To quote a review:
"This allegorical story and beautifully illustrated picture book tells a haunting tale 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."

You never see the wolf, (nor is there a father figure in the family) which easily leads to the question "What do you think the wolf is?" and further into examining our ways of dealing with fear and the nature of fear itself.

I read this to a bunch of kids one evening and you could have heard a pin drop.