The Winding Willow

by Will Hillenbrand

Join brave young mouse Hubert Cumberbun on a fantastical wintertime adventure in this epic companion to Will Hillenbrand’s acclaimed picture book The Voice in the Hollow that also includes a double gatefold surprise.

Hubert Cumberbun is on his way home. . . well, a way home! Wind obscures his path. Shadows flicker. And Hubert finds a mysterious tree, filled with enticing lost and found treasures. There’s his brother’s runaway shoe! His father’s umbrella! The key to their house!

Now, Hubert will have to brave the surreal snowy landscape and the hungry owl who lives there to bring his found trinkets home. Holding on tight to his umbrella, he daringly soars above the wintery world below… and makes it back in time to share a delicious loaf of cinnamon bread with his family.

A companion to Will Hillenbrand’s The Voice in the Hollow, The Lost and Found Tree is a fantastical journey for fans and newcomers alike. Sparse text and epic artwork meld to create a timeless tale sure to warm families’ hearts on even the coldest winter nights.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Adventure, Fantasy

40 pages, Hardcover

Published September 30, 2025

About the author

Will Hillenbrand is an American children's book author and illustrator who has worked on over seventy books for young people. Raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, he was influenced by the stories he heard in his father's barbershop growing up. After taking a class in picture-book art while in art school, he decided to pursue a career in children's literature, combining his love of storytelling with his love of illustration. He lives in Terrace Park, Ohio with his wife, Jane, and their son, Ian.

Reviews

[Lysa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why do I feel like this book was missing a solid four pages worth of plot?

[Payton Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing illustrations but the text leaves much to be desired.

[Hayley Hipps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hubert Cumberbun is a brave young mouse trying to find his way home. The wind is strong, shadows flicker, and an owl lurks nearby. Then he discovers a mysterious tree filled with lost treasures. His brother's runaway shoe. His father's umbrella. The key to their house. Holding onto the umbrella, he soars above the snowy world and makes it back home just in time for cinnamon bread with his family.

The illustrations are the star here. Will Hillenbrand's artwork is soft, dreamy, and full of atmosphere. The snowy landscape feels magical but also a little scary, perfect for a winter bedtime read. The text is sparse, which lets the pictures do the heavy lifting. My kids were captivated by the double gatefold surprise.

My only small complaint is that the story is very short. I wanted a little more of Hubert's journey. But for ages 3 to 6, the length works well.

A companion to The Voice in the Hollow, but this stands on its own.

Will, if you are reading this, your illustrations are beautiful. For your next picture book, before you publish, I would love to help. I can beta read. I can proofread. I can give feedback on pacing and story depth. And when the book is ready, I can help you get it in front of more families and libraries.

Email me anytime: contact@hayleyhipps.com

[Vera Godley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautifully and artistically executed story! This sweet little mouse is headed out in the midst of a dreadful wintry storm through the countryside, and a kindly gentleman offers Mouse a ride in his carriage. Sadly, the Willow tree blocks their path. They disembark and mouse spots the missing items from the mouse household precariously clinging to the branches - an umbrella, a boot, and even a key.

As the story progresses, the few words of text sit stately on the pages in distinct black type making for nice and easy reading. The illustrations are worthy of much perusal; and the reader and listener can add to the story, letting their imagination soar, as they discover new bits of story in the illustrations not yet proclaimed in text.

Don't despair because mouse does make it home to the warmth of the family home and there you can find for yourself just what happens to the household items discovered (and then lost again in the journey).

A delightful and snuggle-worthy book.

I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hubert Cumberbun is a mouse who loves doing good deeds. When he discovers a curious tree with stairs and scattered belongings from people he knows, he sets out to collect and return them. What he doesn’t expect is a hungry owl and a swirling winter storm.

A companion to The Voice in the Hollow, this adventurous, sweet-natured tale makes a perfect winter read, highlighting both the importance of doing the right thing and the reality that not every journey is smooth. The illustrations, muted in color and evocative of an old-school style, perfectly suit the Victorian-esque setting. The fantastical representation of snow and storm, given animal traits through the imagery of bears, offers rich discussion opportunities during read-alouds.

While the ending feels a bit abrupt, returning Hubert to his door without much resolution, the story is sure to resonate with children of all ages.

