The Wolves in the Walls is a
short illustrated horror story for young children.  This might seem
inappropriate at first glance in these times when children’s fiction is so
often bland or sugary.  But in fact this book has a strong sense of fun along
with the suspense, and of course children enjoy some real dramatic tension. 
Dave McKean’s illustrations are full of depth, texture, and rich beautiful
colors.  Lucy is a young girl living a typical suburban life, but she hears
noises coming from behind the walls, and she is convinced that there are wolves
there.  Her jam-making mother and tuba-playing father reassure her that she is
mistaken, and her little brother says she is bats.  Lucy takes comfort in
talking with her pig-puppet, but that doesn’t stop the wolves from coming out
of the walls, and then the family flees from their house.  She realizes that
she left her pig-puppet in the house after the wolves have taken it over, so
she creeps back in to get her.  This gives Lucy an idea about how she and her
family would be able to get back into their house.  Neil Gaiman’s story evokes
some of the fears of childhood powerfully, taking them seriously and reassures
the reader that Lucy has the courage and resourcefulness to cope with the
dangers she may face.  Best of all, McKean’s images are wonderful, mixing
different media — photography, pen and ink, computer manipulated images, and
painting — and combining a dark realism with a strong sense of whimsy. 
Excellent stuff!

© 2003 Christian Perring. All
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