In the Forest

by Marie Hall Ets

The animals join a young boy as he walks through the forest blowing his new horn

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Fantasy, Music

40 pages, Library Binding

First published August 1, 1944

About the author

Marie Hall Ets was an American writer and illustrator who is best known for children's picture books. She attended Lawrence College, and in 1918, Ets journeyed to Chicago where she became a social worker at the Chicago Commons, a settlement house on the northwest side of the city.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I checked out was a cute half sized book like a ‘Mr. Men’ book by Roger Hargreaves. The artwork is something I’m not sure, but it’s lovely to look at. It’s almost looks like a type of Pointallism in black & white ink. The drawings were adorable.

This is a walk through the forest, somewhat like Alice in Wonderland. A boy gathers the animals for a parade that he meets like Kangaroos and Lions and bears, you know, the usual. Is it his imagination or is it real? Maybe it’s both. They do go on a parade through the forest. It’s a lovely story.

I had to go to the Library of Congress to read this, so I did not read it to the kids. I don’t really know if they would like it or not. I think my nephew would because he likes the animals, but only he knows. It also depends on his mood.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy goes for a walk in the forest and meets animals as he goes. They join him on his walk and then stop to play games until the boy's father comes to take him home, luckily at this point they are all hiding.

Beautiful pencil drawings and a wonderful, simple story about imagination and outdoor play.

Read on openlibrary.

[Luann · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I didn't like this much at all. Why does the lion have a comb? Why do the elephant babies put on a sweater and some shoes? Why do the kangaroos have drums? Why do the monkeys have suits hanging on a hanger in the trees? Why doesn't the rabbit get to have any clothes or a musical instrument? And why do ice cream and cake just appear when they are all ready for a picnic? It was just too strange! But once I got to the end, I decided that all of the animals (except maybe the rabbit), the food, and the musical instruments were from the boy's imagination. If that's true, then I do like the story more than I did in the beginning.

This was another one of the early Caldecott Honor winners. I really didn't think the illustrations were anything extraordinary. Cute animals, but nothing very memorable or exciting.

Although I do think I would have liked this as a young child. It reminded me somewhat of Where the Wild Things Are. Reading it and evaluating it for the first time as an adult probably isn't fair.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book has a great first line - “I had a new horn and a paper hat” - which works well to introduce the fanciful parade through the forest that follows. I love the images of an elephant putting on his shoes and the kangaroos teaching their baby to hop. In the Forest evokes some of the same emotions as Sendak’s picture books, though it precedes Where the Wild Things Are by almost 20 years.

[♥ Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this at my children's school today, and I immediately recognized it.. from my childhood I am going to attempt to order it asap.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another old picture book that "gets" children. And children so much appreciate it. Ets's quiet illustrations tell an imaginative story and her simple text is the perfect accompaniment.

[Carol Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this because it's a Caldecott honor book and I'm trying to read all the Caldecotts. However, I realized, as I read, that this is a great book to use in teaching beginning concepts of addition in mathematics! I wish I'd known about it when I was still teaching PreK and Kindergarten. If you have young children (or grandchildren), I recommend this as a good "read and discuss" book.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this and it's the first of the older Caldecott winners that I would probably share in storytime - if the illustrations weren't so small. Cute and quirky - a boy goes for a walk in the forest with a new horn and paper hat, and along the way meets various animals who decide to join him. The lion combs his hair and comes along, the bears bring their peanuts and jam, and ultimately they end up parading to a picnic area where they eat (a cake has mysteriously appeared) and play games. It isn't until the end that we find out that all of this is probably in the boy's imagination. But when dad comes to get him, he doesn't stomp on the dream, he tells him they will come back and look for the animals another day. Very sweet.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations were cute; the story was just okay.

Ages: 3 - 7

Cleanliness: nothing to note.

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[Cassandra Gelvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mundane walk through the forest with fanciful animals.

It's kind of boring. It's kind of a dated style of book.

A little boy is going for a walk in the forest, which it says repeatedly, and meets various animals who all join him on his walk. He kind of has a parade and they play games. They play hide and seek, and as all the animals are hiding, his dad appears and then he has to go.

There's no real message. It doesn't really go anywhere. The animals don't really do anything. There aren't any characters. Nobody really has a personality. It's just descriptive, and pretty boring. No moral.

