The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Liniers,

What There Is Before There Is Anything There: A Scary Story

24 pp. | Groundwood | September, 2014 | Trade ISBN 978-1-55498-385-8 $18.95

(2) K-3 Translated by Elisa Amado. Every night a boy's ceiling becomes a black void. Down floats a succession of bizarre creatures; finally comes something dark and shapeless, announcing, "I am what there is before there is anything there." This is a scary story indeed--with unflinching ink and wash illustrations--but kids who suffer through similarly tortured bedtimes may find validation in Argentinian cartoonist Liniers's bravely existential picture book.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2014