Lynn: In 
2019 old friends, Nikki Grimes and Jerry Pinkney asked each other why they hadn’t done a book together? They embarked on the work for A Walk in the Woods (Holiday/Neal Porter, 2023) choosing the rare theme of an African American child interacting with nature. Sadly, Jerry died before finishing the artwork. The collaborative work had brought them both joy and it was an even harder blow for Grimes to learn of Jerry’s death on her birthday.
Fortunately for all of us, Jerry’s son Brian decided to finish the manuscript using his father’s watercolor techniques. The result is this sensitive, beautiful, and moving book.
After the death of his father, a grief-stricken boy finds an envelope from his father, revealing a map of the woods they had walked together and a red X marking a spot. At first, the boy’s heart aches, revisiting the places he and his father explored. But the farther he walks the more his grief is soothed. “Can you smile and cry and the same time?” he wonders and the answer of course is yes. Grimes’ verses capture the sights and sounds of the woods and the inner hurt of the grieving boy. Readers walk with the boy as nature does its healing work. Deeply evocative, beautifully written and illustrated, this book is a gem! It is a celebration of a creative life and a remarkable depiction of the healing power of nature and love. Wonderful back matter includes notes from Nikki Grimes and Brian Pinkney.
It was a special treat me to read this book at the American Library Association’s recent conference in Chicago and even more of a treat to have it signed by Nikki and Brian. The book means so much to adults who have read and loved the work of these three talented people. But more importantly, this book will speak to and move the children it is intended for. This is must purchase for every collection serving children.
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