Through the Forest

February 21, 2022
A “deep, dark forest” becomes both setting and metaphor in this pensive picture book. “I was searching for something, but did not know what,” narrates a pale-skinned boy in a red cap, confessing to being lost. When he meets a giant ghostly figure named Emptiness, the sympathetic creature agrees to join the child’s search, and together they stumble upon objects—a pinwheel, a broken vase, a harmonica—that symbolize memories, fond and difficult alike. Li’s atmospheric watercolor, ink, and digital scenes hazily convey the forest through which the duo travel, lending the story a dreamy vibe. When the pair arrive at a lush meadow of pastel wildflowers, Emptiness, full of the objects they found, stays behind, explaining that the memories will always be there to guide the child now venturing forth—a soothing message for those in need of direction. Ages 5–8.

April 1, 2022
Preschool-Grade 2 Feeling truly lost is scary. A small boy trudges through a deep, dark forest, searching through snowy trees until he meets a puffy white figure who says: "My name is Emptiness." The two decide to continue on together, searching for they know not what. First they find a yellow pinwheel spinning with the wind, which reminds the boy of sitting between Mama and Dada on a sunny afternoon--smiles all around for that find. Then a pink kite appears, and he remembers flying it before Mama left. Other treasures appear, happy and sad, scattered around a meadow, which has now become a sunny field of blooming flowers. No longer lost, the boy sees a path before him and hugs the big giant, who says: "Each of these memories is a part of who you are." Soft watercolor-and-ink illustrations complement the empty white feeling of the first pages and burst into joyful pastels at the conclusion. The puffy guide projects nonthreatening safety, which helps the boy find his way to self-discovery.

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