Hunters of the Great Forest

by Dennis Nolan, Dennis Nolan (Illustrator)

Overview

On a warm night, a band of hunters sets out on a journey. As they travel over hills, through thickets of trees, and around mountains, nothing will keep them from their ultimate goal. What that goal is may surprise you.

Dennis Nolan's remarkable, imaginative illustrations lead the way in this wordless picture book about an epic journey.
A Neal Porter Book

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466878020
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	10/28/2014
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	128 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Dennis Nolan is the author and illustrator of the bestselling Dinosaur Dream. He is also the illustrator of many award-winning books including The Sword in the Stone, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and The Skywriter, the latter for Roaring Brook Press. He lives in Massachusetts.

Editorial Reviews

There is a whimsical, fairy-tale feeling to the art, which is reminiscent of Johnny Gruelle's classic Raggedy Ann books. The cunning, red-nosed characters are captivating…But the book's greatest charm and poetic achievement is in offering a new point of view. The detailed world of these bug-size creatures is immediately enveloping…

The New York Times Book Review - Grace Lin

★ 09/01/2014
In another enchanting wordless fantasy from Nolan (Sea of Dreams), seven tiny, gnomish beings set off from a fairy tale village on an expedition. A gray-haired grandmother wields a spear, a girl carries a map, and bearded and mustachioed fellows trudge along with more gear. Their stringy legs and puzzled expressions draw smiles throughout, especially when something startles them. Nolan’s visual storytelling is in a league with Aaron Becker and David Weisner, and a series of breathtakingly drafted and delicately tinted spreads shows the group clambering over stones and roots, and narrowly escaping a giant toad and a terrifying chipmunk. By nightfall they’ve reached their goal: a girl roasting a marshmallow next to a campfire. Nolan draws the hunters hanging back in the long shadows of the firelight, pointing at the girl and strategizing. They manage to spirit a marshmallow (many times their size) back to their village, and the bonfire celebration that follows is crammed with incident, with a sly twist at the very end. It’s merry, timeless entertainment that children will return to with pleasure. Ages 3–7. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

*In this wordless picture book, a small hunting party, lightly equipped but deeply determined, departs from its quaint village . . . While you may need to curb kids from leaving treats around to lure the hunting party out again, they'll certainly be delighted with this alternative take on hunter/gathering.” —BCCB, STARRED REVIEW

“Nolan's latest wordless picture book features seven intrepid gnomish creatures who brave the wilderness in search of a sweet prize . . . This is sure to be popular with fans of David Weisner's Mr. Wuffles and Flotsam, as well as Aaron Becker's Journey.” —Booklist

“An intrepid band conquers a rugged landscape to capture an unusually tasty conquest in this funny, wordless story . . . Quite a treat!” —Kirkus Reviews

“*In this wordless picture book, insect-sized explorers set off from their village to go on an adventure . . . A good adventure story that's silly and original.” —School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

“*In this wordless picture book, insect-sized explorers set off from their village to go on an adventure . . . A good adventure story that's silly and original.” —School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

“*It's merry, timeless entertainment that children will return to with pleasure.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

From the Publisher

★ 08/01/2014
K-Gr 2—In this wordless picture book, insect-sized explorers set off from their village to go on an adventure. Along the way, they must overcome several perils, such as a hungry blue jay and an angry chipmunk. Though teamwork and blind luck, they arrive at their destination, an unguarded bag of marshmallows, and take one back to their village for a feast. Nolan's illustrations are wonderfully detailed and textured, from the jagged roots and tree bark the group climbs to the wings of the dragonfly that soars overhead. His work with shadows is exceptionally impressive; as the characters run for their lives, the hunters' oblong shadows accentuate their various actions. However, very young readers may be frightened by the team's antics, as the backyard animals that chase the travelers come across as monsterlike. Overall, this is a good adventure story that's silly and original. Fans of David Wiesner's imaginative works may want to give it a try.—Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI

School Library Journal

2014-08-12
An intrepid band conquers a rugged landscape to capture an unusually tasty conquest in this funny, wordless story.As they bid their families farewell, the seven hunters—two are women—carry assorted, important-looking objects: a map, spear, rucksack and more. The gallant troupe scales cliffs and clambers over enormous tree roots. They begin to encounter flora and fauna so huge that readers' perceptions shift—these folk are teeny. Dwarfed by a towering toad, angry mama bird and snarling chipmunk, the tiny hunters startle and run, losing possessions one after the other. Finally, they tiptoe into a shadowy cave and spy their surprising "prey." A girl, her face illuminated by a campfire's glow, toasts a marshmallow, a brimming bag of the treats nearby. It takes four hunters to wrangle their single, sweet prize home; a fifth wards off crafty ants. Nolan's watercolor, ink and colored-pencil illustrations employ dizzying perspective and a lovely palette in tints of ochre, blue and lavender. While the animals are portrayed realistically, the little hunters might be described as "Palmer Cox's Brownies meet R. Crumb's Mr. Natural." Sporting wild hair (topknots, long braids, bushy mustaches and beards), their faces—with identical round-dot eyes, pendulous noses and undrawn mouths—are impassive throughout. Their roundish, thin-limbed bodies convey the story as they scamper home for the village's own marshmallow toast. Quite a treat! (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews