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

by Liniers, Elisa Amado (Translator)

The same thing happens every night. After this little boy's parents say good night and turn off the light, strange creatures descend from the black hole where the ceiling used to be. First comes one, then another and then more and more...

Written and illustrated by world-famous cartoonist Liniers, this story is hilariously spooky. Destined to become a classic about nighttime fears, it will resonate deeply with young children who are afraid of the dark.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Horror, Halloween, Fiction, Monsters, Fantasy

24 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Nombre con el que firma el historietista Ricardo Liniers Siri.

Ricardo Liniers lives in Buenos Aires with his wife and two daughters, who inspired this story. For more than ten years, he has published a hugely popular daily strip, Macanudo, in the Argentine newspaper La Nación. He also tours the world drawing onstage with musician Kevin Johansen. His work has been published in nine countries from Brazil to the Czech Republic and in the United States.

Reviews

[s.penkevich [mental health hiatus] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Need a spooky picture book that is existential nightmare fuel? YOU ARE IN LUCK

What There is Before There is Anything There is a truly unsettling picture book from Argentinian cartoonist Liniers. The book tackles issues of nightmares and fears, embodied in a story of a young child that sees monsters visit him from his ceiling every night. The story is dark, yet also comforting and acknowledges that even imaginary fears can be harmful. It also shows the frustrations of your fears not being believed or being minimized by adults, such as the parents in the book who are annoyed when the child runs to their room to sleep with them again. The ending is adds to the spookiness and is a harsh but real reminder that things like existential anguish don’t just simply go away.

This is a book that would have really disturbed me as a child, yet I think I would have loved it even though—or probably, because—it would have exacerbated my anxieties. If you are a parent looking for a book for your children I would advise reading this yourself first and deciding, because this will definitely not be for everyone. It is legitimately spooky and unsettling and I appreciate it for the bold and blunt approach to examining the vibes of childhood fears. If this sounds like something you’d like, definitely check it out for Spooky Season!

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liniers creates an actually scary book for children that confronts their actual fears. Okay, okay, maybe it could intensify those fears, and maybe very little kids already afraid of the dark might not want to actually read it, but I (not being the main audience here) liked it, imagining it might be good to talk through with kids.

I like the title, I like the drawing, and I even like the word bubbles, the lettering. And most of the little guys that come into the kid's room are not all that scary, except the one who speaks, who says the title. But hey, mom and dad are there, climb in their bed for awhile if you're scared! I've done it myself, and my kids did exactly that in this house! No shame!

Happy Halloween month!

[Kenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

It comes evey night when the ceiling disappears.
What There Is Before There Is Anything There: A Scary Story ~~ Liniers



Prepare to be scared, very scared ~~ What There Is Before There Is Anything There: A Scary Story will resonate deeply with any child, or adult for that matter, who has ever been afraid of the dark.

Every night the same thing happens. The nervous anticipation, then the utter dread as first comes one, then another and then more ~~ You know how it goes, right?



If you’ve ever been afraid of the dark, you’ll totally identify with this terrifying tale and Liniers has got the characterization of the ghouls down perfectly.

Some are big, some small, some with evil pointy noses and some sporting masks. But all as equally horrifying.



It’s also reassuring to see the parents reaction appears to be the same the world over ~~ What’s wrong? Not again? It’s just your imagination.

What There Is Before There Is Anything There: A Scary Story is a wonderfully spooky story that brings dark humor to those all too familiar night time terrors.

If you have a soft spot for being spooked as a kid, or if your kids enjoy the adrenaline rush of being frightened, What There Is Before There Is Anything There: A Scary Story is a must-have. Because that rush is what makes it memorable.

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A children's picture book that may actually be kind of scary. After the light turns off our imaginations run wild with crazy nightmarish creatures that haunt our bedrooms. The book highlights the power and intrigue of these imaginations and leaves one with appreciation for the power of our imagination.

[Melybee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un cuento infantil de terror que nos habla sobre los miedos que podemos tener de pequeños.

¡Las ilustraciones son preciosas!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

What?? Kudos to Groundwood Books for publishing such a gutsy children's book! You should probably think very carefully before you read this to your child; some will love it, some will relate to it, some will be terrified by it.But oh how refreshing to read a book that talks about children's fears without sugarcoating them or dismissing them!

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Family Picture Book Read-Aloud Afternoon: A Nine-Book Pile!

Who thought it was a good idea to make a children's picture book about sleep paralysis demons? And with an ending like that?

Um, no. I had regrets about reading this to my daughter today, and she's 22-years-old.

[Milly Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

jaja buenísimo porque de verdad asusta
rompe esquemas
no se lo leería a mi nieta que tiene pesadillas
definitivamente no

entonces, cuál será su propósito?

[Plethora · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't say that I felt much love for this picture book. I believe the message was that it is a good thing to have an imagination, but I'm not sure that really came across in a positive way. I'm not sure if what was meant to be the creepy part of the story, "What there is before there is anything there" is the creepiest. I think I was more disturbed by the parents being drawn with their heads off the page. This book will probably be a sure fire way to encourage your youngster to continue to climb into bed with you each night as he confronts the visitors in the night.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice foray into the glacial tip of existentialism for kids -- oh, and fear of the dark, too!

