Review - The Snark

The Snark
by Justin Davis
illustrated by Stephanie Jayne
Date: 2020
Publisher: Blue Falcon Publishing
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

"What's a Snark?" I hear you cry.

Night-time can be scary and this delightfully illustrated story shows us how natural those fears are. Once children can identify and understand their fears, they can begin to overcome them, and we can all have a good night's sleep!

This story reveals that when we are brave and face our fears, they are often not as scary as we first thought!

Told in lyrical prose and with a dash of humour, this light-hearted story will help you and your child deal with night-time anxieties in a safe and reassuring way.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

If you like fart books, you might enjoy this.

The Snark is a nicely illustrated, rhyming tale about a creature that lurks in the darkness, waiting to eat children. While the ending is reassuring (albeit somewhat insulting to dads), the build-up struck me as kind of scary. The monster is frightening, and some more sensitive children might not make it all the way to the end so they can see scary transform into silly. In that respect, I'm not sure how well this would work as a book for helping children overcome their fears; if they're too scared to read it, what's the point?

The blurb says this is told in "lyrical prose", but it's actually written in rhyming verse that does have a decent rhythm and some repeating refrains that are kind of fun.

I didn't love this, but I do think it could have an audience for certain kids... especially if they like to be scared.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blue Falcon Publishing for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: 3/5
Writing: 2/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.71 out of 5