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A Walk in the Forest
"… an urgent entreaty for young people to immerse themselves in the outdoors." —STARRED Kirkus Reviews
"Discover the forest in all its mysterious glory with this book." —Learning Magazine
A charming, illustrated picture book that invites young readers to discover the woods as a place for both imaginative play and contemplation.
The forest comes alive in all its mysterious glory with Maria Dek's charming watercolor images and poetic text in A Walk in the Forest . With the turn of each serenely illustrated page, young readers will follow along to collect pinecones, feathers, or stones; follow the tracks of a deer; or listen to the chirping of birds and the whisper of trees. Build a shelter and play hide-and-seek. Pretend the woods are a jungle or shout out loud to stir up the birds.
This nature-themed picture book for kids will invite them on an armchair walk of discovery through the woods, showing them that in the forest, wonders await.
"Discover the forest in all its mysterious glory with this book." —Learning Magazine
A charming, illustrated picture book that invites young readers to discover the woods as a place for both imaginative play and contemplation.
The forest comes alive in all its mysterious glory with Maria Dek's charming watercolor images and poetic text in A Walk in the Forest . With the turn of each serenely illustrated page, young readers will follow along to collect pinecones, feathers, or stones; follow the tracks of a deer; or listen to the chirping of birds and the whisper of trees. Build a shelter and play hide-and-seek. Pretend the woods are a jungle or shout out loud to stir up the birds.
This nature-themed picture book for kids will invite them on an armchair walk of discovery through the woods, showing them that in the forest, wonders await.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2015
1 person is currently reading
241 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
December 8, 2021
Jednohubka, ktorej čaro spočíva práve v tom, koľko chutí, vôní a možností sa v tomto jednom súste skrýva. Presne ten prípad, kedy má snáď väčšiu cenu možné ako uskutočnené.
May 7, 2021
Featured in a grandma reads session.
A book that takes us on a walk through the forest. . . we liked the art work, but wished it was bigger on the page. We liked the story, but it was very spare. We finished too soon, and that made us a little blue.
A book that takes us on a walk through the forest. . . we liked the art work, but wished it was bigger on the page. We liked the story, but it was very spare. We finished too soon, and that made us a little blue.
July 15, 2018
If I could get more specific, I would give the book 5 stars for illustration and 3 stars for the text. But I think what carries this book is the artwork, not the text! The text, I feel, is secondary.
The illustrations are simple, one-dimensional and child-like watercolors(?); you may think to yourself, "I could have painted this!" That may sound like a negative, but this is actually the strength of the book. The first page features a boy, about an inch tall, on a mostly blank page, looking out into the forest that covers half of the second page. It's hard to describe exactly, but it creates a sense of wander and possibility. As the book progresses, we are taken through a number of possibilities and discoveries in the forest; the trees, the animals, the habitats, and most all, the sense of magic and excitement at discovery and hidden details. As a very young child (maybe 2-6) I would have loved this book and begged my mom to read it over and over. Then, I would have begged my mom to take me to the local playground which was framed by trees on one side (forest enough for me at that age), so that I too, could walk through the forest and search out the animals' hiding places, examine the pine cones up close, and admire the tiny baby pine trees that grow in the shade of the older pines.
I loved the illustration on pages 9/10 ("Run Wild in the Jungle"), and I can imagine making my mom stay on this page for minutes at a time as I searched for every semi-camouflaged animal. Same goes for the pages that read "The forest is full of burrows, hollows, and nests..." I would have delighted in finding the hidden fox, dear, bear, owl, rabbit, coyote, and mouse. Mostly, I wish I had written/illustrated this book! Will definitely read this one to my daughter when she's older!
