I loved this! It would be perfect for fans of The Tea Dragon Society and the Hilda series. The art style was adorable and I loved how the colour palette changed to pastel when it was a memory. The message of acknowledging your feelings was one I think both children and adults could find touching and relatable, All the little details about mushrooms, monsters and the light inclusion of fantasy made it a perfect read,

I loved everything about this book! The artwork was wonderful, and I especially loved how she truly captured the essence of being in the woods - I could hear the birds chirping and the stream babbling and the various sounds under their feet, and somehow she captured that magicalness of woods! The plot was wonderful too, especially for this age group - everyone fights with their siblings and their parents sometimes, and everyone runs away sometimes (or at least wants to), and especially that everyone just needs that right friend to talk things out with. I thought it had a great message for preteens on dealing with their feelings!

first off, let me say thank you thank you thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for giving me a chance to read one for free, in exchange for a fair and honest review. this is a GEM!

the art is incredible, and perfect for the story. i'm in love with the designs for our two heroines: the tomboy willow, with her floppy hair and big sweater, and our adorable freckled forest child pilu. the art lends a lot to the dreamy quality of the tale, and it reminds me a lot of the stories i grew up on myself.

we so often underestimate what children can understand, but they are as capable of grief, fear, and growth as the rest of us (if not more capable, in my opinion), and this novel is the perfect example of how to write big ideas for young people. this is a story of connection, loss, and grief, but it's also a story about the importance of our own emotions, even the negative ones. it's about healing, and what it means to face the bad things in order to reach the good. it's about the importance of compassion to ourselves, as well as to others. that's a lesson any of us can learn from, and i'll admit that it struck a chord deep within me as i read.

overall, this is a beautiful little novel, and i can't wait to purchase my own copy once it's released!

Pilu of the Woods is such a delight. Told via the idea of (adorable, honestly) monsters in mason jars, the overall take-away I got from this is to not bottle up emotions because they will not like that (see: cute-monster-frowny-faces) and eventually it will all explode and quite possibly hurt yourself in the process.

The story is centered around Willow, a young girl who has a habit of bottling up emotions, her dog Chico (the goodest boi omg that puppy is the best!) and Pilu, a tree spirit who lives in the magnolia trees near Willow's home but has run away because her mother is upset with her, and now can't find her way home. Willow herself has just run away from home because she's upset with her older sister, and decides to show Willow the way back to the magnolia trees. On the journey back, Willow discovers the secret to not only dealing with her little bottled-up monsters, but also how to do so healthily. There's a lovely message of both mental health, friendship and loneliness to be found here, and a bunch of nifty mushroom facts, too! I mean, even the so-called "monsters" are cute as all get-out, too, so there is only winning with this book. Honestly, just, the art. It's so great.

This book is truly magical. It's an emotional journey through grief and learning to live with your inner demons. And friendship of course.
Willow gets angry with her big sister and runs away to the woods. There she encounters a little tree spirit Pilu, who has also run away and now is lost. Willow knows where Pilu's magnolia grove home is and promises to show the way.
The colors of the illustration are true to the earthy theme. And the illustrations are simply superb.
Thank you NetGalley and Oni Press for a free copy of this book.

This story was so touching and had such deep meaning. It really was heartfelt and even made me tear up. This was short and very sweet and I would definitely recommend this to others. I thought the ending was really beautiful

This is a really sweet look at grief and bottling up your feelings. It is appropriate for a young child as the pictures are very beautiful and detailed of nature and the woods. The story of a young girl who gets angry and runs away to the forest and finds a lost wood nymph is delightful. It describes making new friends but also still remembering those who are gone.

Wonderful graphic novel that deals with losing a parent - and the "monsters" that follow after. Willow's friendship and adventure with Pilu help her learn to not ignore the monsters (that embody hurt, guilt, fear, etc.) but to listen to them. I also found it fantastic that they mentioned that some monsters can be good and helpful, and some can be bad, and to learn to recognize and name your monsters in order to discern between the two. I thought that was wonderful mental health advice and helps children learn that feelings shouldn't be ignored, even if they can be destructive. Just a heartfelt book with wonderful illustrations and understated color.

