Pilu of the Woods is a graphic novel that’s beautiful in every way possible. The story is one of redemption, of overcoming your inner demons and admitting that fear sometimes gets the better of us and we must learn to move past it to recognize what really matters. It’s a moral story through and through, representing the grief that many kids don’t know how to express. On another note, it’s an ode to being true to yourself and feeling okay with being different from other kids. Eccentric interests may not be understood by everyone but for every interest, there’s somebody else who’s equally infatuated. No one is alone - that’s the key element of the narrative.

The artwork is stunning, filled with rich, intricate details and wonderful stylistic choices. The natural scenes have a woodcut feel, and every leaf, blade of grass, and flower is painstakingly created. There’s a reverence for nature that shines through in the art and it amplifies the message of wonder for the natural world. Willow’s infatuation with nature becomes all the more apparent as she runs through the woods, discovering more and more intimate details of the forest. The real brilliance lies in the artist’s representation of grief monsters bottled up inside. They have a consistent presence, representing Willow’s mood in a fascinating way. This interpretation is a great way to teach kids about emotions they may be too young to understand. I just can’t say enough about how smart and beautiful this art is.

Pilu of the Woods is a great teaching moment for kids who are struggling with grief and need a way to understand what they’re feeing. It’s a good reminder of the beauty in the world for adults who may have forgotten. Above all, it’s a beautiful piece of art that deserves to be read and enjoyed.

This review will be published on 4/9/19: https://reviewsandrobots.com/2019/04/09/pilu-of-the-woods-book-review

Pilu of the Woods is a super cute middle grade graphic novel about Willow, who runs into the forest one day and discovers Pilu, another girl who has run away from home. The novel was beautifully illustrated and I liked how it explored the significance of regulating your emotions without ignoring them. I'm sure younger kids would really like and relate to this graphic novel.

Fun fact: I thought Willow was a boy until I got to the end. I didn't read the synopsis again before reading the book, but still, I don't know how I missed that.

This is a beautiful and heartbreaking story. My eye was caught because the description compared it to Hilda which I’ve fallen in love with recently, but it’s definitely its own story.
Willow is a girl wrestling with her own demons and after a fight with her sister and running away she comes across Pilu, a tree spirit who also ran away from home, and she offers to help take her back home. I loved the manifestation of Willow’s emotions as little demons that she tries to contain, it’s an image that kids can understand and grasp.
The book touches on loss, grief, coping with strong emotions, and strength. Willow thinks the last one means she can’t let anyone see her slip but on this beautiful emotional journey, that definitely made me cry a bit, she comes to learn otherwise.
The art is beautiful (so so beautiful) and bright and colorful. It’s very attention grabbing and I loved it.

This book is so cute. This is so adorable. I loved every second of it! Pilu of the Woods is about Willow, a young girl, who just got into a fight with her older sister. Out of anger, Willow runs away and finds herself in the woods near her home. There she finds Pilu, a tree nymph who is lost. Willow embarks on a journey through the woods to try and help pilu find her way back home. Along the way, they form an unbreakable bond and learn just how similar every one can be.

I honestly really loved reading this book. It was so adorable and I loved the artwork. It was like watercolor which I found fit the story perfectly. And the story itself was so cute and amazing. I really loved how it got darker in the middle when they were talking about the “monsters” that everyone gets. It surprised me to see that I found some part of me in this Middle-grade graphic novel. Truly an amazing book ♡

This graphic novel is seriously one of the sweetest things I ever read. It's a beautifully drawn Middle Grade story about grief and family and how to deal with anger. The messages in this were not only important but also perfectly illustrated and presented. I read it on one go and it was very enjoyable, even for someone who isn't the main audience.

Such a cute story with heart and even some interesting information about forest life. Can't recommend it enough, especially for kids and everyone who enjoys a beautiful, sweet graphic novel.

Gorgeous artwork and a wonderful metaphor for dealing with hard feelings before they become monstrous.

I tend to read a lot of graphic novels, especially those meant for younger readers or middle grade readers. <i>Pilu of the Woods</i> is one such title, and the description appealed to me in much the same way many others have. This story of a little girl who is trying to find compassion both for herself and for those around her is so very endearing, especially when it seems that our world is in great need of compassion. It just goes to show that even little monsters need to be cared for rather than shut away.

Mai K. Nguyen's art style is one of the most adorable I've seen with a blend of realism and whimsy, and it reminds me of the <i>Hilda</i> series. Nguyen keeps the color tones very natural throughout the graphic novel which adds to the overall lush forest setting. Because of this palette, even when the story takes on darker tones, there is also an air of calm that will hopefully ease younger readers' concerns during the climactic scenes. It's simply beautiful in both color and story.

I highly recommend this graphic novel for readers both young and older, and I think <i>Pilu of the Woods</i> would be a great means of exploring emotions and sharing thoughts and feelings.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, for this free eARC.

Pilu of the Woods is such a heartwarming story, with wonderful messages about forgiveness, and learning how to cope with emotions.

I enjoyed this quick read and loved the illustrations! They were absolutely beautiful! As a debut author, I look forward to more from Nguyen.

