The game in the dark
By: Hervé Tullet
Published: The game in the dark, UK, 2012 (Our version, Il gioco del buio, from L'ippicampo, Italiy, 2018)
Format: Board book with cut-outs, glow-in-the dark
A glow-in-the-dark journey through the stars
With around 80 internationally acknowledged titles, French illustrator and artist Hervé Tullet is one of the world's best known - and most loved - children's book authors. He is also famous for his playful workshops, held all over the world. A Hervé Tullet-title is easy to spot: They are usually very colorful, mostly using primary colors, and he is a master of playing with the book as an object: The format, paper, the turning of the pages, the way we hold it, cut-outs, folds.... His titles always seem to bursts with joy and playfullness. The game in the dark is no exception to this, even though it is a little different from many of his titles: Most of Tullet's works have text (although seldom
very long texts), and as mentioned, plenty of color. The game in the dark is wordless, and in daylight the pages appear to be all white.
As the title suggests, The game in the dark is a book to be enjoyed with the lights off. Apart from some yellow sun- and lampbursts at the cover, it is hard to spot its illustrations in a light room. But if you "charge" the book by holding it under a lamp, or by the light of a UV-torch, the most wonderful world comes to life. This book is a mostly visual and aesthetical experience, but there is also a story - we are going to the moon! The cut-out on the front cover resembles a rocket, and this rocket flies through every page before landing on the moon. On our way there, we meet stars, galaxies and beautiful patterns, partly made with very clever use of cut-outs that make you feel like you are floating through the book - as you would be floating through space. Because glow-in-the-dark paint is embossed on the pages, it makes the reading a tactile experience as well.
For reading this book, we highly recommend using a UV-torch, they are inexpensive and easily available online. That way, you get the full effect of the glowing beauty of the pictures, and you also have the option to keep some light on, just in case some of the children are not comfortable with total darkness.
