The Night the Lights Went Out

What a scary experience it can be, when there is a power cut and all the lights go out! This is just what happens in this well-constructed story, and Rana, a little black girl, busy cleaning her teeth at bedtime, is mightily scared. The strong north wind ‘tickles the windows, rumbles down the chimney, and POP!… The darkness is as wide as the ocean.’ With thumping heart, Rana feels her way back to safety in bed with her ted. Dad comes to find her, and carries her downstairs, where Mum has found candles. All warm, cosy and safe inside, while the storm ‘stamps on the trees outside’… ‘PING!’ When the lights come back on, everyone shades their eyes from the bright white light. Many emotions are well illustrated here, with the child’s fears of the dark, and how this is overcome, satisfyingly portrayed. The strong, stylised illustrations use the page imaginatively.