The illustrations are simple, one-dimensional and child-like watercolors(?); you may think to yourself, "I could have painted this!" That may sound like a negative, but this is actually the strength of the book. The first page features a boy, about an inch tall, on a mostly blank page, looking out into the forest that covers half of the second page. It's hard to describe exactly, but it creates a sense of wander and possibility. As the book progresses, we are taken through a number of possibilities and discoveries in the forest; the trees, the animals, the habitats, and most all, the sense of magic and excitement at discovery and hidden details. As a very young child (maybe 2-6) I would have loved this book and begged my mom to read it over and over. Then, I would have begged my mom to take me to the local playground which was framed by trees on one side (forest enough for me at that age), so that I too, could walk through the forest and search out the animals' hiding places, examine the pine cones up close, and admire the tiny baby pine trees that grow in the shade of the older pines.
I loved the illustration on pages 9/10 ("Run Wild in the Jungle"), and I can imagine making my mom stay on this page for minutes at a time as I searched for every semi-camouflaged animal. Same goes for the pages that read "The forest is full of burrows, hollows, and nests..." I would have delighted in finding the hidden fox, dear, bear, owl, rabbit, coyote, and mouse. Mostly, I wish I had written/illustrated this book! Will definitely read this one to my daughter when she's older!
January 19, 2018
Full of noticing and wonder.
January 12, 2017
Really makes me want to go into the forest. Burrow my toes in the dirt, breath deeply the crisp air, see those bright, in-person colors. So simple, yet so evocative. A beautiful book.
November 3, 2017
Another obvious import. Some lovely moments but the last line of the book bumped it from 3 stars to 2.
March 3, 2018
A lovely ode to nature and exploring! The illustrations really work with the text!
October 16, 2017
Sort of boring and a really abrupt ending! Very pretty illustrations, but they don't quite carry the book.
January 28, 2018
A nice tale about a little boy's investigations of the woods. Simple text and abstracted watercolor illustrations.
July 3, 2017
I live down the street from a really great park that has an easy trail through some woods I can walk on with my 2-year-old. We've done it a bunch of times now and he always calls it "a walk in the forest," so how in the world could I not borrow this book when I spotted it at the library?! As I guessed when I first saw it, my son loved it and we've already read it several times even though we've only had it for two days. The text is simple and thoughtful and points out the many wonders (and contradictions) of a forest. The illustration style is well suited to the earthy subject matter, though the one close-up of the little boy seemed a little odd to me. Overall a great book perfectly suited to the current season and interests of my toddler.
August 30, 2017
Illustrations are Carson Ellis-lite. And I mean lite, not like.
The snapshot view of the feelings & happenings that occur in the forest is only partly effective for me, esp bc I think the last line undermines the book a lot: "You'll go there [the forest] tomorrow, when you're older." So the child protag wasn't just in the forest for the entire book? Maybe verb tenses were a bit lost in translation, since this was first published in French? Something was missing for me.
The snapshot view of the feelings & happenings that occur in the forest is only partly effective for me, esp bc I think the last line undermines the book a lot: "You'll go there [the forest] tomorrow, when you're older." So the child protag wasn't just in the forest for the entire book? Maybe verb tenses were a bit lost in translation, since this was first published in French? Something was missing for me.
July 16, 2017
sweet book. pretty pictures.
September 2, 2017
I think something was terribly lost in the translation of this one. Some of the illustrations are interesting but as a whole it didn't grab me and say, "Love this!" Alas.
November 7, 2021
A poetic picture book about the wonders of the forest and what you can discover there. It's beautiful but my 2 children didn't engage with it.
May 25, 2017
A gorgeous and brilliant story that made my heart so happy! I cannot wait to share this beautifully illustrated story about the spender of the forest with my own children and with the young kids in my classes. This book is one of those books that is simple in text, but the illustrations and content create a book that is big in heart and adventure. Any child and adult will get lost in the pictures. There are endless ways to apply this book to creative and artistic learning activities. You could have a child write a poem about an illustrated page, you could have them draw a picture of something they may find in the forest, you could have then all make a tree and create a forest...just to name a few! I am so very excited about this fantastic book! It is a must read and would make a great addition to your home library.