Willow had a bad day and ran to the woods where she met Pilu, a tree spirit, who also ran away from home. Willow helped Pilu find her way home, and this journey changed both their lives.

This is such a cute and touching story about a little girl who learns how to deal with her loss and grief. The art is beautiful and I also love the little tidbits about the woods.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a review copy.

Willow runs into the woods and meets Pilu, who is trying to make her way back home. Both characters are struggling with their emotions and healthy ways to express them, specifically around loneliness, grief, and anger.

This graphic novel was so adorable, and the artwork is wonderful. I love the illustrations of the art, and the plant science interwoven into the story. It’s a perfect introduction to teaching kids (and adults!) about self care and emotional intelligence, with some very concrete tips (journaling, identifying feelings, finding healthy ways to express them). We can all learn a little bit from this cute story!

Thanks to netgalley for letting me get an early peek at Pilu of the Woods, my first graphic novel of 2019!

Pilu of the Woods tells in amazing colors and drawings the story of Willow, a little girl that tries to bottle up all her little monsters, little monsters that makes her feel angry and mad and that when they grow and scape make her say all the things she didn't want.

After a fight with her sister, she runs up to the woods she used to go with her mother, where she meets up Pilu. A wood nymph that ran away from home, and together they help each other about their little monsters while getting Pilu back to her home.

It's beautifully written to help kids to not bottle up their problems, that maybe accepting them will make the little monsters better, will not make them explode and say things that will get them on trouble or they will regret later, like Will regrets.

It's a graphic novel that I totally see helping kids, and that's something that I really like and see that it's needed in this world, so I 10/10 recommend it! It's 151 are easily read and so smoothly. Cute and thoughtful.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Oni Press for letting me read this lovely book in exchange of a honest review!

I fell in love with the gorgeous artwork immediately. But do not be fooled by the overall cuteness, because the story is actually very heavy and dark and there are monsters hiding on every frame.


This is a story of a little girl named Willow. She lives with her family near a lovely forest. It's pretty clear from the start that she is very unhappy and does not get on well with kids at school and with her sister. One day, she meets a cute but lost little forest spirit named Pilu and helps her find her way home. In the process of helping Pilu, Willow also discovers the path to facing her own problems.


The use of color themes to differentiate between past and present is very helpful and really helps the reading experience. It’s a bit text heavy for a graphic novel, but it's something I can forgive with this one. The story is a metaphor for mental illness and for such a complicated topic, I think the author still did a great job.


It’s about depression and anxiety and how it affects our family and friends. Mental health is an issue we should be aware of even at a young age. It's also about loss of loved ones and how to move on as a family after such a tragedy. The story reminds us to be kind to everyone we meet because we don’t know what struggles they are going through.


I also love the message that it's okay to cry sometimes--crying is not a sign of weakness if it means we are being in touch with our emotions and honest with our reactions to our environment.


It’s all about learning to accept who you are in order to start the process of loving yourself. My favorite part of this story is its message to be kind to your monsters--not necessarily letting them win, but to understand them, and work with them to be able to function normally as a whole being. This is a concept I rarely see and it was illustrated so simply and brilliantly.


I would highly recommend this book to anyone who needs more books about mental health awareness, beautiful friendships, and to everyone else who loves great stories and art.

Oh gosh, this is so adorable! I love the story and illustrations. Definitely one of my favorites from 2018. It's the cutest thing and an heart-warming graphic novel with relatable characters and with and important message to say . Deal with your monsters, don't be afraid of your feelings, trust people, listen to yourself and more than that, respect yourself and others. I simply loved everything on this graphic novel. Really, just read it! It says it's middle grade but I assure you that adults can read it, have fun and learn something from it.

This is wonderful graphic novel for kids of any age with gorgeous nature scenery for anyone who remembers exploring the woods.

I originally picked up this book since the art looked really good and I wanted to see what the next generation of comic artists will be making plus support a fellow Vietnamese American! Nguyen also did a nature-focused comic that dealt with flooding in a Kickstarter anthology that I backed in 2012, so I’m glad she continued with comics.

Willow runs away with her dog to the woods after a fight with her sister and finds the lost forest spirit Pilu. I liked the friendship scenes where they’re both explaining some random cool facts about mushrooms or flowers. Also, Willow has a problem with “monsters” that she pushes and hides away, which is a metaphor for her intense feelings that end up manifesting at the end of the book. You will want to give Willow a hug by the end of story as it slowly reveals that she’s still suffering from her mother’s recent death and missing her mother terribly.

I really enjoyed reading this and hope that there will be more stories from this creator! The way that she draws people, spirits, animals, and nature is quite cute. My favorite part were the cute monsters that show up in the background whenever Willow gets angry or super sad; they look like forest spirits from a Miyazaki movie.

Note: I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I’m looking forward to the new gen of artists from Oni Press if this was just a taste of their 2019 Graphic Novels!

Nguyen’s colourful, cartoony illustrations were beautiful and really emotive which was perfect for such a melancholic book. This is a children’s book which deals with topics of dealing with sadness, loneliness and the loss of a parent as well as communicating those feelings with your loved ones. Willow’s negative emotions are personified as monster inside which she suppresses and causes to lash out at her family members and those around her when her monsters overwhelmed her.

I really related to Willow and her feelings because I also personified my depression as a monster (even though I’m an adult lol) which is probably the reason I was reading this through tears. Pilu, the lost forest spirit Willow helps was adorable and dealings with her own feelings of loneliness.

I really loved how the characters became friends and learned to deal with their feelings and problems together as they traveled through the forest. I especially liked all the illustrations of the forest and learning about flowers and trees and mushrooms they saw along the way.

I highly recommend this to anyone of any age! This was really moving and the illustrations were so wonderful. I’m so glad I was given the privilege of being able to read this.

Beautiful artwork and cute, fast-paced story. The near-constant stuttering dialogue was really getting to me, but thankfully you get a break from it in the middle of the story.

This was such a touching and lovely story. I loved it so so much! I even cried a little towards the end. would definitely recommend this one. Thank you Oni Press for the ARC!

5 wonderful stars

I don't know how to describe this graphic novel... it is just something else.
The art is stunning and the color scheme and the way it changes throughout the story as the emotions change is really clever.
I found this graphic novel to be a masterpiece.
We follow a young girl (Willow) dealing with the grief of losing her mother, one day after arguing with her sister she runs into the woods near her house. She finds Pilu, a tree spirit that is lost and doesn't know her way home. Willow offers to help her and the story takes on from there.
This a story of a little girl dealing with her "inner monsters" and learning how to face them.
If you have the possibility, please read this graphic novel when it comes out. It's really good and this review doesn't come close to describe how amazing this story is. It got me a little teary-eyed and left me with a smile on my face.

This comic is so amazing! I am in love with it and I must admit that I cried a bit.
It has a beautiful message for kids, teenagers, adults and old people.
We must listen to our feelings and not reprimand them, because it only makes them worse. They don't want to be alone and not attended.
The graphics are so beautiful and Willow and Pilu is so cute!!

The art in the graphic novel is beautiful--I really love it so much. The forest setting was very immersive, and I appreciated Pilu's character design and the touches of Willow's boots and Pilu's feet.

I liked the parts of Willow's character that we got to see, though the book was pretty surface in that regard due to the length of the novel. The story was very sweet as well, I just had a few problems with it.

I'm a mostly grown adult, and a few of the transitions were confusing, and I thought one of the flashbacks was happening in the present day. While I appreciated the incorporation of botany facts, it felt a bit "preachy." I loved that it was there, I just wished the tone of it had come across differently. And I was also bothered by how Willow never admitted to Pilu that Willow's mother was dead, but that the story tried to make it seem like Willow and Pilu were the best of friends and that they had overcome their monsters. But, again, it was a lovely, whimsical story, and I'm glad I read it.