up with a solution as to how to get rid of the dark.

[paige turner ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect when I read this one. The Dark is an adorable story that's like The Blob but for kids. Instead of eating everything in its path, it consumes every shadow that it comes across.

Jule Ann outsmarts the Dark and captures it and gets rid of it in the trash.

I loved the ending when Jule Ann was watering the shadows, and it said it took them two weeks to grow back.

I thought that was the cutest. I enjoyed this story.

[Re • · Rating 3 out of 5]

it had been awhile since I had read this book, in my childhood. This was such a cheeky book and i enjoyed it so very much as a kid as a older kid the ending made me chuckle because the dark was just straight up thrown in the trash lmao

[Greg S · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those books that don’t need to exist but has a fun idea.

It’s one of those books where nothing is changed by the end. It starts fine, something weird happens, and then ends with everything going back to the way they were.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this little book. Of course, I love any book by Munsch and Martchenko. A good book choice if you have a kid with a fear of the Dark. Brilliant idea to throw the scary Dark in the garbage at the end.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 -- Enjoyably surreal and a teeny bit frightening, THE DARK is a cool, original book.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jule Ann opened the cookie jar and all that fell out was s small dark lump. It gobbled up shadows and grew and grew. Jule Ann had to find a way to capture it. Great illustrations.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever story of how the dark can overtake a neighborhood.

[Jessica.M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the illustrations.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure what the point of the story was.

[Charlie Easterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The degree to which this book would have ruined my life as a kid is unmeasurable. Why is this book so haunted?

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Creepy but interesting handling of the normal fear of the dark. Not sure this will actually HELP a child who is afraid, but it makes an interesting book.

[Theresa Womack · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dark by Robert Munsch Illustrated by Michael martchenko is a book for primary readers. In this book the little girl opens a mysteries cookie jar and releases The Dark. The Dark eats up shadows and gets bigger and bigger. It seems like it's a children's version of Pandora's Box. You open something that you shouldn't and let out secrets and they you have to fix your mess and get all the secrets back into the box and dispose of the box. This is what Jule Ann had to do with The Dark she let out of the cookie jar. The pictures are mostly full-bleed, with some bordered by the white space and the words. The motif throughout the pages is the dark blob that gets bigger and bigger. It seems to symbolize secrets and unhappiness. Once The Dark is gone, Jule Ann helps get the shadows back again, get things back to normal.

[Kelli Bratten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robert Munsch's book, The Dark, has an interesting take on the dark. I thought it could be used in a science lesson about night, day and the reason behind that. Although the character in the book is not actually night it does go into discussing taking away shadows and that the little girl does not get to go outside and play. They could write about what they can do in the dark and during the day. Also, we can experiment with our shadows. Many more experiments showing night and day and the why around our world.

[Tiyahna Ridley-Padmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

In The Dark , Robert Munsch tells the story of Jule Ann, a young girl who discovers a dark blob that eats shadows. The blob gets bigger and bigger as it continues to eat shadows until it consumes the sky and it becomes difficult to see. Jule Ann finds a piece of shadow and tricks the dark blob away.

This book had the classic Munsch repetitive pattern that creates an engaging reading experience for young readers. Each time the dark blob came across a new shadow he "Ate it up". Though this story was not as funny as some other of his other work, the story was compelling.

[Ms. Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Robert Munsch. At some point I need to stop reviewing his books because, almost with exception, I love his books. I did hate "A Promise is a Promise" though and I'm not super excited by some of his more recent books.

[Engel Dreizehn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prob one of the most surreal children's book i ever read...it's about a sentient piece of darkness (treated with "sort of" mundane normal-ness) that eats shadows with eager smiles and glee and the smart little girl who bravely manages to deal with it. Very much the weird humor of Munsch.

[Tam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another strange and goofy book by Robert Munsch.

[Sandra Strange · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK--might be good for kids afraid of the dark? good for personification.

[Loraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Munsch uses his trademark humor to help children deal with their usual fear of the dark.

[Nojood Alsudairi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny but not very convincing.

[Mark Nenadov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.

[Rebekka · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a summer reading program selection for my kids. We didn't like the story, but the illustrations were ok.

[Jordan Michaels · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a much better title. The story was whimsical and light toned. I would certainly allow my children to read this one.

[Sylvia RB · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice children's book for me to love foreverrrrrrrrrrrrr!

[Cyndy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really do love Robert Munsch stories. I wish they had been around when I was little. A children's tame version of The Blob!