[Riley]

The creepiness! The existential dread! This is so deliciously deranged. It reminds me of Over the Garden Wall in the best way.

[Chloe Bestward · Rating 5 out of 5]

In What There Is Before There Is Anything There: A Scary Story, a young boy is sent to bed only to deal with nightmarish monsters and incredible darkness. Every night when he goes to bed, he usually has the same experience: the darkness of the room swallows his ceiling turning it into a big black hole of nothing. Then, bizarre monsters begin to float down from his ceiling, staring at him and not saying a word. Last, a dark creature with a deep voice appears from the darkness and says "I am what there is before there is anything there". This of course scares the boy into running into his parents room. His parents encourage his imagination and allow him to sleep with them for the night, but this is the last time. While cozy and safe with his parents, he realizes both the monsters and darkness have followed him to his parents room.

This book is an absolutely terrifying and imaginative story. The illustrations in the book are spot on, spooky, crude drawings that appear to be drawn with pen and ink. A lot of cross-hatching is used in the drawings to convey the darkness, and it works very well! The colors are also very washed out which give the story a very dark and off-putting feel.

The story over all is quite disturbing to me, so I could only imagine what it could be like for the target audience; children. Many children fear the dark because they have no clue what could be lurking in it. This story gives a very imaginative idea of what could be in the dark. The monsters from the story look like they come straight from a child's mind and with the protagonist of the story being a little kid, it'll definitely hit home for many young readers.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book at this years Brooklyn Book Festival because the artwork was intriguing and the author was there to sign it. I read it to my husband later and wow, this story.

I'm not entirely sure it's for young children. In fact, it would have been nightmare fuel for me as a child. It'd be great for older kids or kids that love unsettling horror.

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who in the crap is the audience for this book? It is a creepy picture book that will encourage anxiety-ridden kids to continue to be scared and climb into their parents’ bed each night “for the last time”. His ceiling opens and creatures come into his bedroom every night. Perfect thing to read to your kid who is already terrified to go to bed. 🙄

[Mitch Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t usually put picture books on here because I would otherwise be flooded, but this was the scariest story I have ever read. At least for me—this book captures the feeling of childhood insomnia so well. Just, staring at the dark, blurry (no glasses in bed, remember) ceiling, which may as well be the abyss. You can’t stare into the abyss that long as a child and grow up fine.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this story is addressing a child's intense imagination especially what happens to the mind at night when the lights go out. Some children may find it scary, but my children surprised me by not afraid at all.

[Donalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely not a bedtime story! Read it with all the lights on...

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

super creepy

[Allison neumann · Rating 5 out of 5]

scary without a happy ending

[KJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nightmare fuel. There were SEVERAL sets of unsettling teeth and multiple hovering, dead-eyed little creatures.

[Rabbit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the phenomenal artwork. This grim picture book book proves that existential dread begins in childhood when the lights go off. 😉

[Juushika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly this answers my wish for fewer children's books that give up on their spookiness/horror for the sake of a happy resolution, because this resolves nothing--in fact nods towards resolution and then rejects it. Combined with the intriguing titular premise/entity whose magic lies in being inexplicable, this book is all concept and no movement or ending. The rounded art is surprisingly playful/spoopy rather than spooky, but the aggressive, dark crosshatching suits the content. I'd call this interesting rather successful; it's perhaps too ambitious for a picture book, but I'd love it in longer form or for an older audience.

[Arnold · Rating 3 out of 5]

De pequeños, cuando nos apagan la luz da pie a que los monstruos imaginarios vengan a acechar la noche.
Me sentí identificado con la última parte 😅
Siempre terminaba durmiendo con mamá...

[Bant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of pocket. This should not be this scary.

[Natasha Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy bueno y a los chicos les encanta

[Sele - Historiasentretusmanos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo que hay antes de que haya algo de Liniers es una novela para niños de 4 años en adelante.
El autor toca un tema muy interesante que es cómo vencer el terror que tienen al apagar la luz y que buscan refugio en la cama de los padres.
El niño del cuento se enfrenta cada noche a seres que bajan un lugar muy oscuro (del techo) cuando la luz ya no está.
Puede ser un poco tenebroso por las ilustraciones pero considero que es una lectura disparadora para hablar acerca de esos "monstruos" que ven y como enfrentarlos. Poder darles las herramientas necesarias para afrontar sus temores y no solucionarlos con "bueno, es la última vez que dormimos en la cama de mamá y papá".

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations for this story were unique and somehow manage to be both cute and creepy. The story itself just felt unfinished to me. The overall theme seems to be dealing with the unknown, but the message seems to be that no one can help you. This may be true, but I don't know that it is particularly helpful or appropriate for children.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dark and creepy little story with no real resolution. Fine for kids who are into scary/creepy/weird stuff like I was (and let's be honest, like I still am), but don't read it to a child who is actually afraid of the dark...

[Natasha Castillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Para mi sobrina esto es genial. La imaginación que uno se gana con la inocencia (:

[Yosiko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Si bien es una historia pequeña hay gean mensaje sobre la imaginacion que hay dentro de cada persona..al apagar la luz ...ademas me encantaron las imagenes del libro.