View source for A Dark, Dark Tale by Ruth Brown

{{infobox2
|title=A Dark, Dark Tale
|sort=Dark, Dark Tale, A
|author=Ruth Brown
|reviewer=Keith Dudhnath
|genre=For Sharing
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=978-1842709894
|pages=32
|publisher=Andersen
|date=September 2012
|aznuk=1842709895
|aznus=1842709895
|cover=1842709895 
|website=http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/authors/ruth-brown
|video=
|summary=An excellently crafted spooky story, with a fun twist in the end to relieve any possible tension. With fantastic illustrations and perfect pacing, it's a must-read for all children.
}}
"Once upon a time, there was a dark, dark moor. On that moor was a dark, dark wood. That wood has a dark, dark... well, you get the idea. Darkness is compounded by darkness, and we delve deeper and deeper into this spooky story, to find what lies at the heart of it.

I really enjoyed ''A Dark, Dark Tale''. The structure is simple and effective, and children will understand it immediately. It's beautifully paced, with the gentle tension building throughout. It is designed as a spooky tale, but it's all about the atmosphere, rather than having any beasties to fuel nightmares. The light-hearted twist at the end wipes out any possible fears that children might have. In an ideal world, the revelation would be split over two pages, rather than one, for a one word pop, but it's still a fun conclusion.

Ruth Brown's illustrations are gorgeous, in the finest tradition of children's books. Her work in [[Snail Trail by Ruth Brown]] was fantastic, and she continues that here. The colours are dark and moody, but never unpleasantly gloomy. It would be very easy for ''A Dark, Dark Tale'' to be too bleak for reading with young children, but that's never a concern once the quality shines through. The detail in all the illustrations is excellent, and very rewarding during repeated reads.

''A Dark, Dark Tale'' is a wonderfully well-rounded children's book. It deserves a wide audience, and every child that reads it will love it. It would make for a great present, or simply as another addition to already groaning bookshelves. Highly recommended."

For other spooky tales for the littlest ones, take a look at [[What's In The Witch's Kitchen? by Nick Sharratt]] and [[Spells by Emily Gravett]].

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