Wildful

by Katie Kidwell

“When I’m with you… The world feels alive!!”

“That’s because it is! We’ve just got to pay attention!” (p. 114-115)

Throughout Kengo Kurimoto’s Wildful, Poppy learns to listen to nature. Wandering through a newly discovered forest, she notices a flower blooming, feathery petals unfurling to reveal a cluster of berries. She looks up to find a monstrous, extraordinary tree connected to that flower and dozens of others. The four-page spread begins with a panel of a single bud, followed by two of Poppy watching, and then two more of the flower mid-transformation. Turning the long, landscape page reveals a single panel: a giant tree stretched across the spread. The reader may find the same awe as Poppy.

Wildful, Pages 84 – 87

This structure mimics the rest of the graphic novel. The narrative is told mostly through images as we follow Poppy, a young girl whose grandmother has just died. Poppy’s mother, in the throes of grief, reeling from the death of her own mom, is unable to walk her dog Pepper. To help out, Poppy takes Pepper on a daily stroll. On one of these walks, Pepper pulls Poppy through a hole in the fence, where she stumbles into a hidden forest and another youth named Rob. Each day, Poppy and Pepper return, developing a routine of roaming to see and hear the joy in nature. Poppy attempts to share the experience with her grieving mother.

Though readers do not meet Poppy’s mom until chapter 4 of 7, her grief drives Poppy to explore the forest with Rob. The pain Poppy’s mom feels at the death of her mother is pervasive, yet unsurprising. Research that shows women are more impacted by the loss of a parent (Hayslip et al (2015) than men and that the loss of a mother specifically can be especially painful for women (Carver et al, 2014). Wildful’’s beautiful images soften the hardness of grief with real tenderness. Part of that may lie in the portrayal of nature itself. One research study shows that feeling connected to nature reduces depression in people who are grieving (Schony et al, 2024), with the researchers suggesting that feeling connected to nature may fill in for the reduced feelings of belongingness and connection caused by death. When Poppy’s mom eventually makes her way outside, not only does she feel connected to nature and her dead mother, but also to her daughter and her friend, Rob. Being in touch with nature allowed her the ability to reconnect with others after isolation. While this particular study (Schony et al, 2024) has its limitations, being specifically developed to explore grief as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems to support the anecdotal connection.

Wildful, page 196

Kurimoto’s illustrations are stunning, containing rich, textured images of flora and fauna. The realism of the imagery underlies the serious, quiet power of nature. Although a monochromatic tone might seem drab, the warm, sepia-toned pen and ink drawings display a real dynamism. This is particularly evident in the single panoramic views, the depiction of movement, and the visual representation of sounds.

Wildful, page 198

Wildful, page 135

Wildful, page 68

Additionally, the nuanced illustrations allow readers to notice subtle changes happening not only in nature, but also in Poppy. At the start of the story, Poppy wears headphones on every walk. Over time, they move from her ears to her neck to eventually disappearing altogether. This progressiveness reminds readers that change is not an instantaneous process, but rather a gradual one. Kurimoto is encouraging readers to notice his art the way Poppy notices nature, encouraging an attainable message – anyone has the ability to find beauty through careful and patient observation.

The publisher recommends Wildful for ages 9–12, though, given the abundance of imagery, this title could be great for older readers, reluctant readers, or readers who are not fluent in English.

Overall, this accessible and impressive graphic novel beautifully captures the pain of loss and the restorative beauty of nature. Losing yourself in nature may be the best way to find yourself, so as the opening chapter encourages, “STOP. LISTEN. WHAT DOES THE WILD SPEAK?”

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Carver, K. S., Hayslip, B., Gilley, A., & Watts, J. (2014). Influences on Grief among Parentally Bereaved Adults. OMEGA – Journal of Death and Dying, 69(2), 105-116. https://doi.org/10.2190/OM.69.2.a

Hayslip, B., Jr, Pruett, J. H., & Caballero, D. M. (2015). The “How” and “When” of Parental Loss in Adulthood: Effects on Grief and Adjustment. Omega, 71(1), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/0030222814568274

Schony, M., & Mischkowski, D. (2024). Feeling Connected to Nature Attenuates the Association between Complicated Grief and Mental Health. International journal of environmental research and public health, 21(9), 1138. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21091138

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Katie Kidwell just finished her MS/LIS at Simmons University, serving as an Associate Fellow at the National Library of Medicine this year. She enjoys watching & arguing about movies, reading books and comic books, especially about grief, and living just outside of Boston.