The Story of The Dark is a picture book adventure about two young children who accidentally discover The Dark, a benevolent and rather shy entity, while searching for their dog. The children’s exploration, creative thinking and bravery are rewarded with accomplishment, confidence, and a greater comfort about the world around them. Although the story happens to weave many years of knowledge about nighttime fears into its pages, this picture book is designed to be entertaining for kids of all ages.

Fear of the dark is among the most frequent of childhood nighttime fears. These fears are often considered to be a normal part of child development. However, the effects of persistent fear are less certain and may not be harmless. At the very least, fear is clearly uncomfortable. The unknown deserves careful respect, but not persistent fear.

Research also shows that parents are most often unaware of their child’s nighttime fears. It’s not the parents' fault. Very little has been done to educate parents about nighttime fears. Then add the relatively common occurrence of bedtime struggles that happen in childhood and it can make falling asleep a nightly challenge for many youngsters. This beautifully illustrated picture book adventure is designed for entertainment, but may also help in a playful way. Several points in the book promote critical thinking and discussion. But children just seem to like the story.

The Kindle Fire and iPad versions are the best options for viewing the illustration details and colors as the artist and author intended. In a darker environment, like just before bedtime, they look even better. The advantage of the softcover version is that it allows viewing of two pages at one time (effectively 16 inches wide by 8 inches high) for lots of color.

Please note: A portion of each book sale goes directly to one or two nationally recognized children's hospitals (we are not a corporate sponsor so we do not name them here, but you likely know them and their well earned excellent reputations). Why? -because these institutions are leading by example in the world of research and patient care for sick children, and these kids need all the love they can get.

Ages: 4-6 y/o best, but 3-8 y/o enjoy it also Length: similar to a Dr. Seuss picture book, with 42 printed pages or 28 eBook pages. Find out more at: thestoryofthedark.com

About the Author: Roger S. Smith is a board certified physician and sleep doctor who has practiced clinical medicine for 25 years in multiple specialty areas. He has held simultaneous medical staff positions at Stanford and Harvard universities teaching other doctors about sleep disorders and entrepreneurship. But given the choice, like any kid at heart, he would have rather been playing outside.

About the Illustrator: Chris Beatrice’s award winning artwork includes classic books such as Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, Daniel DeFoe's Robinson Crusoe, and Oscar Wilde's The Selfish Giant, in addition to children’s books, games, fantasy arts, magazines and young adult fiction. His work as also earned a well known client list including Simon and Schuster, MacMillan, Scholastic, Disney/Hyperion, Penguin, Random House, and many others. More about Chris can be found at chrisbeatrice.com.