The King Who Banned the Dark

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I thought this was a brilliant story, a king who decides to ban the dark as he was scared of it when he was younger. I can imagine many young children may have experienced this and therefore it is easy for them to identify with the character and they may feel more comfortable having these discussions!

We loved the acts of defiance from the people that triggered the ending and were happily on board, showing a non-conformist streak that has me both proud and worried. I only wish the redemption arc the king went through could be mirrored in real life by leaders who have made poor choices. The ending was perfect as it was just what we had been shouting at the king at the start Just from the title, I can imagine having a lively discussion with my KS1 class about the dark! Why would someone want to ban the dark and would it be a good idea? This way children can begin to make predictions about what the book will uncover! It's not often that you get a children's picture book that perfectly sums up prevailing social and political attitudes, how power works to corrupt, and how easy it is to get worked up over nothing. This is a brilliant book, which does not need to be read as political satire.' - Early Years Educator Magazine Emily won the 2013 Jonathan Cape/Observer/Comica Graphic Short Story Prize for her story ‘Colonic’ and was runner-up of the same prize in 2008. Alongside herchildren's picture books, Emily is currently working ona long-form graphic memoir for adults. Her shortcomics have previously appeared in print in theObserver and Vogue. Along with her sister, AliceHaworth-Booth, she is an activist with ExtinctionRebellion. while with older kids, this picture book can be a great conversation starter about fake news, dictatorships and rebellions.We could talk about the negative aspects of having your greatest dreams come true and why we need both the good and bad to be happy. There was once a little boy who was afraid of the dark. There's nothing unusual about that. Most children are afraid of the dark at one time of another. But this little boy was a Prince, and he decided that when he became King, he would do something about the dark. He would ban it. When a King bans the dark completely, installing an artificial sun, and enforcing "anti-dark" laws, it seems like a good idea. The citizens don't need to worry about monsters, crime, or any of the other scary things that might live in the dark. But what happens when nobody can sleep, and the citizens revolt? Will the King face his fears and turn the lights off?

Waterstones' Children's Book Prize 2019, Klaus Flugge Prize 2019 and Independent Bookshop Week Awards 2019 But what happens when nobody can sleep, and the citizens revolt? Will the King face his fears and turn the lights off? It creates some ridiculously funny scenarios of what it would be like if the lights were kept on the whole time.A modern fairy-tale, akin to The Emperor's New Clothes, told with sophistication and paired with extraordinary beautiful illustrations in monotones, juxtaposed with vibrant yellow.' - Space on the Bookshelf

A thoughtful read with themes of rebellion, fear and overreaching. On the surface, this is a fun story about a King who fears the dark, and who makes every effort to never have to encounter it again. Putting a ban on the dark, the people live in never-ending light- but it cannot last forever! A closer look reveals darker undertones regarding the power of dangerous ideologies, and how easily thoughts can be manipulated through the spreading of fear by those of authority. This is told with humour throughout, making it less scary and allowing this book to be accessed at different levels by all of the key stages.June 2019 Debut of the Month | Shortlisted for the Klaus Flugge Prize 2019 | Shortlisted for the Waterstone's Childrens Book Prize 2019 You could have an imaginary interview with one of you as a reporter and the other a member of the public talking what it’s like now that dark has been banned. I love beautiful picture books that use a limited colour palette, like The King Who Banned The Dark. Immediately, I was drawn to read it, and I'm very glad that I did because I've found a new favourite! The illustrations, whilst simplistic, are lovely and make for a very enjoyable read. You could set up and imaginary newsroom and your child could pretend to be a reporting news from the palace that the dark is going to be banned and why. This is sophisticated and compelling storytelling about the machinations of politics and manipulating the populace ... The illustrations provide a feast for the eyes complementing the story with comical and delightful touches.' - Armadillo Magazine

There was once a little boy who was afraid of the dark. There's nothing unusual about that. Most children are afraid of the dark at one time of another. But this little boy was a Prince, and he decided that when he became King, he would do something about the dark. He would ban it. When the King bans the dark completely, installing an artificial sun, and enforcing anti-dark laws, it seems like a good idea. The citizens don't need to worry about any of the scary things that might live in the dark. But what happens when nobody can sleep, and the citizens revolt? Will the King face his fears and turn the lights off? Use the opportunity of a larger gathering of family or friends to play Chinese whispers – a great way to introduce the idea of how rumours might spread. Start this off by making up a message and whispering it into the ear of someone else in the group – they pass the message on in the same way until everyone has heard the message. The last person then says what they heard out loud. Has the message changed? This is more fun with a group of 6 or more. Find out more Politics and environmental issues are subjects close to her heart and often appear as themes in her work. Emily’s hotly-tipped debut children’s book, The King Who Banned the Dark (Pavilion, 2018), was shortlisted for numerous prestigious awards: The Klaus Flugge Award (for debut illustrators), The Little Rebels Children’s Book Award, The Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize, IndependentBookshop Week Book Award. The book is currently nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal. This debut is wonderfully political & thought-provoking...A brilliant story of the abuse of power & the strength of protest. Perfect for schools.' - Rhino Reads A challenging experience can make a young child feel as if they are in emotional free fall. As a parent, you can’t stop them falling, but you can offer them a softer landing:But this is also a story about the importance of truth and knowledge and the harmfulness of manipulation and indoctrination. Fears have to be understood; we have to enlighten ourselves with knowledge. The ancient Greeks, who did not understand the laws of physics well enough, thought that lightning was sent by the gods when they were angry. In the Middle Ages, when there was too little understanding of medicine, it was thought that people who healed others (often women) had some supernatural power and should be burned at the stake for it. This is particularly important today, when the phenomenon of post-truth, coupled with irrationality and receptiveness to conspiracy theories, has led to basic scientific premises being called into question. Wonderful book about overcoming worries/fears and finding the beauty/positives in things we were once scared of! An important message to get across to children, especially in KS1. The King Who Banned the Dark is also a story about the importance of diversity and contrast. When the dark was first banned, people liked it, because they could stay awake and celebrate all day long. But they got very tired soon because, naturally, people need the dark to value the light and to be able to recognise it at all. This is illustrated by the effective metaphor of the firework display at the end of the tale. The royal advisers put on the fireworks for the people, but the huge artificial sun created such a bright light that the fireworks could not be seen at all. The message is clear: we need the dark to be able to see the light, and to sleep, and to rest. Life under the constant glaring sun can literally be interpreted as a method of torture – prisoners are sometimes driven to insanity with the constant bright light in their cells that makes it impossible for them to focus, losing their sense of time, and being incapable of thinking and resting. But this constant illumination can also be considered as a metaphor for excessive staring into dazzling screens. For normal functioning, and particularly for creativity and thinking, people need moments of silence, nature, contemplation, reflection and being alone. Yet today it really seems increasingly hard to find them. The King Who Banned The Dark is a story that can have different interpretations; on a simpler note it can be about how we need the dark as well as the light, making it a wonderful book about the fear of the dark and appreciating the beauty of the light. On a deeper level, as I've read in a few places, this book can be interpreted as being a bit more political - people have got power and can revolt against decisions taken by the leaders which may not be for the benefit of the people, and how decisions can be manipulated.