Heartwarming graphic novel about learning to identify and handle all feelings rather than stuffing away the "bad" ones. The art and lettering were beautiful and engaging. I loved Willow and her fast friendship with Pilu.

'Pilu of the Woods' with story and art by Mai K. Nguyen is a graphic novel about grief and new friends.

Willow lives near the woods and knows them pretty well. She was taught by her mother and father, but now her mother is gone and Willow is sad and angry. One day when she is in the woods, she meets a forest creature named Pilu and helps her get back home. they both have things to teach each other.

This was such an excellent read in story and art. I love the storyline, but I adored the art with it's heavy lines and beautiful depictions. Highly recommended.

A sweet 9-12, middle grade, comic that will appeal to children and adults, ideal for fans of Hilda. Heartwarming and bittersweet as Willow must grapple with loss, friendship and complex emotions.

Perfect for fans of Kay O'Neill and Lorena Alvarez. Willow loves the woods. One day they stumble upon a tree spirit named Pilu. Pilu is lost and Willow helps them find there way home. Together they go on a journey and become fast friends. Beautiful storytelling and beautiful graphics.

A vibrant and moving graphic novel centring around Willow who loves the woods near her house and runs to them after an argument with her sister. She meets Pilu, a tree spirit and decides to help them find their way home. prepare to fall in love with the woods with beautiful descriptions and images of the foliage and nature that reside there. This a comic that will hit you right in the heart and stay with you.

The woods near Willow’s house also feel so calm and quiet, unlike the turbulent emotions warring inside of her. When she runs off into the woods one day, she meets a lost tree spirit, Pilu, who needs help finding her way home. The long journey will have each one facing a storm of emotions, which manifest themselves physically.

Mai K. Nguyen’s (Amazon affiliate link) Pilu of the Woods is an adorably illustrated graphic novel which addresses dealing with emotions head on. Children often have difficulty balancing their emotions with how society tells them they should or should not handle them. Pilu of the Woods discusses those hard emotions openly and with honesty. The book should appeal to elementary age children.

A sweet story about a girl finding her way through grief. That being said I felt the story had some undeveloped potential and that it could have been fleshed out a bit more. That is a tricky balance somtimes with graphic novels. I adored the the wonderfull illustrations and the use of a soft color palette was a nice touch befitting of the story.

I thought I posted my review before- but I used this book to communicate the feelings of anger with my 5 yr old and it helped. We are not to the point where we work on our anger instead of bottling it up inside- which I tell him all the time isn't right. Especially when you use that anger against others. I love it and it honestly moved to tears. Maybe I'm just a crybaby but I enjoyed it myself.

I love a book that starts and ends with a blossom - beautiful.

Two sisters approximately 10 years apart, they've lost their mother and tensions are high as the youngest (Willow) acts out at school. After yet another argument with her sister, Willow and the faiy dog run off into the woods. While in the forest Willow fids a young spirit of the woods "Pilu" who has run away from her own tensions and disagreements back at spirit home - and now she's lost.

In helping Pilu, Willow helps herself; realizing that running away doesn't solve anything. Willow guides Pilu back to her home learning along the way.

Lovely illustrations of forest life keep your eyes on the page from start to finish.

with my kids getting more and more into graphic novels I have been trying to read them too. While I did love the art in this one, the story itself didn’t completely grab my attention.

Be still my heart. “ Pilu of the Woods”… this review is not going to be long at all. This middle grade graphic novel gave me all the feels and it contained some very beautiful artwork! I do think the ending was just a tad rushed but overall, I loved it!

The art is reminiscent of many popular favorites out there, but the story was just a bit too cutesy and fluffy for me, especially with the lost potential for exploration of hard emotions like loss and grief.

A strong, distinctive look, but an overly familiar subject -- "fantasy adventure helps young person learn to deal with emotions" -- never grabbed my attention.

A lovely book. The art style was very cute, and the color palette was refreshing. Story can be improved a little (by focusing on the origin of little monsters and the promise Willow gave to her mother).

I loved the art. It was very cute and fit with the story very well. The characters were well developed and original. My only issue was with the story which felt forced, like the author was fitting too much in a short space. Everything happened too fast.
Nevertheless I loved how the art accentuated the story

Pilu of the Woods is a magical story that explores family and grief. The art is saturated with color and texture and adorable on top of being perfect for the tone of the story. Pilu is a sympathetic character who I followed with love while wishing her all the best. The story deals with grief gracefully, sensitively, and in a way that's understandable to younger audiences. It also offers light and hope in the face of darkness. I would love to read more by Mai K. Nguyen.

This is a nice book.

First of all, as soon as I opened it up, I was floored. The art is absolutely stunning, I love everything about it. The roundness of the characters, the colours, everything works.

And okay, this isn’t the most complex story I’ve ever read, but it takes an interesting approach to serious topics. And in the end it left me feeling happy, not only for the characters but also for the fact that I got to be there with them for the ride.

Rating: 4 stars

“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.”

This is a sweet children’s book and I loved the social emotional aspect. I will definitely share this title with students and other educators.

Overall a very good message about not trying to close off from your feelings because then they explode. However, I'm not wild about personifying emotions as 'monsters.' Enjoyed the art overall but found some panels to be confusingly drawn or extraneous.

This story by Mai is very heartwarming and cute! The art is wonderful and full of beautiful colors. It has strong messages in it as well. Although the story is supposed to be for children, I enjoyed it a lot. A highly recommended read.