The Wolves in the Walls Neil Gaiman Illustrated by Dave McKean BEFORE YOU START Prepare a group journal to help you record group discussions and responses to the text as you work through the book. Prepare an outline of the character Lucy, ready to complete using the Role on the Wall technique. © Bloomsbury SESSION 1 Focus: Predicting, Close Reading and Empathising Share the front cover illustration without reading the blurb. Invite the children to discuss their initial observations and responses. • What do you notice? • What do you like? What don’t you like? • What sort of story do you think this might be? What makes you think that? • Do you think you would choose this book for yourself? Why / why not? • Have you read anything else written by Neil Gaiman or illustrated by Dave McKean? The children might be familiar with Neil Gaiman’s other picture books and novels, including Chu’s Day illustrated by Adam Rex, Cinnamon illustrated by Divya Srinivasan, Coraline and The Graveyard Book illustrated by both Chris Riddell and Dave McKean, and Fortunately, The Milk illustrated by Chris Riddell. Dave McKean’s other illustrative works include: The Savage by David Almond, Varjak Paw by S.F. Said, and The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman. –––––– © Bloomsbury After noting down children’s initial responses, continue the discussion, considering the character depicted on the cover and how the title and image might relate to a possible storyline. • What do you think might happen in this story? What makes you think that? • What can you tell about the character on the cover? • How old do you think she might be? • What do you think she’s doing? • How do you think she’s feeling? • What might she be thinking? How do you know? • What can we tell from her facial expression or body language? • What might she be looking at? • What is she not looking at? How does that make you feel? • What might have happened just before this image? What might be about to happen? • Does this remind you of other stories you know? [The children may make connections with other horror or supernatural stories.] Note down the children’s early predictions and responses, to reflect on when they have finished the book. –––––– © Bloomsbury Read and share the illustrations for the first four spreads (up to ‘hatching their wolfish schemes’). Ask the children to discuss their responses to the text so far. Begin to explore their responses to the start of the book with the help of the four basic questions. These questions can be used as a basis for discussion throughout the sessions. • Tell me… was there anything you liked about this text? • Was there anything that you particularly disliked… ? • Was there anything that puzzled you? • Were there any patterns… any connections that you noticed… ? As children respond it can be useful to write down what they say under the headings ‘likes’, ‘dislikes’, ‘puzzles’ and ‘patterns’. Record the children’s responses in the journal and return to any queries as the sessions continue. –––––– Give the children time to return to each of the illustrations and consider the role they play in telling the story, as well as the text. • How do the illustrations make you feel? • What aspects of the illustrations make you feel that way? • Which methods has Dave McKean used to create these illustrations? • Why might he have made those particular decisions? • What do you like about them? What don’t you like? On his website (www.davemckean.com/personal/faq), Dave McKean summarises his approach to materials: “I use whatever is appropriate for the job. If the story needs close storytelling and a light, simple style of narrative, then probably pen and ink, or brushpen, or pencil would be best. If the story needs a more symbolic approach then maybe collage, or paint, or digital. It all comes down to the emotion and atmosphere you want to convey.” There is also a short video you could share in which he talks further about these decisions: Dave McKean talks about his illustration techniques – CILIP CKG Children’s Book Awards: https://vimeo.com/41273134. As the children respond to the illustrations, encourage them to consider the layout and composition of each image. Look at lines and patterns, facial expressions, body language, props, perspective, scale, colour and the interaction between the words and the pictures. –––––– © Bloomsbury Return to the main character of Lucy. • How much more do you know about her now? • How does this compare to the predictions you made at first? • How do you think Lucy feels? What makes you think that? • How do her feelings change across these four spreads? • How does she feel at the start when she is walking around the house? • When does she start to hear the noises? • Is there anything that exacerbates her feelings of unease and fear? –––––– Encourage the children to empathise with Lucy. Draw out any personal connections they wish to share. • Have you ever had a worry or a fear that someone didn’t believe? How did that make you feel? • Have you ever heard strange noises and created an image in your mind of what it might be? • How would you feel if you heard strange noises in the walls? • What would you do if this happened to you? • Why do you think Lucy picks up and speaks to her childhood toy? • Have you ever had a special toy or object that was a comfort to you? –––––– © Bloomsbury Explore Lucy’s mother’s response to her fears: “I’m sure it’s not wolves [...] For you know what they say... If the wolves come out of the walls, then it’s all over. [...] Everybody knows that.” Discuss what might be meant by this statement. • Have they ever heard anyone use the phrase ‘You know what they say’? • If so, then when and why might it be used? The children might have heard it in other stories or before somebody shares a proverb or idiom, such as “You know what they say… don’t put all your eggs in one basket” or “You know what they say… good things come to those who wait...’’. The class could collect and define proverbs they know, before creating their own. Discuss any questions or puzzles that are raised by Lucy’s mother’s statement. • Who might ‘they’ be? • What is the ‘it’ that will be over? • If ‘everybody’ knows that, then why doesn’t Lucy? • Are the children surprised by Lucy’s mother’s response? Why / why not? –––––– Finish the session by comparing what has been discovered with the children’s initial ideas. Ask them to predict how the story might develop from this point. © Bloomsbury SESSION 2 Focus: Summarising, Empathising and Close Reading Ask the children to summarise what you have discovered so far and their first impressions of Lucy and her family. Re-read from the beginning and then on to the next double page spread (up to ‘and he went back to practising his tuba’). Discuss the children’s observations about her father’s response. • How is Lucy’s father’s response similar to or different from her mother’s? • How would you describe Lucy’s father’s characterisation? • How has Dave McKean responded to the father’s dialogue in his depiction of the character? • How would you describe Lucy’s father’s attitude towards Lucy, her pig and her fears? • How does it make you feel? How do you imagine Lucy might feel? –––––– Continue to explore the children’s responses with the help of the four basic questions. You might consider any other stories the children know in which wolves are feared. • How are the wolves in those stories normally characterised? • What are the features of those stories? In pairs or small groups, the children could note down and discuss some of those stories, which could include folk tales such as The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, Peter and the Wolf and The Boy Who Cried Wolf. –––––– © Bloomsbury Read the next spread, in which Lucy attempts to speak to her brother about her fears, and allow time for the children to respond and make observations. Continue to explore Lucy’s relationship with her different family members. Put the children into pairs and ask each pair to choose one of the three conversations featured in the book so far. Give them time to allocate a character to each person and to rehearse the direct speech only as a performance reading. Ask them to reflect back on the discussions about each character’s attitudes and feelings and to try to convey that through how they say the words. After each pair has had sufficient time to practice, ask some pairs to volunteer to perform their dialogue. • What similarities and differences do they notice between different pairs’ interpretations of the same text? –––––– Reflect on the events of the story so far and the character of Lucy. Ask the children to complete a Role on the Wall for Lucy. Ask the children to come up with words or phrases to describe Lucy’s feelings or personality and her outward appearance or behaviour. To promote a higher level of thinking, ask the children to consider what we know from Lucy’s speech and what we have to infer from her body language and gestures. Encourage them to draw on both the text and the illustration for evidence. • What does something Lucy does tell us about her personality? • And how does her personality make that action seem most likely (‘in character’)? Encourage the children to return to the Role on the Wall as you read the story, using a different colour each time to show the knowledge they gain as they read more and to track the emotional journey Lucy takes.