Willow has a fight with her sister, and runs out to the woods where she used to go hiking with her mother. She meets a tree spirit named Pilu, who has run away from her grove, and the two form a friendship and help one another navigate their turbulent emotions.

Both girls are struggling with loneliness and anger, and they are remorseful after arguing with their families, but don't know how to stop. When Willow's emotional monsters begin to take on a real form, the two girls are in danger, until Pilu discovers how to resolve the emotional pain both girls are hiding.

The setting of the beautiful forest is really lovely, and has such a powerful impact on the story. The rushing water in a stream, a circle of mushrooms glistening with dew, a large green leaf fluttering on the wind, all these things set a tone for the story. Sometimes it's a quiet mood, and sometimes it's a powerful rainstorm and flashing light through the trees.

The illustrations are captivating and enchanting! I love the beautiful greenery and vibrant colors, and I love how the lines invoke movement. The expressions on each character's face really tell the story and give depth to the characters.

I loved this graphic novel! It's really emotional and moving.

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

A beautiful graphic novel. I couldn’t put it down. The artwork is gorgeous and the story line is deep and perfect for kiddos and adults. Willow is struggling with her emotions (grief, loneliness, anger…) over the lose of her mother and literally bottles them up in little jars. Pilu is struggling with her own feelings of being overshadowed in a large family. It’s such a perfect stepping stone to talk with your kids about what to do with all those feelings they might not know what to put names to or how to handle. The inclusion of nature within the whole book really made the book for me. I am a big lover of nature and any book that has a character that loves to study and explore the natural world is a winner.

I read a lot of children’s book and “Pilu of the Woods”, written and illustrated by Mai K. Nguyen, has become one of my favourites in no time! It is a story about a young girl called Willow, struggling with intense emotions that she keeps bottling up. She usually runs away to the forest, where it is calm and she is safe. There she meets a girl called Pilu and together they find their way home through friendship, empathy and learning to listen to your emotions.

The reason why i mentioned i read a lot of children’s book is that, in most of them, central yet hard topics are discussed in a way that children can hopefully relate and understand. There are some that achieve this successfully, and some that don’t.

“Pilu of the Woods” is an example of how amazingly it can be done. I don’t want to give any spoilers so i will only say that the analogy Nguyen uses in her story with the little monsters is a great description of mental health for younger audiences. I cried my eyes out throughout the last half of the book because it was all too real and beautiful!

Moreover the illustrations are incredible! The soft and rounded nature of it, and the pastel colours that were used goes great with the story. Words are often integrated into the illustrations (usually as cursives) and illustrations are used to indicate transitions between times and emotions. All of this is done masterfully. Also, overall, they are just way too adorable :3

In the end, i cannot recommend this book enough. I do believe everyone can get something out of it. It is not only ideal for younger audiences, but also for people from any age.

Pilu of the Woods is a beautifully illustrated comic about a girl facing her "little monsters" (negative emotions) while helping a forest spirit make it home. I feel that this comic's story is told very well - simple enough that a kid could understand and enjoy it but with enough depth that I really loved it as an adult reader, too. I hope that there will be more of these thoughtful adventures with Willow and her dog Chickory!

This graphic novel is adorable! It has such great messaging about some pretty serious subjects. Willow's mother has recently passed away and she's having a hard time processing it. She's being bullied at school and crying in the bathroom. She takes out her emotions on her older sister and runs off into the woods. In the woods, she meets a cryign girl who helps her to understand more about how to process her emotions and how to be protective of nature.



Emotions are compared to mushrooms is such a great way. Every forest has them; you just have to figure out which ones are good and which ones can hurt you. This book would be great for a middle-grade audience.



This comic has the looks of the Netflix show Hilda or the tv series Over the Garden Wall and has the emotional pull of the Pixar film Inside Out.



I give this book a 5/5. It's adorable and tells a heartfelt story about emotions and nature.

This was adorable! This story was really cute and I loved the artwork. It was really easy to get into and I read it really fast! I can definitely see people from any age group loving this. I think this story would be great for kids because it gives great examples of how to cope with loss and forgiveness. It was a really meaningful story and I really enjoyed it!

Nothing stood out as remarkable for me while reading this book but it was super adorable and I loved the family and friendships that were developed!

“Just because you cannot see it, doesn’t mean it’s not important… doesn’t mean it’s gone.”

This is a story about facing and embracing our emotion before it gets the best of us. Pilu of the Wood is an uplifting middle-grade graphic novel that deals with loss, friendship and family.

I’ve been into reading Graphic novels lately, so I browsed graphic novel titles on NetGalley to see if I can find some books worthy of reading. I am really glad I found this beauty! This is definitely one of the sweetest novels I read. Basically, the story is about Willow, a girl who lost her mother, who helped a lost tree spirit named Pilu to find her way home. This is such an emotional read. The author carefully wrote and illustrated overwhelming complex feelings through a child’s perspective. This book will help children understand and explain these emotions as adults themselves find it hard to explain why children sometimes have to go through the tough stuff.

Moreover, the art is definitely unique, and although the doodle and cartoon style appeals to the young reader, I am drawn completely to it, too. I also like how the colors change in panels depending on the mood. The nostalgic and happy moments are bright with yellow and orangy palettes, while the sad ones have bluish monotone.

“Nobody likes to be ignored.”

