The Something

by Natalie Babbitt, Natalie Babbitt (Illustrator)

Overview

"The truth is that Mylo was very much afraid of the dark," so begins Natalie Babbitt's beloved picture book The Something.

Mylo...is afraid of an indefinable Something coming in through his window at night. Given some modeling clay by his concerned mother, he finally succeeds in making a statue of the Something...The clever, ironic story interprets common childhood fears of the dark in a way that should prove highly amusing to many small children."--Starred/Booklist

The Something was made into a short animated film of the same name in 2015.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781429955188
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	04/01/2011
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Artist and writer Natalie Babbitt (1932–2016) is the award-winning author of the modern classic Tuck Everlasting and many other brilliantly original books for young people. As the mother of three small children, she began her career in 1966 by illustrating The Forty-Ninth Magician, written by her husband, Samuel Babbitt. She soon tried her own hand at writing, publishing two picture books in verse. Her first novel, TheSearch for Delicious, was published in 1969 and established her reputation for creating magical tales with profound meaning. Kneeknock Rise earned Babbitt a Newbery Honor in 1971, and she went on to write—and often illustrate—many more picture books, story collections,and novels. She also illustrated the five volumes in the Small Poems series by Valerie Worth. In 2002, Tuck Everlasting was adapted into a major motion picture, and in 2016 a musical version premiered on Broadway. Born and raised in Ohio, Natalie Babbitt lived her adult life in the Northeast.
Artist and writer Natalie Babbitt (1932–2016) is the award-winning author of the modern classic Tuck Everlasting and many other brilliantly original books for young people. As the mother of three small children, she began her career in 1966 by illustrating The Forty-Ninth Magician, written by her husband, Samuel Babbitt. She soon tried her own hand at writing, publishing two picture books in verse. Her first novel, The Search for Delicious, was published in 1969 and established her reputation for creating magical tales with profound meaning. Kneeknock Rise earned Babbitt a Newbery Honor in 1971, and she went on to write—and often illustrate—many more picture books, story collections, and novels. She also illustrated the five volumes in the Small Poems series by Valerie Worth. In 2002, Tuck Everlasting was adapted into a major motion picture, and in 2016 a musical version premiered on Broadway. Born and raised in Ohio, Natalie Babbitt lived her adult life in the Northeast.

Read an Excerpt

The Something

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By Natalie Babbitt

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Copyright © 1970 Natalie Babbitt
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4299-5518-8

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CHAPTER 1

The truth is that Mylo was very much afraid of the dark.

When his mother asked him why, he had a hard time answering. Finally he said, "I keep thinking something will come in through the window."

"What kind of a something?" asked Mylo's mother. "Robbers, I suppose? Or ghosts? There's no such thing as ghosts, you know, and even if we had some robbers they wouldn't be interested in you." And Mylo's mother, who liked to explain things, went on to tell about the habits and customs of robbers.

"I'm not worried about robbers," said Mylo, though he did hate to disappoint her. "And it's not ghosts either."

"Well, what is it then?" said Mylo's mother.

"Just a Something," said Mylo.

This left his mother with nothing at all to explain. She felt very bad about not being able to help him. So the next day she went out and bought a large package of modeling clay and gave it to him, and that made her feel better.

Mylo didn't know what to do with the clay at first. Mostly he made lumps and thumbprints. Or rolled it into snakes.

But after a while he found himself trying to make a statue of the Something he was afraid of in the night.

Every day he worked with the clay. And every day he learned a more about how to make it do what he wanted.

Mylo's mother explained to her friends. "I didn't realize how artistic Mylo is," she said. "He's so busy with his clay, he's forgotten all about being afraid of the dark."

But the real reason why Mylo was so quiet at night was this: He was trying to figure out exactly what the Something looked like. He found himself almost wishing it would come in through the window, so he could get a good look at it and make a better statue in the morning.

Then one day everything seemed to go just right, and suddenly there it was. He had made a perfect statue of the Something. He was very proud of his work.

When he showed it to his mother, she said "That's beautiful, Mylo" in such a special voice that he knew she had no idea what it was.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from The Something by Natalie Babbitt. Copyright © 1970 Natalie Babbitt. Excerpted by permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

An amusing story about the nighttime fears of children. A Michael di Capua Book. Ages 3-up. (April)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly