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Into the Forest
An atmospheric exploration of a child's anxiety by the 2000 Hans Christian Andersen Medal Winner. One night a boy is woken by a terrible sound. A storm is breaking, lightning flashing across the sky. In the morning Dad is gone and Mum doesn't seem to know when he'll be back. The next day Mum asks her son to take a cake to his sick grandma. Don't go into the forest, she warns. Go the long way round. But, for the first time, the boy chooses to take the path into the forest, where he meets a variety of fairy tale characters and discovers the fate of his father.
24 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
30 people are currently reading
759 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Browne
154 books308 followersAnthony Browne, a Hans Christian Andersen Medalist, is the author-illustrator of many acclaimed books for children, including Silly Billy and Little Beauty. He lives in Kent, England.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews
October 24, 2019
A sweet story, with a few different connotations of real life and fairy tale mixed in. Beautifully illustrated, the story is very sweet. Little boy is delivering a cake made by mum, to Grandma who is 'doing poorly'. He has a rebellious moment when he takes the short cut through the forest when mum says not to do so. Encountering a few scary things along the way.
My favourite line was when he was offered to buy a cow from another little boy.
"Do you want to buy a milky moo-cow" he asked.
"No," I said. (Why would I want a cow?")
My favourite line was when he was offered to buy a cow from another little boy.
"Do you want to buy a milky moo-cow" he asked.
"No," I said. (Why would I want a cow?")
July 20, 2017
Well, ok, I watched it being read aloud on youtube. The reader did a good job of making the boy's quest echo his anxieties but without making the listener feel terribly creeped out. Definitely for children old enough to know the original tales. Remember, it's the grandmother who planted the stories in the boy's imagination!
Browne's art, as usual, is amazing. For example, the use of black & white sometimes, color others, is akin to that of the movie of The Wizard of Oz, but reversed. Discuss with your child/ students why this might be....
2017 SCF. Read a print copy. Looked deeper, much deeper, into the backgrounds of the forest scene and saw a lot I missed. Brilliant.
Browne's art, as usual, is amazing. For example, the use of black & white sometimes, color others, is akin to that of the movie of The Wizard of Oz, but reversed. Discuss with your child/ students why this might be....
2017 SCF. Read a print copy. Looked deeper, much deeper, into the backgrounds of the forest scene and saw a lot I missed. Brilliant.
February 13, 2014
At the beginning of the story a boy discovers that his father is gone. It is a sad, disturbing story which highlights children's worries and anxieties. The boy's Mum asks him to take a cake to his Grandma's house. He decided to take the shorter route through the forest where he meeets characters that represent Hansel and Gretel, Jack, Goldilocks while the boy himself is playing the role of red riding hood. ALthough the illustrations would be quite scary to young children, they are very creative and engaging which may be suitable for KS1. It can introduce the idea that a story can have more than one meaning and how to read between the lines. The art work respresents the mood of the book which could be used to discuss in an art lesson on how different colours convey different moods (black/grey = dull/scary/sad) as the illustrations turn the mood around at the end of the story with a colourful, warm illustration which how his dad is at his grandma's house enjoying some cake.
Although I wouldn't focus on this book too much in class, it would be good to highlight the creative illustrations and possibly prompt a dicussion during circle time about children's commmon worries.
Although I wouldn't focus on this book too much in class, it would be good to highlight the creative illustrations and possibly prompt a dicussion during circle time about children's commmon worries.
June 26, 2018
As with most of Browne’s work, there is an obscurity to this story which allows for a multitude of meaning making, which I LOVE. After finding out that his father has left home, and that his mother is uncertain of his return, a young boy embarks upon a forbidden journey to his grandmother’s house. Without ruining the story, this venture is fraught with anxieties, and the reader is left with an uncertainty as to his motivations and discoveries along the way. A story that is certainly not as straight forward as it first appears, and one that requires sitting and drinking in for a little while.
April 14, 2020
Anthony Browne
Into the Forest
“Mum asked me to take a cake to Grandma, who was poorly. She told me to go the long way round, but I wanted to be home in case Dad came back. So, instead, I chose the forbidden path into the forest…”
I love Anthony Browne. If I were forced, under extreme duress, to choose my favourite children’s author – it might have to be Anthony Browne and the book might have to be “Into the Forest” (actually, it could be Gorilla, but that’s a different review).
There is so much in this book, and it is so skilfully put there, that it is hard to know where to start and difficult to express in words. This is partly because Anthony Browne’s great skill lies not in the words themselves – but what is not said and, of course, in the illustrations.
Like many of his books, “Into the Forest” has a dark undertone. In this case, it is three-fold: both the Grimm like references to children lost in the forest in traditional fairy tales; and the characteristic way that Anthony Browne portrays the dead weight of adult concerns kept from children and the impact that they, nevertheless, have. The third layer of complexity is the unspoken interpretation of the reader (be they child or adult) about what might be going on: Having been woken by a “terrible sound” (we see a picture of a thunderstorm) the child finds that his Dad is not there and Mum (looking like an Edward Hopper painting of loneliness and care) doesn’t seem to know when he is coming back.
In this case, the underlying adult concern is an ill grandparent – but the story, told entirely from the child’s point of view, tells of the child going to visit Grandma and venturing into the forbidden forest. Of course we are immediately in the traditional tale of Little Red Riding Hood, and at one point the child does find a bright red coat and have a strong feeling that “something was following me”. The child however, never meets the big, bad wolf. Instead they meet Jack selling his cow; a girl with “Golden hair” who I suppose in the context could be Goldilocks but looks very like Alice also illustrated by Anthony Browne; and Hansel and Gretel (again familiar not only from the traditional tale but the version written and illustrated by Anthony Browne). These are the direct references in the text to the alternate world of the traditional tales, but references to them are also peppered throughout the extraordinary illustrations: In the forbidden forest we see, in black and white in the background, Rapunzel’s tower and her golden plait falling from the window, the pumpkin and glass slipper from Cinderella, the spinning wheel from Sleeping Beauty and Rumpelstiltskin, a Prince on a horse, a magic key, fairy houses among the trees!
The black and white drawings create the sense of other worldliness that is the boys imagination, the fear in the forest and the trepidation as he finally reaches and knocks on Grandma’s door.
When the door opens and inside he finds Grandma and, finally, Dad – the warmth and colour of the illustrations burst from the pages in relief.
How you might use this book in class:
This would be great as just a read aloud book for pleasure – it would be important to show the illustration in detail though. However, there is so much in it to explore that it would be ideal as a whole class guided reading text for Years 2/3.
You could explore it in the context of traditional tales – investigating all the references and perhaps considering alternative “happy” endings just as Anthony Browne has done here.
You could explore the role of imagination in story telling and the role of illustration in that: “Why are some pictures in black and white and others in colour?”
It would also work well as a text that you reveal slowly over a series of lessons – each small section stands on its own with plenty to discuss, but the whole story is not really revealed until the final pages. Until then the whole book is full of suspense and so many opportunities for inference and prediction: “Where do you think the child’s father is?”; “what might happen to the woodcutter’s children?”; “Who might be following the child in the red coat?”, “Who do you think is in Grandma’s bed?”
Despite being an unusual book, it is a good example of a traditional story telling - written in the first person narrative with some direct speech and a clear “beginning/middle/end”structure. It would make a good model for writing – for example developing alternative endings to traditional tales.
You would need to be sensitive to children who might not have secure family relationships, might have lost a grandparent to illness or have an absent parent, some young children might also be a little afraid of the forest and what lurks in it – however none of these things would be concerning if it were managed well.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone parents, children, teachers! – like all Anthony Browne books it grows with every reading.
Into the Forest
“Mum asked me to take a cake to Grandma, who was poorly. She told me to go the long way round, but I wanted to be home in case Dad came back. So, instead, I chose the forbidden path into the forest…”
I love Anthony Browne. If I were forced, under extreme duress, to choose my favourite children’s author – it might have to be Anthony Browne and the book might have to be “Into the Forest” (actually, it could be Gorilla, but that’s a different review).
There is so much in this book, and it is so skilfully put there, that it is hard to know where to start and difficult to express in words. This is partly because Anthony Browne’s great skill lies not in the words themselves – but what is not said and, of course, in the illustrations.
Like many of his books, “Into the Forest” has a dark undertone. In this case, it is three-fold: both the Grimm like references to children lost in the forest in traditional fairy tales; and the characteristic way that Anthony Browne portrays the dead weight of adult concerns kept from children and the impact that they, nevertheless, have. The third layer of complexity is the unspoken interpretation of the reader (be they child or adult) about what might be going on: Having been woken by a “terrible sound” (we see a picture of a thunderstorm) the child finds that his Dad is not there and Mum (looking like an Edward Hopper painting of loneliness and care) doesn’t seem to know when he is coming back.