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a few years since I met Hubert Cumberbun on an adventure, that time in a hollow! This time, without my own winter storm while reading, Hubert is on his way home and spots a strange tree. As he looks up, he sees lost-and-now-found things that have been missing: a brother's shoe, an umbrella, and his house key! However, a hungry owl sits at the top of the tree, waiting. . . This snowy adventure shows Hubert with courage, in spite of the wind-driven shadows that frighten, snowy clouds that look like bears! Including another double gatefold surprise, young readers will want to read this new adventure more than once, to look and look at Will Hillenbrand's extraordinary, imaginative illustrations, and to worry about Hubert, at least until the end! It's terrific! Just wait until everyone sees the double page with the title, and those trees!

Thanks to Holiday House for my copy!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hubert Cumberbun loves to help others. After removing snow from a neighbor's path, he spots in a spooky winding willow tree several missing items belonging to his family members. He climbs to the top where a huge owl, who plans to make a sandwich from Hubert, demands the loaf of bread he's carrying. He flies into the air with Hubert, but the little mouse has other friends, hidden in the ice and snow, who help him. What an amazing gatefold this book contains! Readers will shake their heads in wonder at how his unplanned adventure ends and question whether they, too, would have approached that willow tree.

[V · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the shapes hidden in the snow flurries. Are they animals camouflaged? Are they guardians protecting the mouse? Are they his imaginings? I tend to think they are some combination of silent protector and woodland dweller, as evidenced by their appearance before the mouse's inexplicable escape from a terrifying owl. The images of the Winding Willow evoke the beauty of Frost's "Stopping by Woods" while the events unfolding call to mind Dickens's dark Christmas tales like "The Chimes." With a delightful, diminutive protagonist who returns to the cozy warmth of home and family in the end, The Winding Willow is perfect to read on a dark winter's night.

[Krista · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book but it lacked greatly. First of all the pictures were unique and captured my attention. Suddenly in the middle of the book the little mouse was being threatened by an owl that wanted to eat him in a sandwich, there were several mysterious scenes with no words and then a rather flat ending. Cute pictures but the story didn’t make sense whatsoever. There seemed to be no plot.

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hubert is out helping others when he spies a mysterious, giant willow tree. Wanting to be helpful, he ventures up the tree's staircase, collecting items his family members have lost...until he meets a mean owl at the top of the tree.

Losing everything, will Hubert ever arrive home safely? And what about all of his family's belongings once found? You'll have to read it and see.

Themes: mice/animals, winter/snow, being helpful, adventure
Ages: preK-2nd grade
Pub year: 2025

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting children’s story with beautiful illustrations! Hubert goes on a winter adventuring trying to collect lost items. He comes in contact with a spooky owl. The illustrations are really engaging. There is so much to look at. The text is a bit lacking and the ending is abrupt, but overall I think young kids will enjoy the story!

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations beautifully render the “surreal snowy landscape” and the spectral spirit guides who help those like this little mouse who do good deeds. The pullout centerfold is a sight to behold! As other reviewers have noted, however, the story seems to be missing several pages that would explain the narrative gaps that might stump younger readers and listeners.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about a mouse doing a good deed for his aunt and bringing home some bread but Hubert gets carried away by an owl. His Dad goes looking for him and finds the bread he dropped to help his father find him. Ends happily.

[Dolores · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the art in Will Hillenbrand's books. You can lose yourself in the pages.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charmingly spooky; love the illustrations.

[Awjtf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book!

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved Hillenbrand’s The Voice in the Hallow, the story and illustrations had a great feeling of suspense.
While I really loved the illustrations in this title and didn’t feel the suspense of the story was strong enough, nor did it have good transitions from one element of the storyline to another one.
And oh WOW that four gate fold out of the owl was definitely spectacular. And Hubert and his mice siblings and parents are adorable.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations!

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

weird...and kinda creepy...like someone was smoking something when he wrote it. I like it, but it's disturbing in the way Coraline is...

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

If this book had a purpose, I missed it completely. The illustrations are lovely but there is nothing else to it.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hubert Cumberbun loves doing good deeds. One day his good deed takes him on a whimsical, wild adventure with a surprising ending.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't think the first book in this series was very strong, but this one is even weaker. Illustrations are seriously let down by a poor story.

[Claudia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute illustrations, but it felt like there was something missing from the *story* - the end of the book had me saying "huh?" (as in, how did we get here? Is this it?"

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the illustrations but the plot feels so short and almost as if pages are missing.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book! The story doesn't quite hit but it got an extra star for the illustrations.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brave mouse encounters a hungry owl while traveling.

[Patti Waring · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork is fabulous. The story so so