Willow loves nature, and one day she runs away into the woods behind her house, and stumbles upon an unexpected friend, Pilu. Together, they talk about nature, the monsters that haunt them, and the problems they are experiencing with their family. The story is beautifully written, encompasses so many emotions, and the art is gorgeous. I highly recommend this graphic novel not just for middle grade readers, but for teens and adults too. Also, you may need to have a tissue handy.

Thank you NetGalley and OniPress for providing me with an advanced copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

This was amazing. Story was really cute and heartwarming. I cried while i reading this. I recommended for everyone who deals with loss. It was a perfect little story.

This is a gorgeous and heartwarming story. It's the story of a girl who had fought with her elder sister and ran in the wood. There she meets Pilu, a tree nymph that also has run away after a fight with her mother, Together they try to face their inner monsters. This is a story of coping with a loss, dealing with your feelings. This was an amazing graphic novel that tells the story about friendship, forgiveness and finding your way home

This was absolutely stunning. I read it at a time when I really needed to, too. It's a beautiful story about loss, love, and family, and I can't recommend it enough.

Pilu of the Woods is a cute graphic novel for 2nd-4th graders. It's the story of Willow, who, in a fit of anger and embarrassment at home, runs to find solace in her beloved woods. There, she comes across a wood nymph named Pilu who is lost. Because of her extensive knowledge of the woods (Willow and her dad, who is a professor, visit the woods each week to identify leaves, trees, flowers, and other flora), Willow is able to take Pilu back to her grove. Along the way, the two become friends as they both have experienced the same feelings: bottling up the mean thoughts, the hurt flung at them by bullies, and the niggling thoughts that invade their consciousness leads to angry outbursts where one says things they don't actually mean. Through this dialogue (and the physical manifestation of these little "monsters" of angry thoughts), the reader also learns about how it isn't good to bottle up emotions and thoughts, but also how to go home and apologize. I know that many elementary students will find it helpful, but I will definitely be recommending it to sp-ed teachers who work with students who have anger issues.

This is a gorgeous and heartwarming story. Loss is hard, learning to live again after a loss is harder. Monsters are everywhere, how you deal with them is up to you, but that may have consequences for those you love. While intended for kids, between the beautiful illustrations and raw emotions here, Pilu of the Woods is a wholehearted read for all ages.

A heartwarming tale about friendship and how to deal with your feelings. This was obviously targeted for middle school age children, but there's enough there to like about it for all ages. The art is fantastic. It reads like a picture book in graphic novel form.

Willow has a fight with her sister and runs off into the woods. There she runs into a tree nymph that also has run away after a fight with her mother. As Willow helps her find her way home, they become friends while learning how to process their feelings. Willow's dad is a botanist and we also learn about several of the plants growing in the forest. Make sure you have a box of tissues by you, the story will more than likely make you weep.

If I was giving out awards, there is no doubt in my mind that Pilu of the Woods would be getting the ‘cutest graphic novel of the year’ award. It’s charming, sweet, and has the perfect balance of fantasy and wonder, while also exploring the expansive set of emotions that come with loss.
Pilu of the Woods is a fantasy about loss and friendship. The main character is named Willow, and early on in the story she meets and befriends and odd sort of girl named Pilu. Together they find their way through the forest.
I believe their journey through the forest is symbolic, as they’re both working through complex emotions during the course of the story. Willow is grieving, and has clearly hit the anger stage, while Pilu feels like she’s too easily lost in a crowd, and thus unloved. While their pain is very different, they can still find common ground to understand.
This story brought tears to my eyes at point, while at others I could do nothing but hope that they would find their way through this mess. It was sad, it was heartbreaking, but it was also beautiful and heartwarming. I can’t praise it enough.

I was ecstatic to find that Pilu of the Woods has already been selected as a Junior Library Guild selection, because that means I get a copy shipped to my library automatically! I don't really know what I was expecting going in to the book, but it was so much more than whatever that was. It has so much more depth than I thought I would be reading and I think kids are going to appreciate that (I know I certainly did).

Aww, this was really cute. I really love the art style and I thought the switch from past to present was pretty straightforward by the style changes. The story is great, dealing with death of a loved one, grieving, finding your place, and forgiving.

Willow is a bit of an outcast who likes learning about things, especially plants since her father is professor of nature (for lack of a better term since I don't remember if it said exactly). In her interest of learning she's looked down on by her peers as well as other problems at home, like her older sister Linnea.

So, in trying to avoid her problems she turns to the forest near their home, where she has explored with her parents previously. Willow runs into someone unexpected there, a (young dryad) sapling who isn't having the best day either. They help each other deal with their problems but in the interest of not spoiling I won't go into further detail.

Pilu of the Woods is simply adorable. Even if it's aimed at kids, can appreciate how this story was crafted to explore complex feelings of loss and loneliness, and how wanting to help someone in the same position can force us to confront our own "monsters".