For more children's book reviews, see my website at http://www.drttmk.com.

[Mattie Troyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wild imagination the boy in this story has! First off, how brave is he to play alone in the forest! Kind of creepy right? The illustrations in this book were kind of creepy as well, they were very dark, but that was probably just the style when this book was made. All creepiness aside, this book really triggers the imagination. I think it is great for young kids, I wonder what it will make them think about. Will it make them want to dream about walking with animal friends in the woods? Or maybe a park or zoo? I think an updated version of this book would go over really well, but I do enjoy the classic feel of the original.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tromp through the woods with an ever-lengthening crew of animals is a fanciful but very imaginative story. Using a certain amount of repetition, I think it would be very enjoyable for young children who aren't habituated to video games and TV cartoons. I'm not sure what technique Ets used to create the illustrations, but they are captivating. Without diminishing the imagination at all, the ending is so grounded in reality and love, making this a great choice for children to read with parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts or other caretakers.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book won a 1945 Caldecott Honor. I thought it was a cute imaginative story about a little boy who goes into the forest and starts marching through with a hat and a horn. Before long, a parade of animals are following him, only for us to discover that it was all make-believe. The illustrations were very basic and had no color, which was my only gripe. As another reviewer has pointed out (http://mrssanduskyreads.blogspot.com/...), the story does kind of remind the reader of Maurice Sendak’s "Where the Wild Things Are". Recommended for ages 2-6, 3 ½ stars.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve had this on my shelf for a very long time, with no memory of where it came from. I don’t recall ever reading it before, and it was our bedtime read selection for the night. I enjoyed the black and white illustrations, with sometimes fanciful details, and simple text.

This is a great read to talk about imagination, and for emerging reading for the bits of repetitive text. The repetition was not too much, or to the point where you could predict it, and I kind of enjoyed that aspect, kind of keep them reading vs. guessing.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A child lets his imagination loose in the forest and has an amazing day with a whole lot of friends. I liked the creativity, but couldn't shake the sense of loneliness that pervaded the story. That's most likely my own perception, having grown up playing by myself a lot. I do like how the story ends though, with the perfectly timed arrival of his father.

[SamZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Favorite Illustration: at the end when the dad comes and talks to the little boy and you can see all the animals hiding.
A little boy goes on a walk in the forest, where he meets lots of different animals and they all have a parade.
This was a sweet, simple story and the illustrations were adorable!

[Maria Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

• 1945 Caldecott Honor Book •

This little black-and-white book is really cute! A little boy is walking in the forest and when animals see him, they join in and create a parade. Just a really simple, sweet story! I love the ending.

Materials used: unlisted
Typeface used: Foundry Garamond

[Sarah W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Favorite illustration: p. 3 when the boy plays his trumpet at the sleeping lion.

Animals form a parade in this story as the boy walks through the forest. It reminded me of a parade scene in an old Winnie-the-Pooh book I have.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

A young boy goes for a walk in the forest. Many animals join him on his walk and together they play games until the boy's father comes looking for him. Illustrations are black and white sketches. The story has a refrain though the it doesn't have a natural cadence that makes for a good read aloud.

[Mary Wike · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was good for the most part. it showed a young child bringing all different kinds of animals together. the animals ended up forming a parade. I recommend the book for young children because embraces friendship and shows you can be friends with anyone, no matter how different you are!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a boy who plays with forest creatures. When his father appears at the end, they disappear.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book six times in a row to my favorite four-year-old. It's entrancing.

[Mckinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun parade with a variety of animals in the forest - oh what things are possible 'in the forest.'
Caldecott honor.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

1945 Caldecott Honor

Imaginative and fun walk through the forest.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like it how people are in the middle of things, but want to join in.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is about a boy who imagines he is having a parade with various animals on the forest. I thought it was fun and I think kids would get a kick out of it.

[Brindi Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

1945 Caldecott Honor

This would be perfect for preschool yoga story time! <3

*paired with ice cream cone craft (because they eat ice cream on the picnic)

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting story, great pictures!

[Ink Set Go · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations :) Dreamlike forest setting and fun animals . My son enjoyed it!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice story, very well done illustrations.