In this case, the underlying adult concern is an ill grandparent – but the story, told entirely from the child’s point of view, tells of the child going to visit Grandma and venturing into the forbidden forest. Of course we are immediately in the traditional tale of Little Red Riding Hood, and at one point the child does find a bright red coat and have a strong feeling that “something was following me”. The child however, never meets the big, bad wolf. Instead they meet Jack selling his cow; a girl with “Golden hair” who I suppose in the context could be Goldilocks but looks very like Alice also illustrated by Anthony Browne; and Hansel and Gretel (again familiar not only from the traditional tale but the version written and illustrated by Anthony Browne). These are the direct references in the text to the alternate world of the traditional tales, but references to them are also peppered throughout the extraordinary illustrations: In the forbidden forest we see, in black and white in the background, Rapunzel’s tower and her golden plait falling from the window, the pumpkin and glass slipper from Cinderella, the spinning wheel from Sleeping Beauty and Rumpelstiltskin, a Prince on a horse, a magic key, fairy houses among the trees!
The black and white drawings create the sense of other worldliness that is the boys imagination, the fear in the forest and the trepidation as he finally reaches and knocks on Grandma’s door.
When the door opens and inside he finds Grandma and, finally, Dad – the warmth and colour of the illustrations burst from the pages in relief.
How you might use this book in class:
This would be great as just a read aloud book for pleasure – it would be important to show the illustration in detail though. However, there is so much in it to explore that it would be ideal as a whole class guided reading text for Years 2/3.
You could explore it in the context of traditional tales – investigating all the references and perhaps considering alternative “happy” endings just as Anthony Browne has done here.
You could explore the role of imagination in story telling and the role of illustration in that: “Why are some pictures in black and white and others in colour?”
It would also work well as a text that you reveal slowly over a series of lessons – each small section stands on its own with plenty to discuss, but the whole story is not really revealed until the final pages. Until then the whole book is full of suspense and so many opportunities for inference and prediction: “Where do you think the child’s father is?”; “what might happen to the woodcutter’s children?”; “Who might be following the child in the red coat?”, “Who do you think is in Grandma’s bed?”
Despite being an unusual book, it is a good example of a traditional story telling - written in the first person narrative with some direct speech and a clear “beginning/middle/end”structure. It would make a good model for writing – for example developing alternative endings to traditional tales.
You would need to be sensitive to children who might not have secure family relationships, might have lost a grandparent to illness or have an absent parent, some young children might also be a little afraid of the forest and what lurks in it – however none of these things would be concerning if it were managed well.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone parents, children, teachers! – like all Anthony Browne books it grows with every reading.
Read
April 20, 2020Picture book-extended diary entry
Into the forest by Anthony Browne
One night a boy is woken by a terrible sound. A storm is breaking, lightning flashing across the sky. In the morning Dad is gone and Mum doesn't seem to know when he'll be back. The next day Mum asks the boy to take a cake to his grandma, who is ill. “Don’t go into the forest,” she warns. “Go the long way round.” But, against his Mother’s wishes, the boy chooses to take the path into a dark, mysterious forest, which is teeming with strange fairy tale characters. He must navigate this magical forest in order to reach his grandma.
I simply couldn’t imagine a world without Anthony Brown books. From Voices in the park to Gorilla, he has delighted readers both young and old with his vibrant in depth illustrations and his intertextuality of narratives. Into the forest is no exception. This story explores feelings of loss, fear and insecurity. The illustrations are sinister in places and have a Grimm’s fairy tale darkness about them. The readers fundamentally will add their own depth of interpretation to this enchanting story.
I decided to use this book when I took over a nurture class. We created a forest display with a beautiful carved sign saying into the forest. I backed the boards in hessian used branches for the trees. I began reading into the forest in September, the children helped decorate our display with Andy Goldsworthy inspired art work. We explored what the forest would look like during all the different seasons. In autumn we researched types of trees. We looked at the forest animals and identified the ones that hibernated and made a hedgehog hotel in the school grounds. As we moved on through the seasons. Our leaves fell from our trees and sat nested on the forest floor. As we moved through winter the children painted animal silhouettes on snowy backgrounds and made paper snowflakes. As spring came we had pictures of newborn lambs, tadpoles, chicks. On the forest floor where pictures of germinating seedlings, we labelled everything. There were bluebells and daffodils the children made butterflies and beautiful leaves out of tissue paper. We grew sunflowers from seed and learned all about bees. We explored offspring and birth, landscapes, habitats and forests from all around the world and the animals’ birds and insects that lived there. We finished our year in summer by visiting Moors Valley country park.
