PIA IN THE FOREST

A youngster takes a walk through the woods.

Pia, a small, caninelike character, awakens with the urge to create a pine-cone person using objects from nature. Her dad suggests an excursion to a nearby pine forest, and Pia agrees. While preparing to leave, Pia giddily packs a lemon in place of the granola bar her dad requested and bursts in on him while he’s on the toilet. Pia’s energy only intensifies when the pair arrive in the woods; she grows wobbly with excitement upon spotting her “perfect pine cone” and stuffs a “Spiky Death Ball” (a sweetgum pod) into her satchel. Her enthusiasm gradually gives way to quieter awe as she uses her dad’s headphones and sound recorder to listen to birds, rustling grasses, and a waterfall. But when her hungry dad reaches into his bag and finds the lemon, he loses patience: “Are you actually listening to anything I say?!” Pia stomps off and stumbles upon a fellow young naturalist with whom she enjoys a lovely interlude of imaginative nature play as they construct a fairy house. Pia’s childish wonder, coupled with her humorously limited attention span, reflects the temperament of many young readers, while the pine forest is drawn with a light, observant touch evoking its captivating charm. Backmatter on sound recorders and fairy houses closes the work.

A simple, playful invitation to delight in the natural world.