The Rabbit, The Dark and the Biscuit Tin
Nicola O’Byrne
Nosy Crow

It’s almost bedtime but rabbit is not  ready for sleep. Suddenly, while out in his garden he has a bright idea: If it doesn’t get dark then he need not go to bed at all. Grabbing his best biscuit tin with a single remaining biscuit inside, he heads back outside to find The Dark.
An easy job and Rabbit offers it the biscuit but as Dark reaches out, SNAP goes the lid of the tin: Rabbit has caught The Dark inside.
From inside the box comes a voice chastising Rabbit for his thoughtless action. What about all the animals that get up as night falls: The Dark is vital for them.

Selfishly Rabbit goes inside clutching his tin of Dark. Their conversation continues with The Dark pointing out what his captor will miss unless he frees his prisoner. Rabbit’s mood deteriorates and he stomps back outside clutching his tin tightly.

What he sees and feels – a very hot, sad looking place full of very hot sad-looking animals and even worse, his favourite carrots have all wilted.

The Dark makes one more plea for release: “I want to show you how wonderful I can be …” he says.
This makes Rabbit really think and slowly, slowly he opens the lid to find …

Dark points out some further good things he has to offer, not least of which is bedtime stories. Now though it appears that he’s too tired even for one of those.

Nicola’s lovely story is perfect for bedtime reading. It gently and unobtrusively introduces the idea of nocturnal animals as well as only thinking of oneself.
With gorgeous illustrations and a pop-out surprise to open, this book may well cause little ones to delay bedtime to hear the story ‘just one more time’.