Willow has a fight with her older sister and runs off into the woods with her dog, where they discovers a tree spirit named Pilu crying under a tree for surprisingly similar reasons. As Willow convinced Pilu that she needs to go home, we gradually learn Willow's own sad history and origin of her monsters.

I also loved the nerdy forest facts Willow learned from her father, dispensed like a kid who finds willing ears for the first time but even then there was a limit to how much an audience could take. It came to a nice resolution for the overall theme.

Great artwork and colour palette!

ARC courtesy of NetGalley. #PiluOfTheWoods #NetGalley

This was one of the cutest graphic novels I have ever read. It deals with something very heavy, children dealing with the death of a parent and the “monsters” inside your head that make you say things you don’t mean.
The art style was completely amazing and I actually took my time to look at each picture carefully even if there were no words on it because it was the beautiful.
This was a very short graphic novel and took maybe half an hour/45 minutes to read. I got so connected to Willow and Pilu. I don’t have any idea how in such a short book. I even teared up at the end.
If you are looking for an amazingly beautiful short graphic novel, I highly recommend this one!

In Pilu of the Woods, a girl named Willow stumbles upon a lost tree (nymph? spirit?) and helps her find her way home. Along the way, they make discoveries about the woods and themselves.

I loved the illustrations in this -- so whimsical and pretty, and a lovely compliment to the sweet story. It took me a while to catch on to what the monsters were meant to be, but I could see that as a potential opening for conversation with a young reader. There were some lines that really struck me. I think this would be a great, safe resource for kids who are trying to come to terms with their feelings (especially of grief and loneliness).

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Well butter my biscuit, we have one heck of an adorable graphic novel!

The story is quite simple at first. We are following a young girl named Willow is not having the best of days. After arguing with her sister, she runs out into the woods which first off, I need to mention the art here. It is lush and full of greenery and perfection and I want to live here! Willows suddenly has a run in with Pilu a tree spirit who is also.. well not having the best day and they join together to help journey back home.

This was amazing! I had been told this would be a cute read but I was not prepared by the loveliness of the art and the characters. This graphic novel is full of life and flair and it is perfect for kids and adults alike. The art stye is definitely one of my new favorites with its whimsical, woodsy subject matter. It reflected this in its use of gold, olive, and muted jewel tones.

The ending was the best part in my opinion. It was both hopeful and triumphant and it made me smile so much. I'm looking forward to more of this author's work!

This was so cute! And surprisingly deep.
I adored the artwork - the colours are so beautiful and match the story perfectly - and loved the story. It's heart-warming and so hopeful and encouraging! A perfect read for anyone who might feel overwhelmed by negative emotions, kids and adults alike.

Another middle grade graphic novel with beautiful art - especially loved the rendition of the forest - gorgeous! It also gets pretty deep there for a bit - addresses loss of a parent, repression, anger, avoidant behaviour - among other things - so pretty heavy for a middle grade read. Would recommend!

First finished: 15dec2018
Source: Netgalley eArc

This was a sweet little book with a message that, though sometimes a bit too heavyhanded, was extremely important. The characters were geniune and Willow's experience with her mother dying was honestly presented.
The art was my favorite part of the book, with the gorgeous colors and style and the extremely realistically written dog (my own dog makes those exact expressions, I swear!)
Overall, a sweet paced fantasy perfect for fans of Katie O'Neill or Studio Ghibli.

What a very human, thoughtful piece of work. Willow is working on managing her big feelings. Her feelings get represented as monsters and they make her lash out at her loved ones and say things that she doesn’t believe in her heart, but make her feel better for that moment of release... we’ve all been there, haven’t we? Once she says them she doesn’t actually feel better...heaps of guilt and regret only make her feel worse.

Willow is managing not fitting in at school, the loss of her mother, the tensions of her home relationships dealing with grief, and she’s trying to find her footing amidst it all by pushing her feelings away. She finds the beginnings of some footing through a quirky friendship in the woods (with Pilu!) that allows her to come through some of her feelings instead of push them down.. or explode. This book felt very relatable. It felt like it was made with an open heart, and the art matched in the best way.

It’s SO hard to manage how we feel, and I think this graphic novel captured how we struggle and what some forms of working through it look like——but with watercolor cute naturey melancholy vibes. This one was that perfect blend of both sweet and heavy and I’m glad it exists. My advice is to read it when it comes out and enjoy the reminders it provides.

This book did a wonderful job tackling hard to talk about issues with children. The illustrations were beautiful.

First of all, the art and illustrations are beautiful. There's no doubt that this is a beautiful graphic novel that every type of reader can enjoy. I've read my fair share of graphic novels and books that discuss mental health, so believe me when I say that this story is AMAZING for kids and young people. It's about family, grief, loss, pain and mental health -- all of that is dealt with in a very sweet way.

Willow is a very relatable character and her journey with Pilu and Chicory is really interesting. I am really excited to reread this in print. Definitely recommend it to everyone who enjoys a cute, quick, and meaningful story.