This novel just spoke volumes to me. I am not really good at expressing my emotions, and I just usually push it down especially the negative ones. Like the monsters that Willow kept inside the jars, these suppressed emotions grow inside me and just want more to be let out. In a burst of emotions, I usually lash out and say things to my loved ones that I would surely regret later. This story enlightened me that we have all the monster inside us, and that opening up our feelings to others is beneficial for us.

“We gotta be careful not to hurt the things around us because nothing’s really gone forever, not words, not things, not people. Everything leaves a little mark.”

Overall, Pilu of the Woods by Mai K. Nguyen is a heart touching story with a charming story and drawing. Both adults and young readers will relate to this.

5/5 stars!

This is beautiful. A lovely book for kids that are having trouble with intense feelings/grief.
The story and illustrations are both lovely, I especially enjoyed the way the sounds of the forest are woven through the pictures.

Received via NetGalley for review

A gorgeous and touching little story filled with beautiful and evocative artwork. Nguyen truly understand the complex emotions that come with being a family and after a great loss, and the struggle to find your way back to who you were after tragedy.

While nothing is explicitly spelled out, it's still very clear what happened to Willow's mother and how her family re-formed afterwards and how Willow struggled with that, which is wonderful. Doing so in this way really allows for the story to show that Willow's grief is ever-present but not necessarily an anchor weighing her down and that it's possible for her to move forward.

Truly a wonderful story and a pleasure to read.

A girl and a forest spirit unexpectedly meet in the woods after both have left home angry and upset with their families. The girls wander the woods, and work through their emotions together. Fun nature facts are peppered throughout. Powerful story, and beautiful artwork to accompany it.

This story was a beautiful story of dealing with forgiveness and grief. I loved Willow and Pilu’s friendship and how they each helped one another deal with their inner monsters! The art style was beautiful and I absolutely loved the design of Pilu and how she mirrored a magnolia in several ways. Absolutely loved this!

This is such a sweet book! I can see why a lot of reviews reference Hilda--the art is beautiful while the character designs are cartoony. I loved how Nguyen weaved the text of sound effects into the environment. The story is sweet and sad and focuses on the importance of not suppressing emotions. Definitely recommended!

Cute story, beautiful art! I would recommend this for grades 4-6 but I think it would also appeal to younger teens.

*I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Pilu of the Woods is a touching, gorgeously-illustrated story about grief in childhood, and working through it. Obviously meant for children, the book was heartbreaking and heartwarming, but easy to follow and never too grim (despite the “monsters” hiding in every page). The dialogue was sprinkled with environmental tidbits that never came across as preachy, but felt apt, given the current issues of climate change and global warming.

The plot follows Willow, a middle schooler dealing with the recent passing of her mother and feelings of guilt. After a fight with her elder sister, she runs into her beloved woods and meets Pilu, a fairy-like sapling running away from her family in the groove. The two girls strike the easy friendship of children and relate to each other through their similar, though different feelings of loneliness and pain. Through their interactions, the joy of being seen and understood, accepted and liked is palpable. But the instant bond goes beyond, and both girls push the other into facing their fears and mistakes.

Having lost my father at a similar age, I found myself nodding along, relating to Willow’s outbursts and desperation. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to any parent whose book-loving children are working through the stages of grief. It might help them talk about their feelings. But, that said, I recommend this book to anyone who loves fairy-tales and graphic novels; and to anyone else who’s willing to give heartfelt stories a chance.

Nguyen’s illustrations bring the world to life in bursts of colors: pastel-like shades; vibrant greens and reds; sudden blacks and purples. I loved Willow’s design in particular: the round glasses and unkempt hair; the shorts and hoodies. But every character felt alive, and so did every page.

This was such an unexpected delight. The cute, charming artwork of Pilu of the Woods belies a hard-hitting and much-needed message about facing our feelings--the good, the bad, and the ugly--and holding our loved ones close. While intended for children, this beautiful graphic novel will resonate with readers of ALL ages, young or old.

I'm not even true if I was the audience or demographic for this, but I absolutely loved this. Whole heatedly adored.

The art is amazing, it's so cozy and cute, warm and somber. I'd definitely look out for more by this artist. Luckily, the story was great too! Wasn't what I was expecting but I'm glad. It definitely exceeded my expectations.

Would highly recommend, for young or old. I feel like anyone could appreciate this.

I absolutely loved every little bit of this comic. The art work is lovely and the story is moving and inspiring. I read it in one sitting and couldn't help but get emotional and cry. I recommend this to everyone willing to start reading comics, or anyone who already loves them, and is interested in growth and family relationships.

"Willow loves the woods near her house."

This book surprised me and not just with its beautiful art but with the turns the story takes. It weaves the past and present, the realistic and the magical in such a way that you can't help but be mesmerized.

My only gripe I have with this is that halfway through the story becomes very rushed and as a result some of it's charm loses its appeal.

This is such a beautiful with such intricate and very well drawn illustrations. This story is centred towards middle graders but it has even made me moved by how deep they story got. There were so many important yet crucial messages that I personally could take for myself as a moral-that we need to understand and try to control the demons living inside us better. To not run away from it and to face it head on. I have also learned that we should not handle the people around for granted because they could be gone just as quick.

I really love this entire story, the setting and especially the beautiful illustrations along the way. It was probably one of the best book that I have read in one full sitting. I feel that people need to know about this book and read it as soon as it comes out.