Wildful is a story of the healing power of nature, how wonder and beauty draw people together. There is a plot here, though a very simple one. And it hardly matters. We're not caught up in these characters and their interactions with one another. It's all about the visuals. Kurimoto's art captures both facial expressions and the details of the natural world with equal detail. The color is sparse but used to great effect. This is a book you can read very quickly but don't. Do yourself a favor and linger over each page, each panel, and experience the wonder along with the characters.

As Poppy is walking her dog, Pepper, he gets away down an alley Poppy has never noticed before. As she follows him, she realizes there is this world of nature right outside her door. She also finds a friend, Rob, who encourages her to look for birds and animals. Poppy knows her gran would have loved this place, and tried to get her mother to come see, but grief has overwhelmed her mom since gran died. "Wildful" is a story about family, grief, and discovering that life goes on and even flourishes no matter what.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Love this graphic novel story about a young girl who goes through a hole in the fence and finds a new world.

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

Wildful by Kengo Kurimoto is a wordless, middle-grade graphic novel focusing on nature and the wildness, life, and peace to be found there. It also had a backdrop theme of grief which I found to be pretty relatable and touching. This story follows a young girl named Poppy who starts taking her dog out on more walks after her gran passes away. She discovers a secret base of sorts and a new friendship while trying to help her mom through her grief.

This was a slow, sleepy, relaxing sort of story that you could just sink into and chill while appreciating the natural and realistic art of it all. Recommend for fans of nature, the outdoors, or kiddos who are grieving.

a beautifully illustrated story, on grief and friendship. Although it was beautiful, I prefer my graphic novels with more words, and there were very few here.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book before publication.

I cannot get over the amount of detail in this story. In many graphic novels, the artist usually seems to speed through panels by not capturing what some might call unnecessary details. In this book, however, the artist seems to take their time with the story and imagery. Each panel is fully drawn and no details are left out. I almost felt as if I was watching a movie instead of reading a graphic novel. That’s something I want from graphic novels, the ability and enjoyment of seeing everything as it unfolds. What I mean by this, for example, are the scenes when it’s raining in the woods. We’re able to see the rain sluicing across animals, leaves, even beading in a spider’s web. The time and care put into this story is clearly seen in the finished product.

For a while I was lost in the beauty of the art and imagery and forgot the purpose of the story. It all seemed so fantastical that it took me a while to realize there wasn’t any magic, other than the magic of nature. The subtlety of grief sneaks up on you in the story, just as it does in real life. Dialogue is very minimal, leaning on the power of art, and it works really well.

I am thoroughly impressed by this one.

"When I'm with you...the world feels alive."

"That's because it is! We've just got to pay attention!"

A young girl discovers the beauty and wonder of the natural world. She longs to share her discoveries with her mother, a woman who is lost to grief over the death of her own mother. Can they reconnect over a shared love of nature?

This is a slow-moving, lovely book. The art is spectacular: page after page of depictions of flora and fauna. My only concern is that those in the intended age group might be bored, and miss out on the message.

A wonderful reminder to be mindful of the world around us.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Groundwood Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

How can you say no to a graphic novel with Secret Garden vibes?

Wildful by Kengo Kurimoto is a graphic novel set in a lush world with mysterious woods filled with magic. Poppy’s mother hasn’t been the same since Gran passed away. She stays inside and watches TV, unable to leave the couch. So maybe that’s why Poppy has started spending more time outside, taking her dog Pepper for walks around the neighborhood. When Pepper leads Poppy through a hole in the fence, she finds a forgotten forest that’s been there all along, as well as a new friend named Rob. Rob teaches Poppy that you can find magic in the wilderness – if you know where to look! Poppy looks, and then she looks closer … and sees flowers opening before her eyes, watches animals slip into their hidden homes, and listens to the sound of water droplets falling gently on puddles, leaves and feathers. She can barely wait to tell Mum about everything she’s seen, and asks her to come see, too – but her mother rarely has the energy to leave the couch. Will Poppy ever be able help her mother see the beauty in the woods – and in life?

This book. This book is literally everything. And I will forever be recommending it to anyone that needs a hard reset on their perspective of life.

A really beautiful book about appreciating nature and the healing it can bring to people. With more pictures than words, it's unique within its own genre and perfect for kids.

I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I grew up in nature. Crumbling castles and trails through the German countryside were my favorite playgrounds. That's what this graphic novel brought to mind. There is very little dialogue. But that adds to the quiet that the story wants to share. Watching nature reclaim what was once taken but now left behind. Knowing that the human heart can be healed just by observing it. I am so impressed by the art and how realistic it is. It's obvious that the author artist put their heart and soul into the observation of nature and wildlife and representing it accurately. I haven't read a book like this one before, and I kind of doubt that I ever will again.

