An overly emotional girl flees to the forest to relieve the pressure. There she meets a lost wood fairy. How will they find their way back? Pilu des Bois is a new release from Kinaye, the publisher who rises but above all grows. Willow is an angry girl. Having once again become angry with her older sister, she fled to the nearby woods because she loves the quiet and peaceful forest. During her elopement, she meets Pilu, a forest fairy who can't find her way home… The little girl decides to help this stranger. 
The birth of a friendship
When the little girl meets the fairy, she is frightened but it does not last. How can one fear a fairy in tears? Pilu, a young girl with green hair with leaves, explains to Willow that she wanted to go out but when her mother refused, she also fled as the little girl and refuses to return. This meeting in the woods becomes the starting point of a friendship. Each brings to the other his qualities. Both children realize that they have the same difficulty managing her emotions. It is when Pilu exposes her problem that Willow realizes that she herself has done something stupid. In addition, she understands that the fairy's house is the grove of magnolias in a garden loved by her mother. She can be the little fairy's big sister, reassuring her and guiding her both to her home and to reconciliation with her mother.
Too much emotion
Pilu is not the perfect little girl from ancient tales and that's good. She is bullied at school because of her sensitivity and that's why she was angry when she came home. She was also called a nerd because, like her father, she was interested in plants. Her older sister Linnea didn't understand, but Willow also couldn't tell her. There's a dark side to her that she can't contain it and she sees it as slimy creatures screaming in jars. But this sensitive little girl will demonstrate her courage and maturity by helping Pilu. In addition, to get out of it Wilow will have to confront the origin of these negative emotions that she keeps fleeing. There's also a storm metaphor like Willow's inner turmoil.
A beautiful story for all tender hearts
Pilu des Bois is entirely directed by American author Mai K. Nguyen. This beautiful tale will appeal to the youngest. First of all, the text is limited but without nonsense and the vocabulary is easily accessible for a child. The story is quite simple but the twists are well brought with a beautiful mystery at the heart of the story. The drawing of Mai K. Nguyen all in roundness between the Franco-Belgian for children and the manga renders well the tenderness of the story. The edge of the boxes seems drawn with felt and the green or gray tones of the images make up beautiful spring pages. The author does not content herself with telling her story but, through silent boxes, shows the beauty of nature. In addition, the publisher had the good idea to add at the end a small notebook for family walks. However, do not believe that Pilu is simply intended for the youngest, adults can also take a lot of pleasure in reading this tale and will probably be touched by Willow's past… or whetted by the recipe at the end. 
While spring makes the French forest bloom, Pilu des bois is a touching tale from across the Atlantic and a beautiful story of friendship that will make a perfect read in the evening for your children … or for yourself. If you are interested in young adult literature, we advise you to read our reviews of Katie O'Neil's books The Bay of Aquicorn and Princess Princess.
