I had never heard of this book until I saw it listed on NetGalley. I saw ' lovers of Hilda and the Troll' and immediately requested it - and I was not disappointed.
The art style is adorable and unique. I loved the way emotions were depicted, especially when in jars - I think we can all relate to that.
To be able to show such emotions but keeping it light and fun is hard but the author pulled it off very well.

I loved the artwork. Unfortunately, I did not like the story. It felt like I was being taught a lesson and not in the sly kind of way, in which I'm having fun as the lesson unfolds. I was bored and wanted it to end.

Oh my, this book was gorgeous. From the lush looking artwork and the amazing type set into the panels, i was amazed by this book. It's really beautiful. We meet Willow, a young girl who recently lost her mother and after fighting with her sister, runs away to the woods where she encounters another lost young girl named Pilu.

Together, the two make the trek back to Pilu's home and deal with the monsters inside them that caused them to leave home in the first place.

I think this book is a must-read in schools and should be a staple for teachers teaching empathy and emotions. I loved it and will be recommending that my library purchase it!

Pilu of the Woods is an educational book that should be read by every child at soon as they start reading and learning about life, nature and humans. This book teaches them about how and where mushrooms grow, about the beauty of the magnolia and the plants, their importance, but it also explains simple feelings and emotions like sadness, dissappoint, and love.
I would definitely recommend this book to everyone who wants to make a meaningful gift.

*I received a free e-copy of this book via Netgalley* 

Lately, I've been getting more and more into graphic novels, as they allow a busy college student like myself to read a lot in a short time. They're typically short, easy reads. Pilu of the Woods was just that, but it was also quite impactful and would be perfect for children and adults alike.

The graphic novel tells the story of a girl named Willow, who struggles with keeping her negative emotions in check. One day, after getting angry, she retreats to the woods near her house and meets a lost tree spirit named Pilu, who also has similar struggles. The two become friends as Willow guides Pilu home. As the story progresses, we learn more about the two characters and really get a feel for their unique emotions and situations. It's really a touching, heartwarming story that actually had me shedding a few tears by the end.

Part of what makes this such a lovely graphic novel is the art. The colors were beautiful, with a lot of natural colors that fit the theme of the book. The art itself reminds me of gorgeous woodblock prints! I really enjoyed taking in the beauty of the woods. One of my favorite drawings in the novel was that of the Willow's "monsters." You'll know what I mean when I see them.

All in all, I really enjoyed this heartwarming exploration of family and emotions. When the art and storyline come together, it forms a truly lovely graphic novel. Pilu of the Woods was a short but beautiful story, and I would recommend it to anyone. The whole family could enjoy it.

More like 3.5 stars. The illustrations alone are worth picking this up: almost like linocut detailing and rich, saturated colors. The plot is a bit simplistic (yet a tad confusing at the same time as to what message the reader is supposed to take from it), but overall heartwarming and emotional.

Pilu of the Woods follows Willow, a little girl who obviously has been going through some emotional turmoil and at some point has had some trauma in her life. This story explores grief, loneliness anger and a number of other strong emotions that many people must learn to handle at a young age. Throughout her journey she meets Pilu and the girls bond while they learn how to handle their emotions and exactly what those emotions cause within them.

I was not prepared for the emotions I experienced while reading this. The emotions were so heartfelt and real with both little girls having to learn things about themselves and how they feel about different situations. I was prepared for this to be a sweet story, but it was so much more than that. At times what both Pilu and Willow were feeling were very raw, real emotions that are hard to deal with and accept, but they find a way. The girls have clear personalities that make them relatable to the reader and when they struggle the reader can certainly feel it.

I absolutely loved the art style of this story. Muted earth tones along with the style itself gave the story a beautiful, whimsical look. It was easy to follow and so easily draws one in with clear details. Everything from the characters to the backgrounds was well thought out and so enjoyable to experience.

Willow has a fight with her sister, and runs out to the woods where she used to go hiking with her mother. She meets a tree spirit named Pilu, who has run away from her grove, and the two form a friendship and help one another navigate their turbulent emotions.