*reviewed from uncorrected eARC via netgalley**

kid-friendly/all ages, mostly wordless graphic novel about a girl who stumbles into a wildland while chasing her dog.

Absolutely gorgeous visual storytelling--the artwork completely blows me away while at the same time pulling me into the story! I love how Poppy discovers that there's always more to see, in watching the various birds with their specific calls, and how the movements of different wildlife and even the personalities of plants are captured in the black and white illustrations. I also love the quiet ways Poppy shows concern for her depressed/grieving Mum--so skillfully rendered on the page.

Holy hoot owls, Batman! This is truly incredible work; I couldn't even wait to finish the story before telling my friend to get her hands on a copy right away.

This was a soft graphic novel, with minimal dialogue between characters. The way the author/illustrator portrayed nature was very calming and beautiful. I can tell he has spent many hours just existing in the outside world. I loved the story of a girl who falls in love with nature and uses it to help heal her and her mothers grief over the loss of her grandmother.

Loved the art style, especially in the rainy scenes. The texture was lovely and it conveyed the feelings so well. A short and sweet read. My only qualm is I wouldn’t compare it to the secret garden, maybe lightly inspired but there wasn’t much connection

The art exuded a sense of life and wonder through the use of the setting and characters even though the art itself was completely in greys and blacks. This pleasantly surprised me with the way I loved how the format read like a storyboard, it was as if I was reading a blooming animation before my eyes. However, there isn't much of a plot which is fine as it was more about a lesson to look at the beauty of the world around you. I would like to see more of the dynamics and relationships between the characters as we did not get much dialogue. Overall, the art was beautiful and appropriately sent its message of the beauty of life all around us.

This is a really beautiful graphic novel about loss and reconnecting with nature and with each other. One day while walking her dog Pepper, the dog chases a fox through a hole in a fence and Poppy has to follow to get her back. Pepper runs through the forest and there she meets a boy, Rob. Together, the two explore the forest and Poppy tries to get her mom to come experience nature after her grandmother died. The illustrations really carry the story, as there isn't a lot of text. They do an amazing job of conveying all the different sense you use in the forest, not just sight, the the story itself in heartwarming.

This is a lovely and very artistic graphic novel for young readers. The interesting trim size and greyscale illustrations make it stand out apart from other comics for middle readers. Sparse text works nicely, the story is told through the illustrations which are impressively rendered. The detail is there for those who want to slow down and read the illustrations. A good addition for the Gardens of Imagination category of children's lit, this book explores grief in subtle ways. I'll be honest, I loved this. But I imagine it will be a hard sell on a lot of kids.

Quiet, sparse, touching - This middle grade graphic novel may be likened to The Secret Garden, but it stands alone, in my opinion. Wildful is a simple story - an exploration of our inability to connect to nature due to digital immersion and also a journey towards shaking off the powerful smothering blanket of grief. In an art style that reminds me of Barbara Lehman (who I absolutely love), Kurimoto introduces a girl who walks with her dog each day, phone in hand and headphones on, until her pet runs off to a secret hole in the fence. Following her absconding pet leads her to an unexplored wilderness in the heart of her city/suburb, and a new friend, Rob. Rob teaches her to slow down and enjoy the small things around her, and through this, she mentally reconnects with her departed grandmother, as it makes her remember how nature-centric she was. These adventures continue to happen and she longs to help her mother join her, hoping she too can shake her grief, as it has put her in a depression from which she cannot seem to wake. The gentle, detailed illustrations are gorgeous, and it is a love letter to finding a world around you that you couldn’t see before. It is a book you can return to again and again to examine the detail of each page.

Thank you NetGalley for an early access copy of Wildful by Kengo Kurimoto.

Wildful is story of loss, discovery, appreciating the small moments, and a great example of mindfulness. The illustrations are beautifully done and draw the reader in. The wording choices are sparse and impactful. Windfall has a wistful feeling that leaves the readers appreciative of the reading experience.

This book is pitched as a middle grade graphic novel reminiscent of The Secret Garden. I would more accurately pitch this as a picture book without words (mostly) with a very subtle hint of The Secret Garden. For what it was, I think this was a beautiful depiction of grief, finding joy, and noticing the small, beautiful things we often miss in life - taking time to "stop and smell the roses," if you will. While the plot was lacking and the story was simplistic, I think there was a lot of hidden depth in the artwork and the story. A last note is that this is one of those books that the reader would understand most by reading the synopsis before going into it, as there are few words. The plot is really fleshed out more in the description.

Minor Triggers: Grief, Death of Loved One

I am honestly not a fan of graphic novels, but this one was very well done! While it is categorized as a graphic novel, it is more of a wordless picture book to me. The pictures in the book tell more of a story than the words do, making it an interesting change to what I typically read. I found the illustrations to be wonderful, but I do wish that I could have seen them in color, I think that would add so much more to the story. Highly recommend.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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