Lesson Ideas: year 3
Introduction
children the front cover ask the chn to think pair share what they think the story is about. Choose children to answer using class name sticks. On flip chart have a picture of the front cover, write children’s ideas around the picture. What kind of story might it be? What will it be about? Where might the boy be going? Why? What other stories do they know which might be similar?
Then ask the chn to think pair share what they think the first line of the story might be. Write them on the board.
Literacy
Children create a story map: Work with them to model this on the board. Success Criteria: Have I accurately retold the story? Have I used simple notes and sentences? Have I used visual prompts to aid my writing?
and write a recount of what happened as a diary entry in role as the boy in the story. Think about feelings, emotions the boy had. What noises he heard? What he saw? How he felt?
Music
Look at the first page of the story. Q1
Use voices and/or percussion instruments to recreate the sounds of the storm.
Drama
In pairs children freeze frame a scene from the book
Art
Children create a collage of the front cover
Into the forest by Anthony Browne
One night a boy is woken by a terrible sound. A storm is breaking, lightning flashing across the sky. In the morning Dad is gone and Mum doesn't seem to know when he'll be back. The next day Mum asks the boy to take a cake to his grandma, who is ill. “Don’t go into the forest,” she warns. “Go the long way round.” But, against his Mother’s wishes, the boy chooses to take the path into a dark, mysterious forest, which is teeming with strange fairy tale characters. He must navigate this magical forest in order to reach his grandma.
I simply couldn’t imagine a world without Anthony Brown books. From Voices in the park to Gorilla, he has delighted readers both young and old with his vibrant in depth illustrations and his intertextuality of narratives. Into the forest is no exception. This story explores feelings of loss, fear and insecurity. The illustrations are sinister in places and have a Grimm’s fairy tale darkness about them. The readers fundamentally will add their own depth of interpretation to this enchanting story.
I decided to use this book when I took over a nurture class. We created a forest display with a beautiful carved sign saying into the forest. I backed the boards in hessian used branches for the trees. I began reading into the forest in September, the children helped decorate our display with Andy Goldsworthy inspired art work. We explored what the forest would look like during all the different seasons. In autumn we researched types of trees. We looked at the forest animals and identified the ones that hibernated and made a hedgehog hotel in the school grounds. As we moved on through the seasons. Our leaves fell from our trees and sat nested on the forest floor. As we moved through winter the children painted animal silhouettes on snowy backgrounds and made paper snowflakes. As spring came we had pictures of newborn lambs, tadpoles, chicks. On the forest floor where pictures of germinating seedlings, we labelled everything. There were bluebells and daffodils the children made butterflies and beautiful leaves out of tissue paper. We grew sunflowers from seed and learned all about bees. We explored offspring and birth, landscapes, habitats and forests from all around the world and the animals’ birds and insects that lived there. We finished our year in summer by visiting Moors Valley country park.
Lesson Ideas: year 3
Introduction
children the front cover ask the chn to think pair share what they think the story is about. Choose children to answer using class name sticks. On flip chart have a picture of the front cover, write children’s ideas around the picture. What kind of story might it be? What will it be about? Where might the boy be going? Why? What other stories do they know which might be similar?
Then ask the chn to think pair share what they think the first line of the story might be. Write them on the board.
Literacy
Children create a story map: Work with them to model this on the board. Success Criteria: Have I accurately retold the story? Have I used simple notes and sentences? Have I used visual prompts to aid my writing?
and write a recount of what happened as a diary entry in role as the boy in the story. Think about feelings, emotions the boy had. What noises he heard? What he saw? How he felt?
Music
Look at the first page of the story. Q1
Use voices and/or percussion instruments to recreate the sounds of the storm.
Drama
In pairs children freeze frame a scene from the book
Art
Children create a collage of the front cover
March 3, 2012
This is a beautifully illustrated book about a young boy who wakes up one morning to find that his Dad is nowhere to be seen. He asks his mother but she doesn’t seem to know either which increases the distress of the boy. Mum then asks him to take some cake to Grandma who is sick. The boy obliges but on his way to Grandma’s takes a shortcut through the forest, despite Mum’s warning not to. In the forest the boy meets several characters from other children’s fairytales and describes clearly how he felt at bumping into such random characters on his way to Grandma’s.
The book conveys the genuine worry that the young boy felt when he didn’t know where is father had gone. The illustrations demonstrate the fear and apprehension that the boy felt when he was alone in the woods with all of these characters from well known fairytales. The darkness of the black and white pictures shows the woods to be quite mysterious and scary while the brightness of the colour used in the pictures of the boy clearly contrast this. Suspense is created from the outset when we are wondering where Dad has gone and is built up again once the boy enters the forest. The reader is wondering whether or not he will make it safely to Grandma’s house.
I think the illustrations in this book would stand out to children the most. They could look for the hidden pictures depicting scenes from fairytales within the larger pictures. I also think the colours uses in the pictures add to the mystery of the book and will have children wondering what else could be lurking within the forest and whether or not the boy will make it safely to Grandma’s house.
I recently read this book with a class and we did a role play to music to convey the emotions that the boy was feeling in each stage of the book. The children were completely engaged throughout the lesson and really seemed to enjoy the drama aspect. They particularly liked creating suspense in the story through the use of music!
The book conveys the genuine worry that the young boy felt when he didn’t know where is father had gone. The illustrations demonstrate the fear and apprehension that the boy felt when he was alone in the woods with all of these characters from well known fairytales. The darkness of the black and white pictures shows the woods to be quite mysterious and scary while the brightness of the colour used in the pictures of the boy clearly contrast this. Suspense is created from the outset when we are wondering where Dad has gone and is built up again once the boy enters the forest. The reader is wondering whether or not he will make it safely to Grandma’s house.
I think the illustrations in this book would stand out to children the most. They could look for the hidden pictures depicting scenes from fairytales within the larger pictures. I also think the colours uses in the pictures add to the mystery of the book and will have children wondering what else could be lurking within the forest and whether or not the boy will make it safely to Grandma’s house.
I recently read this book with a class and we did a role play to music to convey the emotions that the boy was feeling in each stage of the book. The children were completely engaged throughout the lesson and really seemed to enjoy the drama aspect. They particularly liked creating suspense in the story through the use of music!
June 25, 2012
A breath-taking picture book. It starts with the father leaving home, goes deep into the forest with the boy's mixed feelings and ends up by the boy taking his father back where he belongs. Going into the forest (the non real world) ,as the only colored object, shows us the boy's inside tormoile. finding a red jacket, just like red-riding-hood's indicates both danger and wormth. His grandmother's house is not that of a dangerous wolf's but of an end to his troubles. What not to love about this book? Thank you Haifa.
April 29, 2014
Another beautifully illustrated Anthony Browne book. I like to use this one with grades 3+ to teach about making connections with a story. There are suggestions of popular Fairy Tales through the illustrations and the protagonist in the book is making connections too! The illustrations have so many hidden elements and messages - I have had some older children identify the black-and-white illustrations as the boy's imagination and the colour as reality. The older children do find the ending a bit of a let-down, but that is the only downside to a fun book.
September 27, 2016
Solicité este libro en la biblioteca para practicar mi pronunciación del inglés, así que esperaba encontrarme con una historia súper tierna y liviana, pero no, la historia es perturbadora, en serio qué onda!!? Las ilustraciones, la abuela, el Papá qué hacía con ella. Asombrada
July 14, 2021
As I read this story, the feeling that the boy had felt familiar in me. I think this book touches on anxiety. Maybe being afraid of things that arent really there?
October 9, 2009
Summary-
Although the text in Into the Forest is minimal and somewhat simple, the book is intended for readers in grades 2-5. This story is based on the traditional Little Red Riding Hood story. It begins with a young boy who wakes up during a terrible thunderstorm. When he gets up he and his mother sit silently at the breakfast table wondering where his dad could be because he never came home. Then his mother asked the boy to go visit his grandma because she wasn't feeling well. Much like the traditional story his mother sent him with a basket and told him to go to his grandma's but advised him not to go into the forest. The boy didn't listen and walked through the forest and ran into very strange people. The deeper he walked into the forest the colder it was, and he wished he had brought a coat. All of a sudden, a red-hooded coat appeared hanging in a tree. He finally came upon his Grandma's house and realized that it didn't sound like his grandma, but it was! Then he heard another sound behind him and it was his dad. After their visit the boy and his dad went home to see his mom.
