Children of the Forest [Hardcover]

Two siblings set off for adventure in the untamed wilds... of their own backyard.

Pairing a serious text with charming illustrations that show the mundane truth of the kids' adventurous roaming, Children of the Forest is an ode to imaginative play and the wild fun you can have while staying close to home.

Grabbing a bow and quiver, a kid sets off, toddler sister in tow, to live off the land-- in the expanses of their own backyard. First, they sneak past their snoozing father to pilfer supplies from the refrigerator, but only what they need. After that, they’re utterly on their own.

Out in these uncharted spaces they encounter many dangers, from a ferocious mountain lion (a house cat) to a hulking canine beast (their dog). When the sun dips low, they make a camp complete with defenses to ward off predators.

Matt Myers’s cool self-serious text is juxtaposed with whimsical art depicting the playful antics of backyard life, making for a tale full of delight for imaginative children. There is an enjoyable tension between text and images, where what we are told is at odds with what we see. Older children will revel in being in on the joke. . . . Myers's soft, nostalgic pencil-and-watercolor drawings in muted greens and mauves include details meant for grown-ups (the dozing dad is reading Thoreau), but there is plenty for kids to discover, too, as they plot their own backyard adventures. —The New York Times

[A] puckish escapade. . . . —The Wall Street Journal

A sly backyard adventure. . . . Pencil and watercolor illustrations offer high-energy encounters, while fantastical shrub-creatures that lurk in the background contribute to the fantasy feel. Myers writes with sharp wit, making exemplary use of the piclCÉ