Throwback Thursday: A Dark Dark Tale by Ruth Brown

My friend Michelle recommended A Dark Dark Tale to me. Written and illustrated by Ruth Brown, this cute treasure was published in 1981.

Each illustration has incredible detail. The words are sparse, and the lexile measure is 400L. This book appears to be scary because of the dark illustrations, but it is just right for a young child. Your child will be able to memorize this one and "read" it along with you. This book is a great way to introduce setting because the illustrations do that well. Your child could make up the rest of the story because this book ends with the exposition. I was reminded of Creepy Castle by John S. Goodall while viewing the pictures.

I recorded a reading of A Dark Dark Tale because it is such a fun book. You could use this in a creative writing lesson by covering up the words and having your students create a new story using the illustrations, or they could tell the story of an item in the illustrations.

Read to a child today even if that child is you.