More than anything, I really just feel like I need to say that I LOVED THIS GRAPHIC NOVEL. Mental health isn't often addressed in such a gentle, easy to understand way, and Pilu did it in way that feels honest without being cliche or feeling like an afternoon special. The illustrations mirror the sentiments beautifully, and I felt like I was walking through the woods with an old friend. I will, without hesitation, be ordering Pilu of the Woods for our library. 5/5, will be reading again.

Thank you, NetGalley for the preview of this graphic novel.

Pilu of the Woods is about Willow - a girl who lost her mother recently and how she grows to deal with her inner monsters. The illustrations were oh-so-beautiful and I kept getting distracted from the plot because of all the illustrations. All I wanted to do was sit and stare at those pretty trees and mushrooms.

This book was so cute! The illustrations are to die for - they were my favorite part! This story deals with a lot. Grief, loss, friendship – all great themes, especially when they are geared towards this younger age dynamic. It's definitely a book you need to pick up.

I thought this was adorable - it was terribly bittersweet and sappy but the premise was great. A little girl deals with grief and in the process learns how to handle her internal monsters.

Willow loves nature. Her mother used to take her to the willow trees in the forest near their house. Her father is a professor who researches growing things, like trees and mushrooms. When Willow can't sleep, her older sister Lin is always there for her. Since their mother passed away, Willow has been bottling up her grief and anger. This time, she yelled mean things at her sister and ran away in the woods, where she meets Pilu, someone else who loves nature and has feelings like Willow does. Will Willow ever feel better enough to return home?

Nguyen's beautifully crafted pictures is reminiscent of Hilda but with more emotional depth. It is a superb graphic novel for children dealing with grief or anger management. The art is adorable and whimsical but the story itself is even more powerful. Nguyen was able to craft analogies that make it easy for kids to understand about losing a loved one and bottling up your feelings. In addition
the graphic novel unfolds in a way that many kids can relate to where some of the story is unveiled later or not at all; leaving room for interpretation by the reader. Recommended for grades 2nd-5th.

A touching story about friendship, loss, and coping with big feelings. The illustrations are delightful, and the story stays with you after you turn the last page. Would recommend!

The cover was irresistible, and the first description I read compared this to Hilda, so really there was no question I'd be interested. The interior was stunningly charming, and visually reminded me a bit of Kevin Henkes crossed with Vera Brosgol. The artwork is just gorgeous.

The story follows Willow, an angry and lonely girl who struggles with her strong emotions. Her relationship with her mom is set up at the beginning and then... the reader knows something happens, but doesn't really find out what until the end. In the meantime it's clear Willow isn't popular at school and a fight with her sister sends Willow to the woods - a refuge where she spends a lot of time with her parents. Here she meets a wood sprite and grapples with the cutest, fiercest little monster emotions known to man. If my own anger was this adorable it might be easier to deal with.

The flow of the story is occasionally broken by memory sequences, and the little monster panels floating along in the background. Once I figured out exactly what the monster emotions were, I really liked their message. As a bonus: delightful fungi facts are sprinkled throughout the story. And of course, the touching family bits pulled at the heartstrings.

I don't know what I was expecting of this book, but this wasn't it. Ha! I loved the comic book vibe and the pictures were simple yet intricately done. The storyline was a little lengthy but thoughtfully played out. I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Pilu and Willow play out.

I really like the art style, but while I get that this is children's fiction and is meant to be kinda educational, it just felt a bit forced

This pool was phenomenal. A wonderful depiction of dealing with tough feelings and coming to peace with them. I will definitely be buying at least one for my library. Very highly recommend!

Willow is a young girl full of anger that she is trying to keep bottled up inside only to lash out at those she loves and breaks a promise that that is very close to her heart. I think this is a great book for children to understand how holding in their emotions will only make you feel worse and make you lash out even more, You even learn a little botany along the way.

I would recommend this book.

This is one of the sweetest and most beautiful graphic novels I have ever read. Initially drawn to the art this gave so much more, including lyrical prose. Ultimately this is a story of family, friendship and dealing with grief. While Willow and Pilu come from different worlds, they are such a sweet pair and I can't say no to a doggie sidekick! 

The art style itself is unique and while it will appeal to a younger reader as a woman in her mid-twenties I was enchanted by the illustration. Additionally, the use of colour to show the woods felt real to me. I read this at a point where I needed something to fall into and escape - something I was easily able to do. 

I will warn you going in that you might get a little emotional reading. I wanted to reach in and give Willow the biggest hug. The way that Nguyen has shown emotion and the complicated feelings that are being experienced from the perspective of a child is nothing short of incredible. 

It's no surprise that I gave this 5 stars. This really touched my heart, it's not a complicated story, however, it can speak volumes. I really hope that there is a follow-up because I can see the relationship and story really growing and evolving. This is a wonderful book, I can't stress enough how much I adore it. 

A huge thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for giving me a chance to read this in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is such a heart-warming and lovely book, it was an absolute joy to read.

I want to start by talking about the artwork, which is gorgeous. It's so detailed and imaginative, and the style and colouring still feels very gentle. I would even say the style and colouring is calming to look at.

