Children's Fantasy: The Wolves in the Walls

Gaiman, N., & McKean, D. (2003). The wolves in the walls. New York: HarperCollins.

Reading Level: 500L

Interest Level: Grades 1 – 3

This fantasy picture book by my boyfriend Neil Gaiman follows Lucy as she discovers that her family’s home has a sinister secret. Gaiman plays with the role of the sometimes nonsensical turns-of-phrase we all use in conversation – the adults in this book are always telling Lucy that “when the wolves come out of the walls, it’s all over..” However, instead of the point being that those phrases are metaphorical, representative, and generally not literal, the point is the opposite: by endlessly repeating the mantra, they invite it to come true.  
 
The artwork is done all in dark brown, sepia, red and black, suggesting both the dreary dullness of everyday and the dark possibilities that may lurk in drudgery. The photorealistc wolves’ eyes add a creepy edge to the otherwise pretty unthreatening (if messy) antagonists.

This children’s book is frequently translated to the stage, and so you could use it in the classroom. The book also has a lot of general language use merit: “Lucy hears sneaking, creeping, crumpling noises coming from inside the walls. She is sure there are wolves living in the walls of her house” – this sentence alone could be dissected for 1) word study (long E sounds, consonant blends] 2) poetic devices (alliteration or onomatopoeia) or 3) how to introduce a text to create suspense. Also, would work with a unit on idioms.

Wolves in the Walls classroom discussion questions