This allegorical story and beautifully illustrated picture book tells a haunting tail of a family who barricade themselves into their house after hearing a wolf howling outside. The family become increasingly paranoid and fear they will never be able to venture outside again. They virtually become prisoners in their own home. A year passes and finally the youngest son opens the door and they have to confront their worst fears. This story is all about keeping things in proportion and learning to face up to fears. This moral is subtly interwoven into the book and the author doesn't preach. Janet Tanner's realistic illustrations are done in pencil, water colour, and gouache, with the end papers showing the same scene at night time and in daylight giving stunning entrance and departure points to the book
Click on the link below to watch a short clip about this illustrator discussing the different techniques she uses in her drawings.
