by Moe Zilla

Created on: March 08, 2010

It's like a story told in cartoons. "The Wild Woods" shows a little girl named Tess, who follows a squirrel into the woods. Most of the story is told through a funny conversation that Tess has with her grandfather. He's followed her into the woods, and he's trying to talk her out of taking the squirrel out of the woods and making it into a pet!

But there's really a second story lurking around the fringes of the book. It's the story of how a grown-up explains rules to a child. The drawings show Tess running off after the squirrel, impetuously - and her grandfather struggling along behind to follow her through the woods. In one drawing he's seen crossing a stream by walking across rocks. But apparently it was trickier than it looked - since in the next drawing, he's seen wringing water out of his socks!

The grandfather remains kind and patient throughout the story - and soon it's revealed that Tess is interested in more than just the squirrel. "Hurry up, Grandad," she yells. "I think I found a waterfall." Simon contributes a grand illustration of the girl staring into the water, and Tess suddenly she surprises her grandfather by talking about an entirely different subject.

"I like being in the wild... Can we come back tomorrow?"

Author Simon James dedicates the book to the Plymbridge Woods near the school where he works. And it's obvious he's drawn some inspiration from the adult adventures in his own professional life. He's an artist in residence at his local school, and dedicates the book to all children and teachers at Langley School "with warmest love" for making his time there "so special." But he sounds like a kind and patient man himself, since the book's jacket says Simon enjoys teaching children "How to have fun making a mess and expressing something at the same time!"  

It's significant that his cartoon-like illustrations don't lead to a spectacular punchline. Instead there's just gentle interplay between his characters, as the energetic girl explores more and more of the woods with each drawing. Grandfather points out some birds in a tree in the book's first drawing, and they're warm relationship is easy to see. Maybe the real message of the book is that a child can be enthusiastic, while adults can respect that enthusiasm - and that relationship can lead them into a fun adventure - or at least, a pleasant afternoon - like exploring the rivers in trees in the nearby wild woods.

Learn more about this author, Moe Zilla.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.