The Darkest Dark - Rick Broadhead & Associates

About The Darkest Dark:

Inspired by the childhood of real-life astronaut Chris Hadfield and brought to life by Terry and Eric Fan’s lush, evocative illustrations, The Darkest Dark will encourage readers to dream the impossible.

Chris loves rockets and planets and pretending he’s a brave astronaut, exploring the universe. Only one problem–at night, Chris doesn’t feel so brave. He’s afraid of the dark.

But when he watches the groundbreaking moon landing on TV, he realizes that space is the darkest dark there is–and the dark is beautiful and exciting, especially when you have big dreams to keep you company.

Awards, Nominations, and Distinctions:

#1 Bestseller – CBC Kids

Winner – IODE Jean Throop Book Award

Shortlist – UKLA Book Award (UK Literacy Association)

Nominated – Bruce Spruce Award

Finalist – Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award

Shortlist – Independent Bookshop Week Award, United Kingdom (Picture Book Category)

Best Children’s Book of the Year Selection – Bank Street College of Education

Shortlist – Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award, Ontario Arts Council

Shortlist – Best Children’s Book of the Year (Ages 3-5), Amazon.com

Finalist – Shining Willow Award, Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Award

Honour Book – Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award

Honour Book – Wanda Gág Read Aloud Book Award (Minneapolis Foundation, Minnesota State University Moorhead)

Official Selection – Space.com’s Best Space Books for Kids

Official Selection – Indigo’s Top Ten Kids’ Books for the Holiday Season (2016)

Heather’s Pick – Indigo

Critical Praise:

The Darkest Dark soars as an inspiration for children trying to overcome a fear as well as dreamers wondering if they will triumph. Of course, the lesson here is ageless.

The Observer

A splendid story for soothing night fears, fostering future explorers, and teaching children that not even the sky’s the limit when it comes to dreaming big.

School Library Journal

This book goes down like lemon pudding...It’s a great story. And those Fan Brothers! Oh my. Their tender palette, soft textures, serene compositions, yesteryear sensibility — it’s all mesmerizing. Then they go ahead and drop in the most adorably-spooky aliens you could imagine. Capture the glowing magic of the moon. Charm us with a darling pug. And blast imagination into our dreams. A-ma-zing.

Orange Marmalade

About the Author(s):

Colonel Chris Hadfield is one of the most seasoned and accomplished astronauts in the world. A multiple New York Times bestselling author, his books An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, You Are Here and The Apollo Murders have sold over a million copies worldwide.

As well as his time as a Cold War pilot, Chris is a veteran of three spaceflights. He crewed the US Space Shuttle twice, piloted the Russian Soyuz, helped build space station Mir, conducted two space walks, and served as Commander of the International Space Station. He was also NASA’s Director of Operations in Russia.

Chris is the co-creator and host of the BBC series Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes? and helped create and host, along with actor Will Smith, the National Geographic series One Strange Rock. His zero-gravity version of David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ has received more than 50 million views, and his TED talk on fear over 10 million.

He advises SpaceX, Virgin Galactic and other space companies, chairs the board of the Open Lunar Foundation, leads the CDL-Space international tech incubator, and teaches a MasterClass on space operations.

Kate Fillion is a bestselling author and journalist who lives in Toronto with her two sons.

Terry Fan received his formal art training at Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto. His work is a blend of traditional and contemporary techniques, using ink or graphite mixed with digital. He spends his days (and nights) creating magical paintings, portraits and prints. Together with his brother Eric, he wrote and illustrated the critically-acclaimed picture book, The Night Gardener.

Eric Fan is an artist and writer who lives in Toronto, Canada. He attended the Ontario College of Art and Design where he studied illustration, sculpture and film. He has a passion for vintage bikes, clockwork contraptions and impossible dreams. His widely-praised debut picture book, The Night Gardener, was a collaboration with his brother Terry.