Response-
Such an interesting book...I actually found it to be quite disturbing. Although the Little Red Riding Hood is a somewhat scary story with the frightening wolf it pales in comparison to this interpretation of the traditional tale. The illustrations made the text very unnerving. The pictures were black and white through the forest with scary people coming out at the boy who was in color, and the pages at home and at his grandma's house were in color. The image of the boy and his mother sitting at the breakfast table missing his father made it seem like something very terrible had happened to his dad - who knows what really happened with him. Most young children would be upset reading this. Then as he walked through the forest the creepy young children that came up to him seemed like horrible ghosts. The mood of most of the story was very dark but at the end brightens up as the family reunites. It was definitely not a typical children's story. I would not recommend this book to young children. I think it should probably be read with older students because of the frightening content.
Although the text in Into the Forest is minimal and somewhat simple, the book is intended for readers in grades 2-5. This story is based on the traditional Little Red Riding Hood story. It begins with a young boy who wakes up during a terrible thunderstorm. When he gets up he and his mother sit silently at the breakfast table wondering where his dad could be because he never came home. Then his mother asked the boy to go visit his grandma because she wasn't feeling well. Much like the traditional story his mother sent him with a basket and told him to go to his grandma's but advised him not to go into the forest. The boy didn't listen and walked through the forest and ran into very strange people. The deeper he walked into the forest the colder it was, and he wished he had brought a coat. All of a sudden, a red-hooded coat appeared hanging in a tree. He finally came upon his Grandma's house and realized that it didn't sound like his grandma, but it was! Then he heard another sound behind him and it was his dad. After their visit the boy and his dad went home to see his mom.
Response-
Such an interesting book...I actually found it to be quite disturbing. Although the Little Red Riding Hood is a somewhat scary story with the frightening wolf it pales in comparison to this interpretation of the traditional tale. The illustrations made the text very unnerving. The pictures were black and white through the forest with scary people coming out at the boy who was in color, and the pages at home and at his grandma's house were in color. The image of the boy and his mother sitting at the breakfast table missing his father made it seem like something very terrible had happened to his dad - who knows what really happened with him. Most young children would be upset reading this. Then as he walked through the forest the creepy young children that came up to him seemed like horrible ghosts. The mood of most of the story was very dark but at the end brightens up as the family reunites. It was definitely not a typical children's story. I would not recommend this book to young children. I think it should probably be read with older students because of the frightening content.
February 19, 2012
A boy discovers that his father is gone and when he asks his mother she didn’t seem to know. The image of his mother and the boy appear very sad, so sad that it made me wonder what happened to the dad. The longing for dad to come home is significantly highlighted by the number of ‘come home dad’ signs which have been left all over the house by the boy.
He takes a cake to his grandma’s house and decided to take the shorter route, for the first time, so he may have a chance of being home to catch dad arriving. On his journey through the woods he meets characters that represent Jack, Goldilocks and Hansel and Gretel, while the boy himself is playing the role of red riding hood as he continues through the forest. This would make a great story to tell a class (age 3-5) to test their memory recall of other well-known children stories. It can also introduce the idea, to young children, that a story can have more than one meaning and how to read in between the lines.
The art work represents the mood of the book, the images start off colourful and then as the boy starts to cut through the woods, the images are in black and white, perhaps highlighting the negativity in his choice to dis obey his mother. The story does a great job in tuning the mood completely around as it suddenly turns around into a warm happy ending, as his dad is at his grandma’s and enjoys some delicious cake! The art work, at this point, turns from black and white into colour to reflect this.
He takes a cake to his grandma’s house and decided to take the shorter route, for the first time, so he may have a chance of being home to catch dad arriving. On his journey through the woods he meets characters that represent Jack, Goldilocks and Hansel and Gretel, while the boy himself is playing the role of red riding hood as he continues through the forest. This would make a great story to tell a class (age 3-5) to test their memory recall of other well-known children stories. It can also introduce the idea, to young children, that a story can have more than one meaning and how to read in between the lines.
The art work represents the mood of the book, the images start off colourful and then as the boy starts to cut through the woods, the images are in black and white, perhaps highlighting the negativity in his choice to dis obey his mother. The story does a great job in tuning the mood completely around as it suddenly turns around into a warm happy ending, as his dad is at his grandma’s and enjoys some delicious cake! The art work, at this point, turns from black and white into colour to reflect this.
