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.

This was such a sweet read. The artwork was amazing, the plot was heartwarming, and the characters were surprisingly well developed for such a quick read. There is not much that can be said without spoiling the story, but I will say that I quickly grew attached to Willow and her little monsters. Growing up is a struggle, but it is part of all of us and once we accept the crazy range of emotions that we experience, we are better able to manage them and accept them as part of being human.

An enjoyable graphic novel that deals with nature, loss, and emotions that we don't necessarily mean to have but do any ways. Willow, after a fight with her sister runs into the woods where she meets a forest spirit Pilu. She's determined to help the spirit get home, but the two of them talk about emotions and "little monsters" that Willow thinks aren't real but end up being real in the end. This book is great at exploring the woods, about showing and educating the reader of different plants in a way that doesn't feel like learning. They talk about being angry, lonely, and other bad emotions, explaining it in a way that makes sense, making it into something real so that it's something you can face. 

The artwork was also beautifully done. And I love that the end of book has it's own nature journal for readers. It was a real joy to read.

Oh my God! This book! So deep and emotional!

5 FULL STARS!

I would love to thank Mai K. Nguyen, Oni Press and NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.

I totally recommend this graphic novel book!
The illustrations are perfect and the story is very heartwarming!
We see the story of Willow, a girl who struggles with her emotions (we can actually see them as little black monsters, which is really accurate and cool!) and she is running away from home after she's got into a fight with her big sister.

She's going into the woods where she finds Pilu, a lost tree spirit girl and they become good friends. Willow wants to help Pilu find her way home.

Along the way they encounter a few problems, but they manage to escape, while Willow learns how to befriend her emotions and we learn more about her.

The end is very satisfying and I loved it! I recommend this book for every person, no matter how old are you!

Blogger at Momotips 

Thanks to Netgalley and Oni Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. It has not influenced my opinions.

Pilu of the Woods it’s a lovely comic created for children with a message in it. It talks about friendship and feelings, how to behave in difficult moments and what losing a person means, even more when you are just a child. The drawings are beautiful, and I particularly enjoyed the pastel colors. The story is really nice, and I loved how nature is presented. In this story Pilu is only one of the main characters, and her first meeting with Willow make both understand their mistakes. It is a wonderful story for children, who would easily relate to what happened in the story.

This doesn't hit the emotional note it's trying to reach. But the illustrations are beautiful and it's always lovely to see children in nature in stories. Kids have been checking it out--in fact one just did minutes ago!

Loved it! Beautiful illustration style and a lovely story - a really stunning magical graphic novel.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this

There’s nothing I don’t love about Pilu of the Woods. First, Mai K Nguyen’s art is completely adorable and a joy to look at. I took my time reading this book because I wanted to appreciate the artistry that went into it and if you consider yourself a lover of visual arts, this one’s for you.

Willow, our main character, often keeps her emotions bottled up. When she gets into an argument with her sister one day, Willow runs away from home and into the forest where she meets Pilu, a young, distraught tree spirit. Willow and the tree spirit have quite a few things in common: they both ran away from home after fighting with their family. Hearing Pilu’s story helps Willow reflect on her personal situation. As she comforts Pilu, Willow simultaneously sees her own struggles and actions in a new light.

“…but are you gonna just hide here until the bad things go away… all alone?”

Watching Willow and Pilu’s friendship develop in a short amount of time was so precious to me. I love how they connected with each other, and encouraged one another, all while having fun as kids exploring the forest.

I recommend Pilu of the Woods to readers of all ages. It’s a great reminder that it’s okay not to be okay, that just because we can’t see something, it doesn’t mean it’s not important. Willow struggled with what she called ‘angry little monsters’ in her head, and how she sometimes lets them take over and cause her to lash out at those she loves.

“They keep growing and growing while you’re not looking… they can make your mind all hot and foggy. And then… before you know it… the little monsters aren’t so little anymore. And the only way to make them go away is to say the worst things you never wanted to say.”

This wonderful story reminded me that everything leaves a mark: our words, our actions, our memories, and how we have to be careful not to let them hurt those around us. With Pilu’s help, Willow starts to realize that ignoring those ‘monsters’ isn’t the best way to deal with them and she has to face them head on… and listen.

We all need friends who help us be a bit braver and who’ll tell us it’s okay to cry sometimes, while holding our hand as we find our way back home. Pilu of the Woods is one of the most heartfelt and vulnerable stories I’ve ever read, and one I’m bound to read over and over again.