Yes, Neil Gaiman won the Newbery for The Graveyard Book, so none of his books should have a problem getting attention. But I still feel The Wolves in the Walls needs a shout out. It got great notices, but I'm not sure that it is really appreciated. I'd love to see the sales info, but it is my anecdotal experience that many adults don't really like it. It does not fit the mold of a children's book. The graphics are dark and creepy and so is the story about wolves hiding in the walls. I've watched adults open it, flip through it and frown. So what is there to love? Its creepiness!
There really are very few picture books that are scary. Adults tend to want to protect young children and keep childhood pretty and fun. I do not want to know the deep psychological reasons for why children like to be scared, but, in my experience as a librarian, lots of my students asked for scary all the time and nothing was scary enough. Those children liked The Wolves in the Walls. One child said it reminded him of nightmares. He was smiling!
The Wolves in the Walls is unsettling with dark disjointed images and a mix of illustration techinques that exaggerate and even confuse. McKean did a great job of making it look creepy. The plot is simple enough, but also dark with a sense of forboding and hints of chaos. This book reminds us that childhood is not sweet, but is often full of darkness. I think Gaiman understands that children are often fascinated by what they fear and may need to have a way of seeing into the dark. Or he is just one strange dude. Either way, I like it.
The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman
illustrated by Dave McKean
2003
HarperCollins Juvenile Books
ISBN: 038097827X
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