Back Matter Break Down: A Walk In the Woods

Welcome to the Back Matter Break Down! I’m so happy you’ve decided to join me on this new project. I am excited for some special guests who will be joining me in coming weeks! I think we’re all going to learn a lot, but let’s dive into our first ever break down:

Book: A WALK IN THE WOODS

Author: Nikki Grimes

Illustrator(s): Jerry Pinkney, Brian Pinkney

Publisher, Year: Neal Porter Books, 2023

Genre: Fiction

Topics: Grief, Nature, Poetry

Blurb: “Confused and distraught after the death of his father, a boy opens an envelope he left behind and is surprised to find a map of the woods beyond their house, with one spot marked in bright red. But why? The woods had been something they shared together, why would his father want him to go alone? Slowly, his mind settles as he sets off through the spaces he once explored with his dad, passing familiar beech and black oak trees, flitting Carolina wrens, and a garter snake they named Sal. When he reaches the spot marked on the map, he finds pages upon pages of drawings of woodland creatures, made by his father when he was his age. What he sees shows him a side of his dad he never knew, and something even deeper for them to share together. His dad knew what he really needed was a walk in the woods.”

Back Matter Word Count: about 780

Back Matter Sections:

1. An Author’s Note from Nikki Grimes titled “A Note About the Journey” (about 350 words):

In her note, Nikki Grimes shares how the idea for this story was birthed in conversation and collaboration with illustrator Jerry Pinkney. Readers will understand how their friendship and desire to work together kicked off the whole project and allowed them to have such an inspiring working relationship. Grimes then explains that the book’s status was left in limbo after the death of Jerry Pinkney. Grimes describes her grief over the loss of her friend, and the feeling of uncertainty about their book being incomplete. The section has a bittersweet ending as she reveals that Jerry Pinkney finished the sketches for this book before he died, and his son, illustrator Brian Pinkney, was able to step in to complete the book.

2. An Illustrator’s Note from Brian Pinkney titled “A Walk to My Heart” (about 430 words)

Here, Brian Pinkney picks up the story of how this book came into being. He describes his participation in this project as a “mysterious and mystical” experience. We see how closely Brian and Jerry Pinkney’s story mirrors the book’s fictional story of a boy experiencing grief and connecting with his father through a shared love of nature and art. Brian Pinkney gives us a glimpse into his artistic process as he explains that the paintings used for this book were created shorty before his father died. While those pieces were not intended for this book, we learn that another family member, illustrator Charnelle Pinkney, was able to use computer rendering to seamlessly combine Jerry Pinkney’s sketches with Brian Pinkney’s watercolor.

Takeaways: In their back matter notes, Nikki Grimes and Brian Pinkney give readers insight into the process of how their book came into being, from idea to finished product. The back matter in A Walk in Woods is interesting for its window into the world of publishing, but what made it so memorable to me was reading how Grimes and Pinkney navigate a professional project combined with deeply personal loss. By sharing their stories, they help readers appreciate the work and legacy of the late Jerry Pinkney. This back matter adds extra layers of emotion to the story and encourages us to read with a new perspective. Getting to know more about the book’s creators made the story that much more poignant. Upon re-reading A Walk in the Woods, I found myself studying how Jerry Pinkney’s sketches and Brian Pinkney’s watercolors play off each other using my newfound understanding of how these two elements came together.

Tips: Consider using your back matter to give readers a glimpse into the journey you went on to create your book–but think about going deeper than craft, revising, and publishing. You can add extra layers of meaning to your book by getting personal about the ways your life story and experiences connect with the one you are telling. The truths you reveal about yourself could end up being an important legacy for you, or someone else.

Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment to add to the conversation or suggest a book for me to break down!

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