After the light, comes the dark. And with children's vivid imaginations, there come the monsters, ghost, bugs and all the scary thing. But you can't see those shadows without light.

Here the author reminds us that the light makes you see shadows in the dark, she wants to encourage the children that there's always the gentle light to keep you company and away from the nasty dark dwellers. With short and poetic verses, this is one great book for 3 to 8 years old kids.

This is an adorable book about Jade who is afraid to fall asleep because the dark is scary. The illustrations are done in beautiful dark purples and other dark colors. Jade's imagination takes off as she "sees" different things in her room and under her bed. The moon shines in and it makes Jade's room a magical place where she can sleep happily.

What an adorable kids'book! I was hesitant at first to read this with my children because none of them are currently afraid of the dark or what could lurk in the dark. I didnt want to put ideas in their heads!

I didn't need to worry. The book is too sweet to scare anyone. I love that the author wrote a book to help kids overcome their fears. There is nothing wrong with having scared feelings, at any age.

My oldest could read this on his own and we read it together with the younger two. It's perfect for all ages; each of my kiddos enjoyed the story. And of course the representation is an important part of this book!

The best thing about the children's book <em>Jade Braves the Dark</em> by Valdene Mark is the artwork. It's not the story and it's not the message, it's the utterly gorgeous illustrations provided by the wonderfully talented Sawyer Cloud. And while I will say that the message is a good one that I love children reading, I think the writing overall needed some help.

<b>Jade in the Darkness</b>

See, I do genuinely love books like this. It's a <em>great</em> thing to teach children to not be afraid of the dark. In truth, though, I don't really think this book does the greatest of job with that. Showing a little girl finding comfort in the moon is nice, but that doesn't mean everyone else will feel that way. Not everyone has a skylight in their room either.

Of course, I don't necessarily think it's a problem. It's a great idea to find comfort in the moonlight since it means the dark isn't as dark as kids ordinarily thought. Where I really took issue was the writing. It's all done in a rhyming poetry format. I don't mind this, usually. In fact, I actually really enjoy lyrical children's books. The problem with <em>Jade Braves the Dark</em>, though, is that the meter of it all is <em>way</em> off on numerous pages.

And when this happens, the entire book is difficult to read. None of the lines fully flow the way your brain wants them to. I found myself rewriting entire sections of the book in my head as I read it. The whole experience was somewhat jarring.

<b>Jade in the Moonlight</b>

Ah, but then there are the illustrations. Honestly, Sawyer Cloud is phenomenal. The imagery within this book is utterly gorgeous. Jade is beautifully drawn, her room has the most exquisite colors. I <em>loved</em> every picture within this book. And I even had a moment of giddy glee when I noticed some of the books sitting on her shelf, <em>Peter Pan</em> catching my eye almost instantly.

I always love when illustrations go above and beyond in including little details within the characters' rooms. And Cloud does not disappoint for one second. Each page you turn meets you with something extraordinary and magical. This is honestly <em>so great</em> for a story like this in which the main character is struggling with a darkness. Throw in a little magic and it lights everything up.

<b>Sleep Tight</b>

I wish I'd loved this book. I'd been rather excited, at first, when the cover caught my eye. And I think that's just something to note, really. The cover is <em>exceptional</em> in so many ways. It's a great sneak peek into the beauty you will surely find within the pages of the book. It's just a shame that the lyrical-esque writing's inability to flow pulled me out of the story so much.

<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>

Now I wish when I was a kid, I read a book like this one.
Because I was afraid of the dark just like Jade, and I believe a lot of kids do.
But book like this, I could see it helping kids that scared of the dark :) it talks about darkness in a different way.
Beautiful illustrations and so heartwarming! <3

This is such a cute book! I loved the illustrations and the story is also really good. It shows that you don't have to be afraid of the dark, and it does it well. Also, the rep is also good. I would highly recommend this book.

Standard storyline about being afraid of the dark. Strengths of this children’s book are the superb illustrations (gave me a mystical and dark vibe), the POC representation. Any cons are just my opinion that the story has been done a hundred thousand times, but I think this one is a good addition if someone is looking for one more!

A beautiful black girl magic centric book that is sure to spook and to comfort. A must needed addition to anyone's picture book library.

Our penultimate book is less obviously Halloween themed but still perfect for this time of the year when the nights are drawing in and kids are once again going to sleep in dark rooms. In Jade Braves the Dark by Valdene Mark, a little girl named Jade is frightened of the dark after she goes to bed. Jade imagines all sorts of creepy things lurking in her room; ghosts and monsters, naughty fairies, and scary bugs, but discovers with the help of a new friend that night time isn’t as scary as she once thought.

