Reviews!
5-STAR Must Read
Light Fright is an adorable book that turns the fear of the dark on its head by describing Marley Monster’s fear of the light. Children will identify with the story and recognize the bedtime rituals and family relationships. The illustrations have comforting soft edges and colors, and the monster family is cuddly, comical, and loving. They consist of a diverse selection of traditional Halloween spooks, conveying inclusivity. It acknowledges that families come in all shapes and sizes and shows how family members might look quite different in appearance from each other and that being part of a family is not about closely resembling someone but being loved and cared for by someone. I also love that it implies this is an extended, multi-generational family living under one roof.
Little ones will enjoy the Halloween motifs, find the images amusing, and quickly memorize the rhyme. One scene in the story even pays a fitting and subtle homage to the classic book, Goodnight Moon, which children and adults will appreciate. Little ones will delight when Marley "sees" them reading the book. It would be a great addition if the hard copy of the book had a reflective surface framed on that page. The book turns conventional on its head, so I would have expected less-traditional gender portrayals, like having the dad helping the young monster brush his teeth instead of the mom or having the grandfather in the rocking chair knitting instead of the grandmother.
However, that does not diminish its value as an enjoyable and helpful story. I feel this book has the potential to become a child’s frequently requested bedtime read, and I think adults will also find it a cute, sweet tale to read over and over again. It helps children to think differently about what they can and cannot see and subconsciously provides a new perspective that can allay their fears.
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