The story itself is also excellent. It follows Willow, a young girl who misses her late mother greatly, and her adventure in helping Pilu, who is a lost tree spirit, to find her way home.
The way this story shows how bottling up emotions and not talking about them does more harm than good, is well conveyed. It shows how emotions we don't know how to handle can build up inside us like monsters, and in bursts of emotion we can say and do things we don't mean. It also shows that opening up about these emotions to ourselves and talking about them to those in our lives is healthy, and that it's okay to talk about these things. We all have our own monsters we have to face, we all get scared and angry or feel alone sometimes.

Willow's emotions largely stem from her grief at losing a parent which i feel is a topic well handled in this children's story, it does so without becoming too heavy for children to understand.
What i got from reading this, is that it's okay to be sad and reach out to others, and also that we shouldn't take the people we love for granted - or assume things about them without talking to them.

Overall, it was a great book that shows how to handle overwhelming negative emotions in a better way, while providing a great comic style and story i can easily see kids and adults alike enjoying. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

I received a free copy of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

First up thank you for allowing me to read this one, but sorry, I stranded at page 40-ish. I just didn't particularly like the characters (they were all so annoying), though I did like our green woodlandspirit a bit. The art was fantastic, and it is only because of that that I kept reading on, in the hopes it would get better.

Pilu of the Woods is a beautiful and somewhat melancholic book about a girl named Willow, whose inner monsters make her act sometimes like a little brat. When she runs off to the forest, she meets a lost girl name Pilu and ends up helping her find her way home. They both have run away home and the circumstances are told from the kids' perspective and how they try to help one another. But the little monsters may not be monsters at all and the girls learn about that and many other things along their way. The comic is very cute and thoughtful and you end up learning things about nature, flowers and fungi too, which was really nice and didn't feel superimposed at all. The story flow is wonderful, well paced and deep in meaning. Especially the situation with the mother at end was a surprise and at the same time handled with warmth.

The art is perfect, clear and the colors are warm. The line art is round and simple and very very cute, but the whole package still conveys everything, even the sad parts, extremely well. The panels are clear and pretty - very easy to follow too, which makes this an awesome kids' comic. This is a must for kids, since it teaches without preaching and highlights self-discovery. Pilu of the Woods is a meaningful and not just your everyday comic, but much more. I really have to have this in my library!

*thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.

What a great little story this is. It was beautifully illustrated and had a rather sad yet important message to it. It's a story of loss of a family member, a mother and the emotions that causes people to feel. The story is told from Willow, the youngest daughters point of view. It's emotional but told in a way that doesn't make it too dark and heavy. It's a story about feelings aswell as friendship and how emotions can get so big sometimes that they do and can come out in a physical way. It was beautifully told and easy to follow. Definitely one to pick up and read.

Willow is a tween girl who is bullied at school for being a "wuss" and crying alone in the bathroom. One day, after a big fight with her older sister (who is partially raising her), Willow wanders around in the woods near her house and finds...Pilu the tree spirit! She and Pilu share natural curiosity, sensitive hearts, and angry outbursts (possibly caused by childhood trauma). The illustrations and colouring is gorgeous and will be very appealing to kids. This book also includes educational moments, such as how mushrooms grow and how to identify trees by their leaves. Although the story line is light, slow, and beautiful, there are serious themes of mental health, difficult family dynamics, grief, and preserving the environment.

Perfect for fans of The Sand Warrior, Hilda and the Troll, and slow, quiet mangas.

"You know maybe, it's okay to cry sometimes."

WOW. I'm so glad that I discovered this gem on NetGalley!

First of all, I love the art so much! I couldn't stop geeking out about it on every page! I love the colors, which kinda has a watercolor feel to it and the super cute doodly and cartoony illustrations! SO GOOD!

The story is as lovely as the art. The protagonist, Willow, ran away to the woods after having a fight with her older sister. In the forest, she met a tree spirit, Pilu, who also ran away from her home.

I absolutely adore these two characters. Willow has these monsters that she keeps inside jars, afraid that they might cause chaos if she lets them out. She ignores the fact that they're a part of her. But as Pilu said, no one wants to be ignored, even her monsters... which is such a good metaphor to feelings. In the end, Willow learned that it's okay to accept them.

"I thought being strong meant not crying, or whining, or complaining, or being sad... but I was wrong..."

It resonated so much to me. I tend to ignore some feelings, such as sadness because I usually think that it's a negative thing to feel, but in reality, there's something good and cathartic about accepting it. OHH... yeah, this reminds me of the movie Inside Out!

Pilu is also a character whom I could identify with. She ran away from home because she felt very alone and invisible, but in reality, she's loved and cared for. I also feel that way at times! Surrounded by lots of people, I tend to feel alone and a complete stranger, but I realize that among these waves and waves of people, there are those who genuinely care for me and are ready to back me up anytime.

In conclusion, this is such an adorable and heartwarming graphic novel. It might be a children's book, but it made me reflect on some things in life and about myself. Huhu. The feels. I sincerely hope that lots of people would be able to read this book when it's released next year because it's such a special and beautiful book!

Thanks so much, NetGalley for this eARC!

Jaw-droppingly beautiful illustrations accompany this heartwarming story about love, loss and dealing with your emotions.

OMG! This was the cutest and most heart-warming graphic novel I read this year!
I loooooved the little monsters and the art style is absolutely fantastic.
I want more like this. I can recommend this to anybody, children and grown-up children.