The Winding Willow
WILL HILLENBRAND
HOLIDAY HOUSE PUBLISHING, INC. (Sep 30, 2025)
Ages 4-8
Join brave young mouse Hubert Cumberbun on a fantastical wintertime adventure in this epic companion to Will Hillenbrand’s acclaimed picture book The Voice in the Hollow that also includes a double gatefold surprise.
Hubert Cumberbun is on his way home. . . well, a way home! Wind obscures his path. Shadows flicker. And Hubert finds a mysterious tree, filled with enticing lost and found treasures. There’s his brother’s runaway shoe! His father’s umbrella! The key to their house!
Now, Hubert will have to brave the surreal snowy landscape and the hungry owl who lives there to bring his found trinkets home. Holding on tight to his umbrella, he daringly soars above the wintery world below… and makes it back in time to share a delicious loaf of cinnamon bread with his family.
A companion to Will Hillenbrand’s The Voice in the Hollow, The Winding Willow is a fantastical journey for fans and newcomers alike. Sparse text and epic artwork meld to create a timeless tale sure to warm families’ hearts on even the coldest winter nights.
Reviews
[STARRED REVIEW]
★
"Fantastical and a little spooky, the narrative will have readers on the edge of their seats. . . . Hillenbrand’s prose is matched by surreal illustrations that turn swirls of snow into menacing bears and tree limbs into bizarre, horned creatures. . . .Hauntingly beautiful.
—Kirkus Reviews
"With a conclusion that is as enchanting as it is enigmatic, this story gives readers a chance to revisit Hubert's journey until the spring's thaw" -School Library Journal, (Preschool-Grade 3)
"It is beautiful and charmingly nuanced. I love the idea of "winding," shared in the staircase that winds around the tree, as well as the wind that carries the protective presence of the mama bear. And of course we all are glad for (and need!) the reassurance that, even in the face of fear and loss, things can and do turn out all right."- Reader Review— C. Malone
"Love. . . The mischievous (and helpful) antics of the cloud-bear and cubs
The fold-out pages with the owl—yikes!
Hillenbrand invites the reader to fill in things with their own thinking,
using vivid illustrations as an intriguing source of information."
—Reading Enthusiast— M.T. Ehrnschwender
