What There Is Before There Is Anything There (A Scary Story)

Every night when his parents turn off the light, strange creatures descend from the black space where the ceiling used to be . . . First comes one, then another, and then more and more. They stand all around him, staring, not saying a word. And then, worst of all, comes the dark, shapeless one that tells him, “I am what’s there before there is anything there . . .” Liniers’ art, reminiscent of Hergé and other great comic book artists, feelingly portrays the little boy’s growing terror and his frantic dash for his parents’ bedroom. Combined with hand-lettering, it creates the feeling of a graphic novel for very young readers. Destined to become a classic about nighttime fears (like Paul Galdone’s The Teeny-Tiny Woman), this story resonates with young children afraid of the dark. They're reassured to see that, although the little boy’s fears don’t go away, he does find a way to cope with them.