This year our favourite Halloween read
Is the breathtakingly beautiful
Sibling story
Beatrice Likes the Dark
Written by April Genevieve Tucholke
Illustrated by Khoa Le
This is a stunning picture book
With lyrical prose
Littered with repetitive refrains
That make it a joy to read aloud
Every page is a
Gorgeous gothic inspired
Work of art
With detailed illustrations
Adding to the depth and meaning
Of the enchanting tale
As one of two sisters
And a mother of three daughters
This story intrigued me
From the start
A tale of two sisters
One who likes the dark
One who likes the light
Two who love one another
But are the two
Too different to get along?
Beatrice likes the dark
She wears black
Befriends spiders and
Black barn cats
She likes cloudy skies
Graveyard picnics and
Walking through tall twisted trees
Beatrice understands
Milky moonbeams
Hooting owls and
Starry skies
What Beatrice does not understand
Or rather who
Is her little sister Roo
Roo is loud and bright
She likes the light
She likes sunshine
And strawberries
Red balloons
Yellow marbles and
Bright blue skies
The sisters could not be
More different
They are like
Night and day
But we all know
That opposites attract
And we all know
That love conquers all
Differences can be accepted
Differences can be shared
And though these two
May not feel the same
About many things
Though Beatrice and Roo
May not like the same things
They do like one another
They do love each other
And they will always be there
Together
Their dreams may be different
But their bond as sisters
Mean that their wishes are entwined
There are things that they can share
Common ground to explore
When Roo is scared of the dark
Beatrice takes her hand
And shows her how to
Embrace the night
Together they make
Something beautiful
Combining the dark of the night
With the light of the day
The sisters make each other smile
Beatrice helps Roo
To like the dark
She makes her feel safe
Roo shows Beatrice
The magic and beauty of day
She shows her sister
The joy to be found in the light
They share their differences
With each other
Making one another
Feel welcome and wanted and loved
In each other’s worlds
This book makes me smile
It is a true sibling love story
I bought this book for my Beatrice
Who is quite different from her siblings
I want her to know that though
She may like different things
And want to behave in different ways
Her differences are loved
Cherished and they make her
The strong independent thinking
Character that she is
Differences are good
We are all different
But we love each other
Just the same
We love each other
Just the same
This is a brilliant and beautiful book
The perfect Halloween read aloud
A spooky season book
That we will keep out and share
All through the year
A celebration of individuality
Of sibling love and friendship
A reminder that
Love runs deeper than our differences
We are all loved just the way we are
“To those who are
Afraid of the dark, and to those
Who are afraid of the light …
The world needs you both.”
AGT