Alan Barillaro is the author of the acclaimed debut Where the Water Takes Us. The Academy Award-winning writer and director of the animated short film Piper, he has been supervising animator on numerous other popular theatrical releases, including The Incredibles, Incredibles 2, WALL-E, and Brave. He began his career in animation at the age of sixteen and spent more than twenty-five years at Pixar Animation Studios. Originally from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Alan Barillaro now lives in California.

With a whiff of Watership Down and a pinch of Christian McKay Heidicker's Scary Stories for Young Foxes (2019), Bunns' journey is filled with wonders, dangers, and a growing understanding of her powerful capacity for love and empathy. . . . Barillaro is clearly paving the way for a much larger adventure for Bunns and her friends with this beautiful animal fantasy.
--Booklist (starred review)

Barillaro skillfully weaves immediate prose and realistic illustrations to depict Bunns's grand voyage via renderings of nighttime and underground shadows, gauzy sky and snowfall, fantastical shape-shifting forms, animals and countryside, and comics-style panels, each element distinguished by hues ranging from poppy to sepia.
--Publishers Weekly

A compelling tale. . . .
--School Library Journal

Barillaro's lovely, full-color, soft-focus illustrations effectively capture natural scenes, such as sunlight in a meadow and a herd of deer traversing a winter lake. . . .Bunns is an appealing hero, and her adventure is compelling. Solid and visually engaging.
--Kirkus Reviews

Full of heart, this mature, tender chapter book showcases descriptive writing and stunning, dramatically lit illustrations.
--The Associated Press

Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)

Pub date: 2025-10-07

Length: 336 pages