Woolvs in the Sitee

Well! This brilliantly disturbing picture-book is something a little different! Dystopian fiction for the school set? Yes. Or, perhaps no. An award-winning Australian import - it was given an Aurealis Award (Australia's science-fiction, fantasy and horror prize) in 2007, and chosen as a CBC (Children's Book Council) Honour Book - Woolvs in the Sitee is the story of Ben, a terrified young boy living in what appears to be a post-apocalyptic world. Hiding in his basement room, emerging every once in a while to seek water, and companionship with his neighbor, the kind "Missus" Radinski, Ben worries about the hateful "woolvs" that haunt the "sitee," and longs to see a blue sky again, rather than the bleak gray and black skies that hang over show more the mostly abandoned city outside. When Missus Radinski disappears, however, Ben must put aside his fear and go in search of his only friend and companion...

Who, or what, are these woolvs? This is never made entirely clear in Margaret Wild's eerie story, and that ambiguity gives the narrative an immense power, as fear is so often accentuated when it is vague, and the unknown danger can feel far more threatening than the specific one. If this truly is a post-apocalyptic dystopia, than the woolvs might be some sort of horrific creatures, or perhaps bands of roving humans, transformed into marauding gangs by whatever disaster overtook their society. On the other hand, if - as has been suggested by some reviewers - this is a story of mental illness, with the bleak world around Ben reflecting his illness, or being a depiction of the world as viewed through the distorted lens of his illness, then perhaps the woolvs are his own personal demons - the emblems of his disease. Although I lean toward the former, I think either interpretation works pretty well. show less

I think I will have nightmares tonight. This book is terrifying in both the language and the illustrations. It is dark in every way. At first, I thought I wouldn't share it with young children, but wouldn't this be a better way for them to entice their need for scary stories? For older readers, this book could invite them to think differently about writing narratives. Wild stretches the conventional aspects of picture books, and it is spellbinding!

I found this book to be very dark, strange, yet intriguing and a great discussion piece. I love that this book can be interpreted in many ways, but it is also frustrating to not really have an answer. Is it a zombie apocalypse? war destruction? a mentally ill child? or just a nightmare?

A young boy escaping depression. The word choice forces you to slow down and really take in the mood and tone of the book.

Due to its challenging presentation of language, this is a tough book that promotes significant discussion and analysis. At the heart of the book, Ben is afraid, and the book gives readers the opportunities to evaluate the power of fear and how it changes one's perspective. Could make connections to Holocaust or post-apocalyptic society. The illustrations are haunting yet fabulous.

In one of the most unique and strange books i have ever read words must be read loud to be understood. author Margaret wild talks about Ben and his fear of wolves . The wolves are never presented in the books, leading us to believe that the wolves were only in Ben's mind. This can be applied to our lives .A lot of times we fear things that we do not know or find strange or different , and start creating ideas about them. Later on the story Ben is forced to leave his hideouts and look for Missus Radinski , where he find the real world , and decide that he will never be afraid again.

: I didn’t know how to respond to this story. I wondered if the boy was truly afraid of an actual creature or if this was all in his head. While reading this I went back and forth numerous times wondering if this boy was in Germany hiding from the SS or if he had a mental disability. This book seems really dark and creepy I’m not sure if I would read it to my class especially since I still don’t know what to think about it.