Pilu of the Woods

Artwork is an absolute delight and the story is very charming and bittersweet. Perfect for middle graders.

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

3 stars love the art style.