New York Times Best Children’s Books of 2024
Kirkus Best Books of 2024
Shelf Awareness 2024 Best Books of the Year
The Globe 100: The Best Books of 2024
Poppy’s mother hasn’t been the same since Gran passed away. She stays inside and watches TV, unable to leave the couch. So maybe that’s why Poppy has started spending more time outside, taking her dog Pepper for walks around the neighborhood. When Pepper leads Poppy through a hole in the fence, she finds a forgotten forest that’s been there all along, as well as a new friend named Rob.
Rob teaches Poppy that you can find magic in the wilderness — if you know where to look! Poppy looks, and then she looks closer … and sees flowers opening before her eyes, watches animals slip into their hidden homes, and listens to the sound of water droplets falling gently on puddles, leaves and feathers. She can barely wait to tell Mum about everything she’s seen, and asks her to come see, too — but her mother rarely has the energy to leave the couch. Will Poppy ever be able help her mother see the beauty in the woods — and in life?
This beautifully illustrated graphic novel is an exploration of grief, love, and finding magic in the wilderness — and in ourselves.
Key Text Features
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7
Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
New York Times Best Children’s Books of 2024
Kirkus Best Books of 2024
Shelf Awareness 2024 Best Books of the Year
The Globe 100: The Best Books of 2024
Poppy’s mother hasn’t been the same since Gran passed away. She stays inside and watches TV, unable to leave the couch. So maybe that’s why Poppy has started spending more time outside, taking her dog Pepper for walks around the neighborhood. When Pepper leads Poppy through a hole in the fence, she finds a forgotten forest that’s been there all along, as well as a new friend named Rob.
Rob teaches Poppy that you can find magic in the wilderness — if you know where to look! Poppy looks, and then she looks closer … and sees flowers opening before her eyes, watches animals slip into their hidden homes, and listens to the sound of water droplets falling gently on puddles, leaves and feathers. She can barely wait to tell Mum about everything she’s seen, and asks her to come see, too — but her mother rarely has the energy to leave the couch. Will Poppy ever be able help her mother see the beauty in the woods — and in life?
This beautifully illustrated graphic novel is an exploration of grief, love, and finding magic in the wilderness — and in ourselves.
Key Text Features
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7
Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Feb 6, 2024 |
| Specifications | 216 pages | 9.625 in x 6.75 in |
| Keywords | new experiences; emotions; moods and feelings; family and family relationships; finding joy; forest ecosystems; friendship; great outdoors; urban park; natural world; nature walk; accepting change; adjusting; bereavement; grief and loss; anxiety and feeling anxious; Asian protagonist; child's perspective; different perspective; visual storytelling; sequential storytelling; dialogue; comics; |
| Written By |
KENGO KURIMOTO has been busy making things all his life. He loves things that are very old, things that are very detailed, but most of all, things that are alive. He has worked across disciplines from architecture to animation to console games. Wildful is his debut graphic novel. He lives in the United Kingdom. |
| Illustrated by |
KENGO KURIMOTO has been busy making things all his life. He loves things that are very old, things that are very detailed, but most of all, things that are alive. He has worked across disciplines from architecture to animation to console games. Wildful is his debut graphic novel. He lives in the United Kingdom. |
| Written By |
|
KENGO KURIMOTO has been busy making things all his life. He loves things that are very old, things that are very detailed, but most of all, things that are alive. He has worked across disciplines from architecture to animation to console games. Wildful is his debut graphic novel. He lives in the United Kingdom. |
| Illustrated by |
|
KENGO KURIMOTO has been busy making things all his life. He loves things that are very old, things that are very detailed, but most of all, things that are alive. He has worked across disciplines from architecture to animation to console games. Wildful is his debut graphic novel. He lives in the United Kingdom. |
| Audience | ages 9 to 12 / grades 4 to 6 |
| Reading Levels | Lexile HL520L |
| Key Text Features | illustrations |
| Common Core |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3 |
Commended, New York Times Best Children's Books, 2024
Commended, Kirkus Best Middle Grade Books of the Year, 2024
Commended, Shelf Awareness Best Books of the Year, 2024
Commended, Globe 100 Best Books, 2024
Commended, USBBY Outstanding International Books List, 2025
Commended, Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year, 2025
Nominated, Maine Student Book Award, 2026
Nominated, Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, 2025
“A story of relationships and connection ... A necessary addition for celebrating the outdoors.” — School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“A magical showcase of non-verbal storytelling … Modeling pure innocence, Wildful is an outstanding graphic novel in which people discover the healing power of nature.” — Foreword, STARRED REVIEW
“Visual storytelling perfection ... Wildful is a breathtaking, wildly welcoming achievement.” — Shelf Awareness, STARRED REVIEW
“Captivating ... [Wildful] rivals The Secret Garden in its joyful reverence for nature.” — New York Times
“A gentle, poignant tale of awakening to the subtle, healing wonders of the wild.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A gorgeous graphic novel.” — Horn Book
“This gentle, poignant story will remind readers that simply being present with nature can offer a path toward healing and an appreciation of what it is to be alive.” — Booklist
“Kurimoto employs ballpoint and ink to finely render delicate, richly detailed grayscale art in this sparsely worded debut, which elegantly conveys Poppy’s wide-eyed delight at each new discovery and the healing powers of connection and time spent out of doors.” — Publishers Weekly
“This understatedly gorgeous graphic novel is a hymn of love to nature, full of glorious leaf-shadow and birdsong.” — Guardian
“Evokes a unique kind of curiosity, encouraging readers to quietly watch small worlds moving along deep in the woods.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
“A memorable book that deals with important issues and affords readers a visual treat dedicated to nature's healing powers.” — Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
“A breathtaking meditation on the healing power of nature and wild spaces.” — Globe and Mail
“Shadowy sepia tones ... sharpen the eyes for a spell of wondrous looking. A story of nature's consolatory powers.” — Toronto Star
“A truly inspired graphic novel ... Of special note is the artwork by Kurimoto, which is detailed, expressive and delicate.” — Winnipeg Free Press
“It is the little details that really stand out here, making this graphic novel all the more magical.” — CM: Canadian Review of Materials
“A sentient celebration of the living world.” — Kyo Maclear, award-winning author of 'Operatic'
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