Beautiful, stark illustrations by Jon Klassen complement Snicket's story about a kid afraid of the dark. Quite creepy, but with a happy ending and an illuminating (pun intended) message about fear. In classic Snicket style, the prose initially appears to conform to typical children's book style. He uses only a few words a page. But a page that is completely black filled with white text delivers the book's message. A good book for all readers.