The Big Bad Wolf in My House

Starred review from February 1, 2021
A fable-like telling of domestic violence. The story starts abruptly. "He didn't need to huff, or puff or blow the house down"; a tall, brown, bipedal wolf strides into the home of a White, blond woman and her dark-haired White child. While "he batted his eyelashes and purred like a pussycat in front of my mother," in the next spread he's glancing back at the narrator "with cold eyes and sharp teeth." The abuse escalates from shouting at the mother when she's late through throwing a plate to leaving "finger marks on my arm." Artfully harking back to an old tale, the child frets that "the blankets jumbled up around my head did not protect me any more than a pile of straw," and the bedroom door, "a barrier made of wood," was no protection; the only recourse is to build "a fort made of bricks" and "put it up around my heart." This story is intense but it is never gratuitous, and before long the mother gets them to a safe house. Some might worry about frightening children with an honest depiction of abuse, but, as the narrator acknowledges, this is only slightly darker than many fairy tales. More importantly, it provides some readers with a much-needed recognition of their experiences while for others it is an age-appropriate introduction to a crucial subject. Masterfully done. (Picture book. 5-8)

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Starred review from May 1, 2021

PreS-Gr 4-In a straightforward manner, a small girl narrates how life changes drastically after the Big Bad Wolf moves into her home. The girl and her mother live together until the mother's boyfriend joins the household. At first, they all seem to get along but for the cold looks he directs at the child. One evening the mother is held up in heavy traffic and the wolf goes into a rage. The wolf, shown as a wolf while mother and daughter are stylized, almost fairy-tale perfect humans, does nothing to help around the house and angers easily, often "howling" at them and throwing his dinner on the floor when it's cold. The girl tries to become invisible when she hears his raised voice but that doesn't work and there are times she has to hide her bruises with long sleeves. He enters her bedroom uninvited but what occurs is left to the imagination: "So I built a fort made of bricks. I put it up around my heart." Life dramatically changes again the day her mother packs a bag and they flee to a shelter. This brave book is not merely bibliotherapy. It's a form of deliverance for those who are young, silenced, or inarticulate, while older children will want to discuss more elaborately the issues it addresses. The art resonates, casting simple shapes to allow the text to bear the weight of what is said, and what is not. VERDICT Children who need this book will understand the subtext, and as no community is safe from domestic abuse, the hopeful message will encourage those experiencing similar situations to talk. For every collection.-Maryann H. Owen, Oak Creek P.L., WI

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