June 3, 2018
'En el Bosque' es el segundo libro-álbum que he leído de Anthony Browne, y al igual que con 'Voces en el Bosque', me asombra la cantidad de detalles en sus libros. El texto es mínimo y simple, ya que son los elementos gráficos los que se llevan el gran peso de la historia.
Me gustó el tono tétrico del libro, recrea de una manera totalmente diferente el mismo sentimiento que se tiene al leer algunas de las versiones más macabras de Caperucita Roja.
Y de nuevo, amé con locura las ilustraciones, lo estuve mirando por mucho rato y aún así creo que me perdí de un montón de cosas, por lo tanto ahora se ha convertido en una necesidad real comprar este libro.
Me gustó el tono tétrico del libro, recrea de una manera totalmente diferente el mismo sentimiento que se tiene al leer algunas de las versiones más macabras de Caperucita Roja.
Y de nuevo, amé con locura las ilustraciones, lo estuve mirando por mucho rato y aún así creo que me perdí de un montón de cosas, por lo tanto ahora se ha convertido en una necesidad real comprar este libro.
January 10, 2014
This is quite a gloomy, scary book. It takes a different spin on little red riding hood and has quite a different twist in the ending. I am not sure that I would use this during my teaching but may have it in the book corner, if I was in year 5 or 6. I did not really enjoy this book, but some children may enjoy it, however.
October 24, 2021
An intriguing exploration of an child experiencing anxiety. Creepy and atmospheric this would be best suited to older children (aged 8+) who are familiar with the traditional fairy tales revisited in this story and who may be able to connect to the main characters journey & experiences.
November 19, 2020
Un cuento con ilustraciones muy hermosas, un estilo serio pero atractivo y tenebroso por momentos.
April 18, 2024
Usual weird but brilliant atmosphere created by Anthony Browne
February 11, 2019
A great variation of Little Red Ridinghood.
July 8, 2021
I absolutely loved the illustrations throughout this book. They were so detailed and looking at them made me feel the frightened emotions the boy felt walking through the forest. Such a great book!
November 18, 2017
A wonderful take on the traditional fairy tale story. Plenty of disguised features in the illustrations to look out for when sharing this book!
February 3, 2014
This is an amazing book. As a teacher you can delve in to the book and analyse the pictures to find many interesting features which has been used very well in our literacy lessons.
The story is about a little boy who wakes up one night with the sound of a bang. He goes back to sleep only to wake up in the morning finding his mother upset and his dad missing. She tells the boy to take a cake to his poorly Grandmother. The main parts of the story begin as he goes through the forest to his grandmother’s house. He meets different people on his journey, eventually arriving at his grandmother’s house to find his dad there all that time.
Although, the story is simple with a basic language, it gave a great variety of opportunities that allowed the children to explore a great deal with this book. Firstly the children used a range of similes and adjectives as well as metaphors and body language to retell parts of the story. There were so many shadows lurking around in the forest, if observed carefully you can see the three little bears lurking around in the shadows as the girl with the golden hair walks away. There was a cave behind the trees where it you can also see a small figure as he met a boy and a girl along his journey, as well as a man on a horse in shadows. The children got to explore these and create their own short stories based on these hidden characters in the book.
This was a great book to be used for my year 2 children, who are currently trying to enhance their writing by using a range of descriptive language to make their writing more exciting. Therefore, the simple texts helped them think of ways to make their writing more interesting. What’s more it enhanced there observational and analytical skills noticing hidden characters in the book. It boosted their imagination and creative writing skills. I will definitely recommend this book across KS1.
The story is about a little boy who wakes up one night with the sound of a bang. He goes back to sleep only to wake up in the morning finding his mother upset and his dad missing. She tells the boy to take a cake to his poorly Grandmother. The main parts of the story begin as he goes through the forest to his grandmother’s house. He meets different people on his journey, eventually arriving at his grandmother’s house to find his dad there all that time.
Although, the story is simple with a basic language, it gave a great variety of opportunities that allowed the children to explore a great deal with this book. Firstly the children used a range of similes and adjectives as well as metaphors and body language to retell parts of the story. There were so many shadows lurking around in the forest, if observed carefully you can see the three little bears lurking around in the shadows as the girl with the golden hair walks away. There was a cave behind the trees where it you can also see a small figure as he met a boy and a girl along his journey, as well as a man on a horse in shadows. The children got to explore these and create their own short stories based on these hidden characters in the book.
