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Review: A Walk in the Woods

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A Walk in the Woods
Written by Nikki Grimes
Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney and Brian Pinkney 
New York: Holiday House, 2023. Picture Book.

A week after his father’s funeral, a boy is still struggling with the reality of his father’s death, but it’s time and he opens the envelope his father left for him. When he opens the envelope, he finds a map of the woods outside his house, with a big red “X” marked for treasure. At first, he is very disappointed, because he wanted a meaningful letter with advice, but he ultimately decides to take on the adventure. As the boy starts his journey he sees all kinds of animals and wildlife around him. Finally, he gets to the spot marked on the map and he finds a metal box. Inside there are his father’s drawings of forest creatures with a story under each one. At the end, there is a note from his father inviting him to finish the story or write his own. Touched and grateful for his father’s insight, the boy begins his journey back home.

A Walk in the Woods is a beautiful story about loss and life. The book is great at showing the pain that is felt around the loss of a loved one and also some of the healing that can come from being in nature. There is also a beautiful story at the very end about the illustrator Brian Pinkney, who took over the illustrations for the book after his own father passed away. I would highly recommend this picture book to children who are struggling with a loss. 

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