Both girls are struggling with loneliness and anger, and they are remorseful after arguing with their families, but don't know how to stop. When Willow's emotional monsters begin to take on a real form, the two girls are in danger, until Pilu discovers how to resolve the emotional pain both girls are hiding.

The setting of the beautiful forest is really lovely, and has such a powerful impact on the story. The rushing water in a stream, a circle of mushrooms glistening with dew, a large green leaf fluttering on the wind, all these things set a tone for the story. Sometimes it's a quiet mood, and sometimes it's a powerful rainstorm and flashing light through the trees.

The illustrations are captivating and enchanting! I love the beautiful greenery and vibrant colors, and I love how the lines invoke movement. The expressions on each character's face really tell the story and give depth to the characters.

I loved this graphic novel! It's really emotional and moving.

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

A beautiful graphic novel. I couldn’t put it down. The artwork is gorgeous and the story line is deep and perfect for kiddos and adults. Willow is struggling with her emotions (grief, loneliness, anger…) over the lose of her mother and literally bottles them up in little jars. Pilu is struggling with her own feelings of being overshadowed in a large family. It’s such a perfect stepping stone to talk with your kids about what to do with all those feelings they might not know what to put names to or how to handle. The inclusion of nature within the whole book really made the book for me. I am a big lover of nature and any book that has a character that loves to study and explore the natural world is a winner.

I read a lot of children’s book and “Pilu of the Woods”, written and illustrated by Mai K. Nguyen, has become one of my favourites in no time! It is a story about a young girl called Willow, struggling with intense emotions that she keeps bottling up. She usually runs away to the forest, where it is calm and she is safe. There she meets a girl called Pilu and together they find their way home through friendship, empathy and learning to listen to your emotions.

The reason why i mentioned i read a lot of children’s book is that, in most of them, central yet hard topics are discussed in a way that children can hopefully relate and understand. There are some that achieve this successfully, and some that don’t.

“Pilu of the Woods” is an example of how amazingly it can be done. I don’t want to give any spoilers so i will only say that the analogy Nguyen uses in her story with the little monsters is a great description of mental health for younger audiences. I cried my eyes out throughout the last half of the book because it was all too real and beautiful!

Moreover the illustrations are incredible! The soft and rounded nature of it, and the pastel colours that were used goes great with the story. Words are often integrated into the illustrations (usually as cursives) and illustrations are used to indicate transitions between times and emotions. All of this is done masterfully. Also, overall, they are just way too adorable :3

In the end, i cannot recommend this book enough. I do believe everyone can get something out of it. It is not only ideal for younger audiences, but also for people from any age.

Pilu of the Woods is a beautifully illustrated comic about a girl facing her "little monsters" (negative emotions) while helping a forest spirit make it home. I feel that this comic's story is told very well - simple enough that a kid could understand and enjoy it but with enough depth that I really loved it as an adult reader, too. I hope that there will be more of these thoughtful adventures with Willow and her dog Chickory!

*Thank you to Netgalley for access to this book, in exchange for unbiased review*

My goodness. This was such a joyful book. Willow is struggling with her emotions following the death of her mother. After a fight with her sister, she runs into the forest she knows and loves. There, she finds Pilu, a forest spirit from a magnolia grove Willow's mom cherished. Willow agrees to take Pilu home, confronting her own feelings by working them out through Pilu.

The art is so comforting and fits perfectly with the story it's telling. Willow's monsters are drawn in a non-threatening way to reflect what she eventually comes to terms with. It's a beautiful short story about allowing yourself to grieve and recognize your emotions in healthy ways.

A beautifully illustrated graphic novel that discusses the importance of dealing with your monsters.

This graphic novel is adorable! It has such great messaging about some pretty serious subjects. Willow's mother has recently passed away and she's having a hard time processing it. She's being bullied at school and crying in the bathroom. She takes out her emotions on her older sister and runs off into the woods. In the woods, she meets a cryign girl who helps her to understand more about how to process her emotions and how to be protective of nature.



Emotions are compared to mushrooms is such a great way. Every forest has them; you just have to figure out which ones are good and which ones can hurt you. This book would be great for a middle-grade audience.



This comic has the looks of the Netflix show Hilda or the tv series Over the Garden Wall and has the emotional pull of the Pixar film Inside Out.



