The Big Bad Wolf in My House

The Big Bad Wolf in My House is a picture book with a difference. Written by Valérie Fontaine, translated by Shelley Tanaka, and illustrated by Nathalie Dion, this brave new work showcases some of Canada’s most experienced and talented children’s literature creators as they tackle an incredibly difficult topic that’s almost completely absent from the realm of picture books: physical and sexual child abuse perpetuated by a family member within the home. Deftly wielding “Little Red Riding Hood” as an allegorical frame, this book uses minimalist text and images to convey quiet domestic horror—and the promise of salvation. Caregivers, educators, counsellors, and child protection workers will find value in sharing this book with children aged three through eleven.

Verisimilitude is the greatest strength of The Big Bad Wolf in My House. The narrative follows a text book pattern of abuse as familiar as “Little Red Riding Hood”, itself: a stepfather first charms, then intimidates the unnamed child protagonist’s mother, infiltrating the home until his dictatorial hold over the family is absolute. At this point, he begins physically and sexually abusing the child. The child’s reaction is just as true to life; she is cowed by the perpetrator and describes her subsequent strategies to keep herself safe. First, “I made myself quiet as a lamb. I tidied my room. I brushed my teeth.” Next, “I built myself another house inside my little bedroom…. But… the blankets jumbled up around my head did not protect me any more than a pile of straw.” Finally, “I built a fort made of bricks. I put it up around my heart. I closed my eyes and kept them closed….” In keeping with this emotional accuracy, there are no heroics on the part of the child—no grand plans, not even a single attempt to recruit adult help. Like most children, in reality she simply remains in survival mode until an adult steps in to remedy the situation. In The Big Bad Wolf in My House, this adult is her mother who escapes with the child to an “other house” where “a nice woman welcomed us in.” This safe house is “full of people chatting. Mothers, children. But no wolves.”

All of these nuanced details are as realistic as the statistic that in 93% of child sexual abuse cases, the child is acquainted with the perpetrator—and in 34% of cases, the perpetrator is a family member*. 84% of child sexual abuse occurs in a domestic setting—either the victim’s or the perpetrator’s home**. These statistics are based on reported incidents, but it is known that, just like the child protagonist in The Big Bad Wolf in My House, the vast majority of child victims never disclose or report their experiences of abuse**.

While it is possible that some readers may question this aspect of the narrative in hopes of seeing a representation of a more proactive, empowered child protagonist, this passivity is crucial and valuable because it reassures children that abuse is neither their fault nor their responsibility. There are plenty of nonfiction, information, and didactic picture books that encourage child victims to report their experiences to authority figures, but this one acknowledges the reality that telling can be too terrifying or even put children in greater danger.

The illustrations Dion provides for The Big Bad Wolf in My House convey the child’s experience with a sense of menace that complements the written text, thus creating a highly nuanced interweaving of words and images. Rendered in “hand-painted gouache textures combined with painting using a digital pastel brush”, these images extend the child’s narration of her experiences by portraying them visually with nightmarish qualities—especially with the use of blurred lines, and, of course, the terrifying wolf. Colour is also used powerfully. The mother initially wears a red dress which calls up the image of Little Red. Once her new husband is revealed as the monster he is, her dress becomes a downtrodden, frumpy beige. The overall colour scheme throughout the page spreads shifts from darker tones during threatening scenes to lighter colours that suggest quotidian normalcy when there is no abuse actively occurring. This, of course, is the horror of abuse within the home; everything looks perfectly normal to outside eyes.

Many adults will find it challenging to bring themselves to share The Big Bad Wolf in My House with children. Reading a work that acknowledges the danger perpetuated by adults in the home may feel like a betrayal of innocence for many adults committed to protecting children. However, in the case of childhood abuse, innocence is not bliss; on the contrary, knowledge is power. No matter how difficult it is to admit to children that horrific events do happen—and that they can happen at home at the hands of familiar adults—child readers will benefit from becoming aware of this reality. Article 17 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child *** specifies that, “States Parties recognize the important function performed by the mass media and shall ensure that the child has access to information and material from a diversity of national and international sources, especially those aimed at the promotion of his or her social, spiritual and moral well-being and physical and mental health. To this end, States Parties shall: (a) Encourage the mass media to disseminate information and material of social and cultural benefit to the child and in accordance with the spirit of article 29” and “c) Encourage the production and dissemination of children's books.” The Big Bad Wolf in My House indubitably benefits child readers and supports all aspects of their well-being—whether they are victims of abuse or those who need adults to provide a gentle introduction to the magnitude of this widespread societal problem.

Further, Article 29 states that a child’s education should include, “The preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society.” The Big Bad Wolf in My House is a tool that does precisely this. But unlike other didactic picture books about abuse, this one does it with subtlety and grace. The Big Bad Wolf in My House is likely to resonate with readers on a symbolic level, just like the best fairy tales do.

The Big Bad Wolf in My House is a necessary addition to every library and elementary school classroom.

* https://www.rainn.org/statistics/children-and-teens
** http://www.d2l.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/all_statistics_20150619.pdf
*** https://www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention/convention-text#