Pilu of the Woods by Mai K. Nguyen
Reviewer: Cindy, Youth Services Assistant
Genre: Graphic Novel
Suggested Age: 10 & up
What is this book about? After getting in a fight with her older sister, a young girl named Willow runs into the woods to be by herself. She finds another girl, named Pilu, crying alone and decides to help her. Pilu explains that she ran away from home because she doesn’t think her mom cares about her, but now she’s lost and doesn’t know what to do. Willow becomes determined to help Pilu get back home, and along the way, the two girls learn how to view life from another person’s perspective and make peace with their own turbulent emotions.
My Review: This is a great book for kids who are struggling with feelings of grief and/or loneliness. The subject matter is a little heavy, but it’s handled delicately. I think a lot of kids (and adults) would be able to relate to Willow and Pilu in one way or another. Everyone knows what it feels like to lose or become separated from a loved one, but for kids who are going through this for the first time, it can feel really big and impossible to deal with. Pilu of the Woods does a great job of showing how scary and upsetting the world is to a child who feels like they’re completely alone. Considering everything that’s happened in the past year, it’s nice to have stories like this to remind us that there are still lots of little acts of love we can show one another and different ways of finding the strength to move on after a difficult event.
Rating: 4/5
Three Words That Describe This Book: forgiving, therapeutic, emotional
Give This a Try if You Like…ecology, magical realism, Robot Dreams by Sara Varon
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
