I’m sticking with books about nature published by Neal Porter Books this week. But as you’ll see, today’s Perfect Picture Book is quite a bit different than the one featured last week.
Title: A Walk in the Woods
Written By: Nikki Grimes
Art By: Jerry Pinkney and Brian Pinkney
Publisher/Date: Neal Porter Books/2023
Suitable for Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: nature, healing, grief, death
Opening:
A week after the funeral, I stare in the morning mirror, angry that my father’s eyes stare back at me.
Why, Dad?
Why did you have to leave?
Brief Synopsis: After his father’s death, a young boy follows a map left by his father to find a treasure in the woods they’d often walked through together.
Links to Resources:
- Take a walk in the woods, and try one of the activities listed for woodland walks in New York State;
- Is there a hobby or other activity that you share with a parent or other relative? Find some time to share that hobby or activity today;
- Choose one or more of the woodland creatures mentioned in the text and draw a picture or write a poem or story about it;
- Think about and answer the discussion questions in the Educators Guide.
Why I Like this Book:
Nikki Grimes’ poetic, emotion-laden text transports readers into the thoughts and heart of a young boy grieving the loss of his father. As the story begins, readers feel the anger, and sorrow, filling the narrator. But as he journeys into the woods, the woods he and his father had enjoyed exploring together, he calms. He notices the forest creatures. And when he discovers the treasure (I won’t spoil the ending by disclosing its contents), he discovers that his father will always be there with and for him.
I love how Grimes shows the reader the healing power of nature – with each step the narrator takes, we feel his hurt and anger dissipate. I love, too, how she showcases woodland creatures, providing a roadmap for readers to discover interesting details about them.
After Jerry Pinkney died in 2021, son Brian Pinkney added watercolor and gouache paints to his father’s sketches for A Walk in the Woods. Seeing the finished illustrations is a poignant reminder that art mimics life.
A Walk in the Woods received many starred reviews. Understandably so. I highly recommend it for anyone seeking to reconnect with nature, to destress, or to heal from emotional trauma or loss.
A Note about Craft:
Per her “Note About the Journey” in the back matter, Grimes writes that she and Jerry Pinkney had been friends forever but had never created a book together. They both loved nature and they wanted to feature an African-American main character engaging with nature. After she’d written the powerful text, Jerry Pinkney created sketches inspired by the woods near his home in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. Then, as mentioned above and as Brian Pinkney elaborates in “A Walk to My Heart” in the back matter, he added color to his father’s sketches. Wow! Although I doubt any writer or illustrator can match the irony and beauty of this creation story, the gorgeous book that resulted is a reminder to create from the heart and to create based on our own lived experiences.
This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!
Wander, Ponder, Write 