March 13, 2018
"A Walk in the Forest" takes the reader on a quiet journey, with stops along the way that highlight the forest's ability to be both larger-than-life in grandeur as well as simplistically nuanced in scale. I do wonder what beauty we're missing in translation, as the last line leaves a little to be desired for readers in English - but I will hedge my bets that it reads much more dimensional and whole in its original printing. A vision in watercolor, nevertheless.
January 9, 2024
A great book about a young boy who takes a walk in the forest and lets his imagination take over.
He observes all the things around him - animals and trees, various ‘treasures’. He encourages the reader to ‘run wild in the jungle’ ‘shout as loud as you want’ and other activities that would truly immerse you in the forest. Very sense focus: look, listen, touch (build). He is asking you to look that little bit closer and get more involved with the nature around you
He observes all the things around him - animals and trees, various ‘treasures’. He encourages the reader to ‘run wild in the jungle’ ‘shout as loud as you want’ and other activities that would truly immerse you in the forest. Very sense focus: look, listen, touch (build). He is asking you to look that little bit closer and get more involved with the nature around you
January 15, 2018
This book spoke to me - the message to children of getting outside to explore the world is an important one in this time of "nature deficit disorder".
Words such as "it's the best playground ever", "look", and "listen" can encourage children to find the wonder in the outside.
Simple illustrations, yet there is much to look at in some of the pictures.
Words such as "it's the best playground ever", "look", and "listen" can encourage children to find the wonder in the outside.
Simple illustrations, yet there is much to look at in some of the pictures.
June 28, 2017
A quiet book about the dichotomy of the forest. It's big and it's small. It's loud and it's quiet. It's beautiful, and it can be scary. The illustrations are simple, made with little market lines. Some of the spreads reminded me of an Eric Carle book.
August 5, 2017
I did not care for A Walk in the Forest, by Maria Dek. The illustrations are a bit too unsophisticated for my taste, and the prose is awkward. I think the point of the book is to get the reader to think about the experience of being in the forest, but it's a bit of a muddle.
June 15, 2018
Ummmm... based on the super-cool cover? I'm unimpressed.
Yes, it's brief enough for a storytime crowd to sit through, but the illustrations are not as stunning as the cover art, and the story (what story?) has a bizzarely cryptic and condescending end to it. No thanks.
Yes, it's brief enough for a storytime crowd to sit through, but the illustrations are not as stunning as the cover art, and the story (what story?) has a bizzarely cryptic and condescending end to it. No thanks.
November 5, 2018
I am all for books that promote and appreciation for nature! This was lovely. How can we be a good steward for the earth if we don't first care about it on a personal level? This may be a bit too poetic for my preschool storytime, but it's something I would totally love for a personal library.
July 12, 2024
A beautiful, short & sweet, poetic book about nature. This one is not quite a story- but more of a series of observations. Children can really absorb the illustrations on each page, and take time to reflect on the beauty of nature (big & small).
October 31, 2025
Livro fofinho e poético sobre as descobertas de um menino numa floresta. As ilustrações são bem bonitas e tem algumas soluções que achei muito bem resolvidas (tipo a forma como ela desenha os pés na água, os pássaros voando, etc). Mas também senti que é mais do mesmo...
May 28, 2017
Beautiful, peaceful, inspiring. Makes me want to go outside!
June 16, 2017
This is a narrow miss. The illustrations really are lovely, except for the boy, who took me completely out of the story. Also, quite a missed opportunity--why's the protagonist a white kid?
July 14, 2017
The entire book exuded patience: the illustrations were calming and not overwhelming. The words were simple and carefully chosen. It was a neat story.
July 25, 2017
Beautiful illustrations show the many sides of a forest as a child walks there.
July 26, 2017
The beautifully rendered watercolors dominate the pages of this book, which encourages wonder and adventure to be found in the forest.
July 30, 2017
A quiet reflective book about what one can find and do in the forest. It manages to be playful as well. Perfect for nature lovers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews