All children have their bogeymen and things that go bump in the night. Mine was a woof that lived in my closet (I couldn’t say the “l” in wolf until sometime after high school. Shut up, it’s endearing.) . An animated, standing on his hind legs, Big Bad type. Luckily he could be managed by simply making sure the closet door was firmly shut at night. Sometime after their one millionth door check my parents decided to take literary action. They turned to the winning team of Harry Allard and James Marshall (Miss Nelson Is Missing!). Here was a story guaranteed to get me over my irrational fear of make-believe wolves.
An old man and his three even more elderly pets are sadly lacking in pep. They place an advertisement for a charming companion. The respondant (in a beige trenchcoat and matching spats) is a furry stranger by the name of Cuthbert Q. Devine. Cuthbert claims to be a German Shepherd despite various clues that point to his being a wolf. The old man and pets are completely taken in. They find that Cuthbert Devine is indeed a divine companion. He cooks, he cleans, he pays the bills, he grooms the cat and walks the dog, he organizes fancy dress costume parties. (If anyone knows where I can find one of these, write immediately and no mom, I don’t want the one who’s living in my old closet, that one stays there with you, he’s evil I tell you!) They are blissful together until Cuthbert’s checkered past as a bank robber and scoundrel is revealed. Never fear, the story ends happily, with all five of our friends living in Arizona (to this day!!) I can’t say as it was the cure for my woofaphobia, but It’s Nice to Have a Wolf Around the House certainly was the star of many bedtime reading sessions.
Great for: Lessons on schema change. If you want to teach children about how books change their perceptions have them tell you all the things they know about (storybook) wolves, and then discuss how Cuthbert changed their opinions!
Sex, Nudity, Dating – Cuthbert is clothed but other animals are not. Because they’re animals, not charming companions.
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore – Cuthbert used to rob banks, although there is no indication that he ever hurt anyone while doing this.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Cuthbert hooks the cat on catnip.
Frightening or Intense Things – A character suffers a nervous breakdown.
I love the idea of a cat hooked on cat nip. I’ll have to look for this one- I’m pretty sure our libraries have it. And, for the record, I can’t sleep with the closet door open even now. And you know about the troll in the basement.
There is NO WOLF in the closet. I swear. You father checked EVERY single night. Even to this day, he checks (well, you can never be too sure, can you?)