This was a great book to be used for my year 2 children, who are currently trying to enhance their writing by using a range of descriptive language to make their writing more exciting. Therefore, the simple texts helped them think of ways to make their writing more interesting. What’s more it enhanced there observational and analytical skills noticing hidden characters in the book. It boosted their imagination and creative writing skills. I will definitely recommend this book across KS1.
February 6, 2013
The illustrations in this book had me turning back through the pages to find more details that I may have missed the first time around. While the general theme of this book is similar to the traditional Little Red Riding Hood story, Into The Forest has a deeper underlying message. It is told in first person by a boy who's father suddenly goes missing in the middle of the night. The next day the boy is asked by his mother to take a basket to his sick grandmother. Instead of taking the safe path, the boy takes the shortcut through the dark forest so he will make it back quickly in case his father comes home. The reason I would recommend this picture book for older students is that it carries a strong fear of abandonment by a child. I think older students will be able to articulate the feelings of the boy and they may even be able to relate it to other experiences. The black and white illustrations of the forest include amazing detail. As the boy goes deeper and deeper into the forest, there are many obvious and hidden references to many other fairy tales. It would spark deeper conversations about how the children in many fairy tales have similar experiences such as disobeying their parents, making foolish decisions and then over coming obstacles often with the help of magic or a heroic adult. A great example that includes a male Little Red Riding Hood!
May 3, 2012
Into the Forest. By Anthony Browne
This book is a beautifully illustrated retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, and along the way the reader uncovers characters and objects from other folk and fairy tales.
The story is about a young boy who wakes up one morning to find his father gone. The boy’s mother did not know when his father would be back. His mother asks him to take a cake to his grandmother, but warns him not to take the shortcut through the forest. Obviously, he takes the shortcut, meets many well-known characters, and eventually finds his father.
This book is more than just a story about a boy looking for his father. The illustrations and characters provide plenty of opportunities for discussions about other fairy tales.
This book is a beautifully illustrated retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, and along the way the reader uncovers characters and objects from other folk and fairy tales.
The story is about a young boy who wakes up one morning to find his father gone. The boy’s mother did not know when his father would be back. His mother asks him to take a cake to his grandmother, but warns him not to take the shortcut through the forest. Obviously, he takes the shortcut, meets many well-known characters, and eventually finds his father.
This book is more than just a story about a boy looking for his father. The illustrations and characters provide plenty of opportunities for discussions about other fairy tales.
February 16, 2012
Anthony Browne's illustrations are fabulous as ever, but I think he was 'smoking' something when he wandered into the woods.
I see that he had fun with the various fairy tales making their entrance, but their purpose was a tad obscure. I'm interested in his thoughts on the boy being the only piece of colour (& the red coat) in the woods. Perhaps these were the only things that were real in the woods - everything else was imagination and nightmare. Dunno. Too odd. Still love those illustrations though.
I see that he had fun with the various fairy tales making their entrance, but their purpose was a tad obscure. I'm interested in his thoughts on the boy being the only piece of colour (& the red coat) in the woods. Perhaps these were the only things that were real in the woods - everything else was imagination and nightmare. Dunno. Too odd. Still love those illustrations though.
June 17, 2012
This is a tricky one. I'm really ambivalent about it, and I think I'd like to come back to it in a couple of years, when we are a little older. I generally like Anthony Browne's books, because there's always something interesting going on in them, and the illustrations are stunning, but at the same time his books can be eerie, and this one most certainly is ...
October 9, 2009
A beautifully illustrated book that would make a good addition to a philosophical collection for children (if you happen to have one ...). A lovely retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, reminiscent of Where the Wild Things Are in the sense that it takes one little boy on a n unforgettable journey through a mystical forest, while exploring childhood fears ,anxieties, and imagination .
September 11, 2025
Un albo che fonde fiaba e quotidiano: un bambino attraversa il bosco per andare dalla nonna e incontra personaggi che richiamano le storie classiche. Con illustrazioni dense di simboli, Browne esplora paure e desideri dell’infanzia, trasformando il bosco in uno spazio di crescita e immaginazione.
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August 12, 2011Shows what it's like to be anxious and a child. Brilliant.
December 10, 2015
3.5
A book with lovely illustrations and an engaging story. Browne intertwines old faovurite fairytales with his own tale. Suspensful.
A book with lovely illustrations and an engaging story. Browne intertwines old faovurite fairytales with his own tale. Suspensful.
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