by Margaret Barbalet.
Maxwell Macmillan, 1991
This allegorical tale is sparsely told and beautifully illustrated in a haunting picture book. A family hears a wolf howling outside the house. They become more and more alarmed and finally the barricade themselves inside the house. A year passes. The family fears they will never be able to go outside again. Finally they dare to take down a board or two and peek out. And then the young son of the family opens the door and lets the wolf in. The wolf is dirty and thin, more to be pitied than feared. The last lines in the book are spoken by the son. They read, "I've let the wolf in," he said proudly. He smiled, "I think it might stay with us." The author appears to be telling young readers that instead of hiding from our fears, the "wolves" in our lives, we should face them. When faced squarely, our worst fears turn out to be manageable. They are more like dogs than wolves.
