Book Reflection - Willodeen

Book Reflection - Willodeen
Middle-grade book with a focus on protecting the balance of nature: Willodeen by Katherine Applegate

Summary

Thank goodness humans are varied with different interests. We should all be grateful to those who keep an eye and mind on nature and the infinite, wondrous, delicate balances that exist there.

I love you, young Willodeen, with your love for nature, especially the underdogs/pests/monsters!

I am glad you survived tragedy, found friends and family, and never gave up on what was important to you.

Thank you for paying attention to an important thing that others ignored, finding solutions, and remaining sensitive to why those others didn’t pay more attention.

Details

Reflections

  • Nature is infinitely more wise than any single creature could be.
  • Sometimes we need the loud, stinky things in life to allow for the creation of the more pleasing things.
  • Anger is powerful and can bring about powerful change. We just need to control the direction.
  • Having a single friend can change so much in life.
  • Everything in your world can change in an instant.
  • Trauma impacts us all differently and each person/event has its own timeline.
  • It is beautiful and hard to let those we love move on to where they will be happiest.
  • Trying to make things perfect can often ruin everything.
  • Sometimes we might find that we spend our time doing a task that doesn’t seem to have much value on the outside but interests us. These tasks then sometimes become invaluable.
  • We may need to dig deep to unravel some mysteries. Or follow multiple jumps in cause/effect.
  • Children can see and speak great wisdom. Adults should listen.
  • Adults are often wise in suggesting/orchestrating new/growing events for children. Children should trust (those that are known to be trustworthy) and try new things.
  • We are all connected. In many ways. We only become aware of those that are relevant at the time, but many other threads likely exist.
  • Progress often happens at a high cost for subgroups along the way.
  • Just because you’ve lost your home doesn’t mean that you can’t create a new one while still honoring the first in your heart.
  • Art is important. And magical.
  • Animal companions are also magical in the way they give us comfort and stability simply by being there. Many bad dreams can be chased away with the quiet snores of a companion.
  • Even if you don’t have much, you can always find a way to make a birthday special.
  • That person you just met really could be a lifelong best friend.
  • Stand up and speak out for the things you believe in. Best done with respect and thought. Bring facts, not only wants/emotions.

Themes

  • Balance of Nature
  • Importance of Biodiversity
  • Environmental Stewardship
  • Climate Change
  • Friendship and Acceptance
  • Finding One’s Voice
  • Coming of Age
  • Family and Loss
  • Empathy and Understanding
  • Resilience and Hope
  • Facing Fears
  • Curiosity and Exploration

Characters

  • Willodeen - main character, POV; loves all animals, especially those unlovable by most; keeps a journal where she keeps track of natural events (number of animals, locations, etc.); likes to be out in nature; dislikes crowds; grey eyes; red (untamed) hair
  • Mae and Birdie - took care of Willodeen; old ladies; been many things (healers, favorite was traveling actors); villagers called them witches; —Mae knits and sells shawls at Faire
  • Connor Burke - boy; makes souvenirs for Faire from willow and bark; a bit taller than Willodeen; warm, brown skin; large smile
  • Duuzuu - hummingbear also hurt in the great fire; companion to Willodeen; can no longer fly
  • Sir Zurt - screecher; old; gray snout; only one in Perchance when story begins; limped when walked; busy, silver-white eyebows; long, think eyelashes
  • Toby: Willodeen’s little brother, 2.5 yo
  • Nedwit Poole - baker; made hummingbear-shaped pastries filled with berry jam
  • Kerwin - screecher; stump tail
  • Buddug - screecher; missing right paw
  • Antlee - screecher; small; stripe of white right side
  • Gray Beard - hunter
  • Violet, Poppy, Primrose - girls in the village, about Willodeen’s age; “flower friends”; always together

Other Notables

  • Hummingbears: small (fit in a coat pocket); round ears; fur like dandelion fuzz; shiny wings on their back; big eyes; black, shiny tail; long, sticky tongue; eat insects; Create nests of strong bubbles that glow at night in blue willow trees; bubbles made by chewing up blue willow leaves; sounds: throaty purr; rising, questioning sound; soft, musical sigh
  • Screechers: scream at night (no one knows why); needle-sharp teeth; large claws; green-and-yellow eyes; two curlicue tusks; drool a lot; bristly fur, plum colored; tail flat and covered in quills; put off strong, bad odor when frightened (like skunks); scare easily; often not liked by humans; eat peacock snails, grubs, worms; males have wider snouts and broader chests; family oriented; when not scared, have wild and earthy smell
  • Blue willow trees - Natural habitat for hummingbears; in winter leaves are silver on one side and deep blue on the other
  • Great September Fire - Fire that devastated Willodeen’s village, taking the lives of many people and animals
  • Perchance: Willodeen’s village; Winter home for hummingbears
  • River Essex: river that runs through the middle of Perchance
  • Autumn Faire: Perchance annual event where visitors come to see hummingbears and their nests; major source of income for the village
  • Puzzlers: art by Connor; likeness of animals made from reeds, grasses, bark, willow; named because Connor never sure how he is going to put together
  • Surrbear - forest animal mentioned

Quotes/Passages

The smell is hard to describe. Put a hundred rotten eggs in your mind. Then add some scoops of dead fish and a splash of skunk spray. You’ll have the general sense of things.

She’s just doing what she’s meant to do…Caring for her own, best as she can. Like all us mas and pas.

Maybe they’re like coyotes and wolves. Just singing to the stars.

If you’re looking for folks to make sense…you may find yourself looking for a very long time indeed.

Nature knows more than we do…And she probably always will.

I guess I’d come to understand that the world could change in a heartbeat.

The more I watched and listened and stayed quiet and still, the more I understood the way of things.

Not a review?

Although I enjoy reading a book review now and then, I’m not a fan of rating books.

Why? Well…

  • There are books that I dearly love that I just couldn’t “get into” the first time I tried to read them.
  • I have found that the same book can become a variety of different stories with different messages upon subsequent rereads.
  • Some books don’t feel impactful at the moment you finish that last page, but have a way of growing in your mind in the following days, weeks, months.
  • Just because I don’t like a song, doesn’t mean it ain’t good music.

So I don’t feel qualified to cast any sort of judgement on a book or prophesize how it will impact others.

But I do want to capture what struck me when I read the book so that I can help recall it later. This Swiss cheese memory of mine if full of threads of stories I loved, but can’t quite connect to the ideas I had when I read it. These are also the types of things I want to talk about with someone else who read it…the sometimes hidden (or perhaps completely imagined in my mind) layers of a story that tie to real life.

I am also tinkering with a way to capture notes about the characters, world, setting, etc. for future (self) reference since those tend to be the rich tidbits that I forget all too quickly. I try to keep them spoiler free, but useful for future reference.

My whimsical, nerdy heart hopes that others might find this useful as well!

Bunches of love,
Mimi Whimsy

But have you read THIS book?

Do you have a great book recommendation that you would love to see a “reflection” of? Let me know!

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