Through the Forest

By Author / Illustrator

Yijing Li

Genre

Mental Health & Wellbeing

Age range(s)

Publisher

Lantana Publishing

ISBN

9781913747770

Format

Hardback

Published

05-05-2022

Synopsis

Lost and alone, a young boy enters a forest not knowing the path that lies before him. He meets a figure called Emptiness, who guides him on his way. Together, they find keepsakes deep in the forest that trigger memories, both good and bad. As he moves closer to the sun-filled meadow on the other side of the forest, the boy learns that to be truly happy, he must embrace his past. A powerful tale about the importance of memories in the winding journey of life.

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Reviews

Through the Forest is a beautifully illustrated story about a young boy and his journey through sadness and loss. In the forst, the boy meets Emptiness who journeys with him, finding simple treasures which remind the boy of happier times. They collect these items which bring happy memories back to the boy of his parents, teacher and Grandpa and lead to him being able to move on through life using his memories to guide and help him.

This book was shared with Year 2 children and led to the children discussing sadness in their own lives. They thought Emptiness was the boy's guardian angel, helping him deal with bereavement and death and also good and sad memories too. This book would be an important book to help children who have lost a family member to share and collect their own memories and to support discussion about this difficult subject. A beautiful book.

Picture book / Reviewed by Maria Aldred, teacher