Absolutely beautiful artwork tells the story of young Willow, struggling to cope with her emotions after a devastating loss. Through her friendship with the forest spirit Pilu, Willow learns that her heart is more like her beloved forest than she'd realized.
Charming, sweet, and dynamically illustrated.

*I received a ebook copy of this graphic novel for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5.

Struggling with her emotions Willow ventures into the nearby woods, a peaceful place she can escape to. Once there she meets the lost tree spirit Pilu, and gives herself the task of helping her find her way back home, as the journey goes on Willow is forced to comfort her own feelings.

I really enjoyed reading this, the art is beautiful and so is the story. It’s perfect for younger readers but also a delightful read for older ones too. The novel takes a fresh look at grief, and how we manage, express and often bottle up our emotions. The characters are all endearing, and all had a key part in making this novel so emotive.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel, I often find with graphic novels I don’t have much to say which was the case with this, but this type of novel speaks for itself. I would recommend this for fans of children’s fictional graphic novels.

This is exactly the book my tender heart needed right now. In this slim graphic novel by debut Mai K. Nguyen (one to watch!), a young girl named Willow struggles to come to terms with her mother's tragic passing. After getting into a fight with her older sister, she runs to the woods with her pup, Chicory, and her knowledge of plants gleaned from adventures with her parents. There, she meets a forest spirit named Pilu and must escort her home, to the magnolia grove that Willow's mother loved. The forest environments are particularly well-drawn and colored, and I loved the characters' design, the hand-lettered aesthetic, and the contrast of bright-hued nature with darker, bottled-up feelings.

The most striking thing about this book is its artistic depiction of negative feelings as small monsters. Willow literally bottles hers up, not dealing with her grief, anger, or pain. Throughout her journey, she must come to terms with the fact that strength comes through kindness, compassion, and emotional awareness, not shutting one's emotions off altogether. Because of this message, and the easy-to-grasp symbolism of the small monsters that grow out of control as Willow's emotions grow more intense, this book is perfect for young and old readers alike.

This is such a poignant and heartwarming tale of family, love, loss and home. The story is perfectly complemented by the wonderful illustrations. I particularly loved the way grief/anxiety/depression are portrayed and illustrated here. I think this would be an excellent story to help kids understand loss and mental health.

This book was adorable, and heartfelt, and just made me feel so much. I loved the mystical / magical vibe of the Woods, and the Magnolia trees were an extra special touch for me. I have family history with a love for Magnolia's, so that made me connect to this so much more. I already have it on my "to buy" list after it releases

I received this an ARC copy from Netgalley.
I gave this a 4.5 out of five stars.

I really enjoyed the story and the art of this. It shows the loss of a parent and the hardships with it and being lonely. This is a middle grade graphic novel. Made me feel sad. I liked this and would continue with it if there was another to come out. I recommend this to people of all ages.

Beautifully crafted, strongly messaged fantastical graphic novels for young readers are always welcome (and needed) in the world, and "Pilu of the Woods" is a great exemplar of the form. Nguyen's art is adorable, the story unique, and the point one worth getting.

The graphic novel Pilu of the Woods follows Willow, a young girl who has a fight with her sister and runs of into the forest. There she meets Pilu, a lost tree spirit who has also had a fight with her family and cannot find the way home. Willow decides to help her, and together they journey through the forest battling demons inside of themselves.

This graphic novel was very, very sweet. The drawings were so cute, and I loved the artstyle! The message this book gives is to not fight your inner demons, but to accept them and work with them. I think this came across nicely. The characters were also lovely, the dialogue easygoing. I seriously feel like I need a physical copy one day so I can stare at it more thoroughly. If you like sweet graphic novels and wants something touching, definitely pick this up!

Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing me with an eArc.

Pilu of the woods is a book that is just heartwarming even though it portray how hard it is sometimes to act when things just did not go the way we expect. But Pilu story is full of feeling and touch you in a gentle way. I think it's a wonderful story that not to be missed. Mai's illustration that accompany the story make it even more complete and soooo lovely. I highly recommend it! I will read more books by the author <3

A comic for young readers tackling heavy topics like anger, grief, loss and forgiving yourself. The story is told through the touching friendship between two young girls, both looking for love and acceptance in a world where they feel lost. The art style is adorable and the colours are perfect for it. Beautiful graphic novel!

I love this book. Simple yet meaningful. It will teach our kids not to bottle up their feeling, it’s okay to feel angry but don’t be aggresive. And remember that your family will always be there for you.

It’s very interesting read with detailed illustrations. Definitely make list to be read with/to my toddler.

Thank you netgalley for providing the arc.

I wasn't expecting to cry in a coffee shop today but alas, here I am. This book is a gift to unlocking our understanding of feelings and emotions for those young and old. It explains how ignoring our feelings doesn't make them go away in a way we can all benefit from. The illustrations add to the description of feelings and it is quite simply one of the better explanations I've seen and heard. At no point does this graphic novel talk down to the reader or expect too little of them. This easy-to-read story is one young readers can come back to time and again. I'm fully confident that everyone who reads this book will walk away better for it.