I read this book in the mid ’80’s. The book was entitled something like, “The Long Road Home,” or “On the Road Home.” It opened with a boy becoming self aware and he was given the task of going on a journey. He befriends a bear and he and the bear undertake the journey together. The antagonist in the story is an evil that feeds off the fear of the boy. This evil, at one time in the book, took the form of a frog or toad. At the climax of the battle between the boy and this evil, the boy finally fought back his fears, the evil shrunk and was picked up by a large stork and dropped in a lake. The dust jacket was plain white, the title of the book was in the lower right hand corner, next to a pencil drawing of the boy and the bear.

Any help would be great. Thank you!