As children grow, they begin making more of their own choices—friends, opinions, and the media they consume. Parents often struggle to guide without controlling, especially when outside influences compete with the values taught at home. Littluns: And the Book of Darkness, an award-winning illustrated novel by the late Mark Glamack, addresses these concerns through a fantasy narrative that operates on multiple levels. Written for readers ages 12 and older, the book was designed so younger readers encounter an adventure about light confronting darkness, while adults may recognize a deeper story about influence, responsibility, temptation, and the consequences of choices.
Glamack, an animator, director, producer, and writer whose career included work for Walt Disney Studios and an Emmy nomination for his contribution to Life with Louie, served six terms as a governor of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He was particularly concerned about the messages young people encounter through popular culture and what happens when those messages are accepted without thought or conversation. Rather than simply criticize what was already available, Glamack wanted to create an alternative. In an interview, he explained, "For some time now, many parents, and others, have voiced their concerns about popular books that send the wrong messages to impressionable, unsuspecting minds." His answer was Littluns: And the Book of Darkness.
The story does not suggest that darkness disappears simply because someone chooses what is good. Darkness remains present. It challenges, tempts, and attempts to redirect. The question is whether it is allowed to win. That gives the novel relevance extending beyond its fantasy setting. Young people are beginning to navigate a world in which influences arrive constantly and from almost everywhere. Adults, meanwhile, are trying to prepare them for decisions they ultimately cannot make on their behalf. Glamack captured that responsibility in one of the novel's central observations: "If you surround yourself with good and righteous people, they can only raise you up. If you surround yourself with the others, they will drag you down into the doldrums of mediocrity, and they will keep you there, but only as long as you permit it." The final words matter: only as long as you permit it.
Because Littluns is ultimately not a story about helplessness. It is about choice. The light in Glamack's story does not prevail because darkness never appears. It prevails despite its presence. The characters must recognize what they are confronting and decide what they will allow to influence them. That gives parents and younger readers two different entry points into the same story. A younger reader can experience the adventure, its characters, and the struggle between opposing forces. A parent or older reader can see the larger questions underneath: Who are we listening to? What are we allowing into our lives? What happens when we surround ourselves with the wrong influences? And when we realize we have wandered in the wrong direction, do we still have the ability to choose differently?
For Glamack, the answer was yes. His own description of Littluns emphasized hope, determination, and the human spirit, while the book's broader recognition has included Mom's Choice Awards Gold honors and a Dove Award. Perhaps that is also why Littluns is difficult to reduce to a simple age category. It was written for younger readers who are just beginning to "live life," as Mark's sister and publisher, Stephanie Glamack, describes it. But it also speaks to adults who have lived enough of it to understand how consequential seemingly small choices can become. The two generations may read the same pages differently. That may be precisely the point.
As families head toward the holiday season and search for something meaningful to place in someone's hands, Littluns offers more than an escape into a fantasy world. It offers something to think about. Something to discuss. And perhaps most importantly, something to carry forward after the book is closed. More information is available at Littluns.net.
