The Lantern Who Was Afraid of the Dark
by Namu Marupudi
A picture book exploring Overcoming Fear, Courage, Finding Your Light.
Read for Me opens the full-screen reader with narration; titles with read-along timing also highlight the words as they are read.
About this story
In a cozy village at the edge of a forest, every lantern has one important job: when darkness covers the streets, they light up the night so no one has to be afraid. But the newest, smallest lantern — Wick — has a secret he's ashamed of: he is terrified of the dark, the very thing he was made to shine in. So every night, Wick hides behind a flowerpot on the windowsill, hoping no one will need him. Then one evening, a little girl named Elena reaches for the brightest lantern on the shelf and her hand lands on the little one hiding behind the flowerpot. She needs light to walk to her grandmother's house — and instead of laughing, she sits down beside Wick and shares her own secret: she's scared of the dark too, but tonight she still has to walk through it. 'Being brave doesn't mean you stop being scared,' Elena tells him. 'It means you're scared and you go anyway. And it's easier when you do it together.' One flickering step at a time, the smallest lantern and the scared girl walk into the night — together.
- Lantern — a little light you can carry into the dark
- Terrified — very, very scared
- Ashamed — feeling bad about yourself for something
- Flicker — to shine unsteadily, on and off
- Bravery — going ahead, even while scared
- Together — with someone beside you, which makes braveness easier
- Tremble — to shake a little, like a small flame
- Path — the way you walk from here to there
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