Out of the Woods: A True Story of an Unforgettable Event

by Rebecca Bond

Overview

Based on a true story about the author's grandfather, Rebecca Bond's Out of the Woods is a dramatic tale of survival featuring both animals and people.

Antonio Willie Giroux lived in a hotel his mother ran on the edge of a lake. He loved to explore the woods and look for animals, but they always remained hidden away. One hot, dry summer, when Antonio was almost five, disaster struck: a fire rushed through the forest. Everyone ran to the lake-the only safe place in town-and stood knee-deep in water as they watched the fire. Then, slowly, animals emerged from their forest home and joined the people in the water.

Miraculously, the hotel did not burn down, and the animals rebuilt their homes in the forest-but Antonio never forgot the time when he watched the distance between people and animals disappear.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374380779
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	07/21/2015
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 10.70(h) x 1.80(d)
Lexile:	NC840L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Rebecca Bond is the author and/or illustrator of several books, including In the Belly of an Ox: The Unexpected Photographic Adventures of Richard and Cherry Kearton. Out of the Woods is the story of her grandfather, Antonio Willie Giroux. She grew up in the tiny village of Peacham in northeastern Vermont and lived in Jamaica Plain, Boston.

Editorial Reviews

05/25/2015
In this haunting story about a 1914 incident from the childhood of Bond’s grandfather, four-year-old Antonio Willie Giroux lives in the lakeside hotel his mother runs in Gowganda, Ontario. Antonio spends his days helping staffers and walking in the forest, where he catches only glimpses of wildlife—with hunters and lumberjacks afoot, “the safest place for animals was a distant, hidden one.” Bond’s (The House That George Built) richly descriptive language and sepia-toned illustrations work in tandem to conjure the remote, densely wooded setting. A raging forest fire—which Antonio hears “roar like a monster and crackle with white lightning heat”—threatens the entire town, whose residents dash to the lake for safety. A strange tranquility descends as they stand in the water and watch animals exit the burning forest to take refuge alongside them—“Wolves stood beside deer, foxes beside rabbits. And people and moose stood close enough to touch.” A story valuable both as a glimpse into a bygone way of life and a record of a surreal, singular moment. Ages 5–9. Agent: Judy Sue Goodwin Sturges, Studio Goodwin Sturges. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"A story valuable both as a glimpse into a bygone way of life and a record of a surreal, singular moment."—Publishers Weekly

"Awe-inspiring, exquisitely rendered, indeed "unforgettable."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

03/01/2015
K-Gr 3—This deceptively simple and original picture book recounts an event that happened to the author's grandfather when he was four years old. In 1914, Antonio Willie Giroux lived in a logging hotel run by his mother in the forest by Gowganda Lake in Ontario. Lively and bustling, the hotel catered to travelers and outdoorsmen, as well as to lumberjacks and silver miners. Antonio was an active little boy, curious about the doings of the employees and the goings on of the hotel, and his activities are described in detail. One night, a fire broke out in the woods, and everyone fled to the lake. Ordinarily, different guests inhabited separate areas of the hotel (with travelers on one floor and working men on another), but that night everyone stuck together—including the animals, who took refuge in the lake as well. Distinguished pen-and-ink illustrations with sepia-toned watercolor washes depict the events and characters realistically, dynamically conveying the movement and flow of the story. Some might doubt the plausibility of the animals and people standing so close together, though this is a minor quibble, as this book is less a strict biography and more a remembrance, with some artistic license taken. VERDICT While this wonderful, somewhat complex selection will be useful for those looking to use literature as a jumping-off point for introducing history, as with Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books, the story itself may lack child appeal and its message of unity may be lost on the intended audience.—Ellie Lease, Harford County Public Library, MD

School Library Journal

★ 2015-03-25
In 1914, a 4-year-old boy living in Gowganda, Ontario, witnesses a forest fire that forces people and animals into a nearby lake to survive. Bond recounts this true story of her grandfather Antonio, who grew up in a rural, lakeshore hotel his mother operated. Antonio spends his time helping hotel staff, peeking into guests' rooms, hanging out with lumberjacks, trappers, and silver miners, and exploring the dense forest looking for animals. One dry summer day, a forest fire quickly spreads toward the hotel. To escape, everyone rushes into the lake, soon followed by rabbits, foxes, bobcats, raccoons, wolves, deer, moose, porcupines, elk, squirrels, possums, and bears fleeing from the woods. To Antonio's amazement, people and animals "stood close enough to touch." Eventually, the fire dies down, the people return to the still-standing hotel, and the animals depart. Delicate watercolor-and-pen-and-ink illustrations bring palpable realism to this vivid imagined memory. Pale sepia, gray, and green washes combine with fine-lined figures to evoke the nostalgic feel of old etchings. Scenes of boisterous boarders in the dining room contrast with images of the same shocked men knee-deep in the lake watching the flaming red sky. Sensitively drawn animals, tentatively and nervously waiting together in shared peril with humans, speak volumes. Awe-inspiring, exquisitely rendered, indeed "unforgettable." (author's note) (Picture book. 4-9)

Kirkus Reviews