What can I say about a book that’s three kinds of love letters? From a father to son. From a son to a father. From one friend to another.
For those who don’t know the story behind the book, Nikki Grimes and Jerry Pinkney finally worked on a book together after knowing each other for decades. But Jerry passed away before finishing the art. The good news was that the tight sketches for the illustrations were complete, so his son stepped into his father’s shoes and finished the illustrations by adding his own watercolors to the sketches. Apologies, because my photos do not do justice to the illustrations.
And the book’s theme? A boy dealing with the grief of a father who’s just passed away. It gives me shivers every time I think about it.
The story begins with the boy opening an envelope left behind by his a father, an envelope containing a treasure map. Which leads him into the woods. And yes, you could think of it as the metaphorical woods of grief.
Grimes and Pinkney wanted to create a book with African American characters enjoying nature, because so few exist in children’s books. In this book, nature ends up helping to heal the pain of the boy who wanders there.
Grimes’ lyrical words and poems, some written as if the boy is speaking to the animals he encounters in the woods, often raise questions in the boy’s mind for which there are no answers. That is…until he finds the treasure. And there, he also finds an answer, one that leads to tears and healing.
I’m going to go out on a limb (not a very shaky one) to predict that this will be the Caldecott winner when ALA midwinter convenes in early 2024, or at minimum an Honor book.
Oh, and don’t forget to read the author and illustrator notes. They may bring tears as well. Grab a tissue. And last but not least, take a look at the gorgeous undies! Beautiful bookends for this poignant story.
Activities:
Check out these resources created by the Children & Nature Network to see how nature can help children heal from all kinds of trauma and develop resiliency.
Take a walk in the woods and collect leaves, seeds, twigs, moss and other organic materials to make a collage.
After taking a walk in a park or woods, write a poem about the experience, using most of your senses. What did your eyes see? your ears hear? your nose smell? your skin feel? And end the poem with how the walk, the experience of walking through a natural place, made you feel.
Title: A Walk in the Woods
Author: Nikki Grimes
Illustrators: Brian & Jerry Pinkney, Charnell Pinkney-Barlow (digitally meshed sketches with watercolors)
Publisher: Neal Porter, Holiday House, 2023
Ages: Elementary school
Themes: Grief, nature, family, art
For more perfect picture book recommendations, please visit Susanna Hill’s website.