I give this book a 5/5. It's adorable and tells a heartfelt story about emotions and nature.

This was adorable! This story was really cute and I loved the artwork. It was really easy to get into and I read it really fast! I can definitely see people from any age group loving this. I think this story would be great for kids because it gives great examples of how to cope with loss and forgiveness. It was a really meaningful story and I really enjoyed it!

I requested an arc of Pilu of the Woods by Mai K. Nguyen from NetGalley. Big thanks to Oni Press for providing this graphic novel for review.

The cover art of this book really captured my attention before I knew anything about the story. Combine beautiful foliage with a cute dog and odds are I’m going to like it. That beauty carries over in both the art and the plot of Pilu.

I completely fell in love with the lettering in this book. It flowed so nicely from panel to panel. There was a mix of traditional speech bubbles and the hand lettering seen in the panels above. This was done in part to convey when the text was part of external vs internal dialogue. I think it worked very well, and it made for some amazing panels I would love to frame and see every day.

At its core, Pilu is a story about accepting the darkness within yourself. The main character, Willow, has some inner demons that cause her to lash out at her dad and her sister. She’s angry and doesn’t have the proper tools to deal with her aggression. She meets a lovely forest creature named Pilu who’s dealing with some of the same problems. Throughout the course of their journey, they find ways to handle their anger, sadness, and other negative feelings they struggle with.

As an adult reader, I absolutely adored Pilu. You are never too old to learn or relearn the messages presented in this story. If you need a pick me up read, or you just want to enjoy some beautiful forest artwork, I highly recommend you pick up Pilu on April 16th.

Nothing stood out as remarkable for me while reading this book but it was super adorable and I loved the family and friendships that were developed!

“Just because you cannot see it, doesn’t mean it’s not important… doesn’t mean it’s gone.”

This is a story about facing and embracing our emotion before it gets the best of us. Pilu of the Wood is an uplifting middle-grade graphic novel that deals with loss, friendship and family.

I’ve been into reading Graphic novels lately, so I browsed graphic novel titles on NetGalley to see if I can find some books worthy of reading. I am really glad I found this beauty! This is definitely one of the sweetest novels I read. Basically, the story is about Willow, a girl who lost her mother, who helped a lost tree spirit named Pilu to find her way home. This is such an emotional read. The author carefully wrote and illustrated overwhelming complex feelings through a child’s perspective. This book will help children understand and explain these emotions as adults themselves find it hard to explain why children sometimes have to go through the tough stuff.

Moreover, the art is definitely unique, and although the doodle and cartoon style appeals to the young reader, I am drawn completely to it, too. I also like how the colors change in panels depending on the mood. The nostalgic and happy moments are bright with yellow and orangy palettes, while the sad ones have bluish monotone.

“Nobody likes to be ignored.”

This novel just spoke volumes to me. I am not really good at expressing my emotions, and I just usually push it down especially the negative ones. Like the monsters that Willow kept inside the jars, these suppressed emotions grow inside me and just want more to be let out. In a burst of emotions, I usually lash out and say things to my loved ones that I would surely regret later. This story enlightened me that we have all the monster inside us, and that opening up our feelings to others is beneficial for us.

“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.”

Overall, Pilu of the Woods by Mai K. Nguyen is a heart touching story with a charming story and drawing. Both adults and young readers will relate to this.

5/5 stars!

This is beautiful. A lovely book for kids that are having trouble with intense feelings/grief.
The story and illustrations are both lovely, I especially enjoyed the way the sounds of the forest are woven through the pictures.

Received via NetGalley for review

A gorgeous and touching little story filled with beautiful and evocative artwork. Nguyen truly understand the complex emotions that come with being a family and after a great loss, and the struggle to find your way back to who you were after tragedy.

While nothing is explicitly spelled out, it's still very clear what happened to Willow's mother and how her family re-formed afterwards and how Willow struggled with that, which is wonderful. Doing so in this way really allows for the story to show that Willow's grief is ever-present but not necessarily an anchor weighing her down and that it's possible for her to move forward.

Truly a wonderful story and a pleasure to read.