As with the scary costumes in Halloween Hugs, many kids are afraid of the dark and this book will help them to overcome those fears with a touch of moonlight magic. The rhymes here aren’t as easy to read aloud as some other books in this list thanks to a few slightly awkwardly structured sentences, but the overall story more than makes up for that. The artwork is also beautiful, filled with rich jeweled tones that keep some darkness on the page to fit the story while also allowing for bright colors to be included throughout.

Jade Braves the Dark is ideal for kids of any age who are frightened of the dark and need assurance both that they are not alone in their fears, and also that the dark is nothing to worry about.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Jade braves the dark is a beautiful picture book with gorgeous illustrations for children about being scared of the dark at bedtime.

Although this book is very beautifully illustrated, I didn't really connect the meaning with the story. I felt it finished too soon and more emphasis should have been placed on what there is not to be afraid or rather than what there was to be afraid of (bugs, monsters etc). But I did enjoy the book non the less.

Jade Braves the Dark is beautifully illustrated and written for young children. The author captures all the things that might go through a young child's mind when the lights go out at night. I love how Jade turns her fear around with the help of the moonlight and slips into a peaceful sleep. This is a sweet little book.

I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Great, rhyming book, helping kids face their fears and encouraging them to use their imagination to find a solution instead of feeding the fear. I loved the illustrations, there were colorful and did a great job of highlighting the text.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

For me the artwork was the best part of this book, I loved the sparkly lighting and the rich purples. The story itself was really simple and light but I don’t feel it connected as well with the message it was trying to send. Jade was afraid of the dark and she was imagining what could be in it, but if it wasn’t for the moonlight coming in nothing was really resolved. It didn’t seem to me that it really gave children a way to face their fears; Jade just waited and got lucky.

I’ve seen this title around enough that I guess I had high hopes for it which it didn’t quite meet. My biggest complaint is that the meter of the rhyming text wasn’t entirely consistent, which detracts from its value as a good read-aloud book. While toddlers and preschoolers don’t generally understand the concept of a regular meter, it still constitutes a strong appeal factor and builds early literacy skills. So it’s worth doing well, and this particular book falls short; it has a few too many lines with an extra syllable or two. The style of the artwork was somewhat appealing but not especially distinctive or impressive. I’ve seen a couple people compare the illustrative style to Pixar, which I think is a fair comparison.The simple storyline about a girl suddenly overcoming her fear of the dark is apparently intended to help children deal with their own fears, but Jade’s sudden epiphany is too unrealistic to provide much comfort.

We need more POC children's books like this! Enjoyed the story and artwork. Jade was just too darn adorable!

Oh, this book was a joy. I loved the premise, and I loved the execution even more. The art is beautiful and matches the writing extremely well.

This wasn't your typical 'afraid of the dark' book and I enjoyed that!

I am not a huge fan of star ratings, as everyone uses stars differently. (Some of my absolute favourite books didn't get 5 stars because of pacing or prose or lack of a diverse cast.) - if I have to rate this it would be a 4!

This was such a lovely book.

It was so lovely to see a black girl as the main character in a picture book.

The illustrations were beautiful (and scary!) and really complemented the story.

I enjoyed the rhyme scheme which made it a lovely, easy read for kids.

Review to come October 4th on Blog/Goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I spotted this book on another blogger's blog and really liked their review. I wanted to try it out. Thankfully Netgalley still had it up so I clicked request. And here we are.

I know that as I kid was terrified of the dark, now I can say that I am still not comfortable in the dark, but much better than when I was a kid. I was curious to see how Jade would brave the dark and see how she would get through the night.

It all begins when mom gives her a goodnight kiss, then the dark settles in and poor Jade sees all sorts of creepy things in the dark and her mind totally spins out of control. Poor Jade, I definitely know that feeling. Shadows in the dark do the strangest things. And I can understand not being able to sleep, because who knows what may be lurking.

Then comes something wonderful, something shiny, and I was so happy for Jade. However I am wondering if Jade truly braved the dark, since that one thing won't be there always. But maybe she now knows that there will always be something looking out for her? It did feel a bit incomplete in my opinion and I also didn't think it was truly braving it. I had thought she would be going out of bed and confront her fears. Found out that there was nothing scary in her room.

I did like the art, it was quite cute.

All in all, a book that could have been better, but that I still enjoyed.

A cute book about a girl who is initially scared to go to sleep. But once the moonlight shines through her window and illuminates things, she realizes there is nothing to be afraid of.

Lushly Illustrated Book

Jade is afraid of what might lurk in the dark as she tries to sleep. She imagines all sorts of creepy things in her bedroom, like trolls, ogres, ghosts, and more. She isn't having much success falling asleep because of her imagination. When the moonlight illuminates through her skylight, he is comforted to see the familiar objects in her room and is able to fall asleep. This book is gorgeously Illustrated. I loved the palette’s rich colors. The illustrator was able to show how Jade could mistake certain objects in her room for scary creatures. The illustrator also made the moonlight look absolutely magical. A beautiful picture book about the fear of the dark and overcoming it.