In the Dark

With striking illustrations that will make your soul fly and spare text that will make your heart dance, this lyrical picturebook encourages us to set aside our snap judgements and quiet our fears of the unknown by shining light on what has been kept in the dark.

They came in the dark,
and took the narrow path
that only witches used.

Everyone said that’s what they were . . .

But what if everyone was wrong? Watch what happens when one girl steps into the woods and gets to know these newcomers. The spooky black cat? Meet Mingus! The broomsticks and cloaks? Cloth and wooden handles. And those shadows in the sky? Handmade kites, fluttering in the breeze.

When the breeze becomes a blustery storm, everything changes...including first impressions. 

Told from two perspectives, here is a gentle and timely reminder that all it takes to bridge the gap of misunderstanding and fear between people is an open and willing heart.

Kate Hoefler is the writer of several picture books, including Nothing in Common--illustrated by Corinna Luyken--Great Big Things, Rabbit and the Motorbike, and Real Cowboys, which received two starred reviews and was a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. Kate received her MFA in poetry from the University of Michigan, where she was a Colby Fellow. She lives in Ohio with her family.

Corinna Luyken is the author-illustrator of the New York Times bestseller My Heart, as well as The Tree In Me and The Book of Mistakes, which The Wall Street Journal called "sublime." She is also the illustrator of Adrian Simcox Does Not Have a Horse, Something Good, and Nothing in Common, which was also written by Kate Hoefler. Corinna lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family.