Review: Pictures of Hollis Woods

A review by Grishma Jain who loves this book. Thanks, Grishma!

Hollis Woods, a 12-year old, has a unique way of looking at the world around her. Shuffled from one foster home to another she continues to run away from them because nobody sees things quite the way she does.

Her love for drawing leads her to live her ‘ideal life’ through her pictures, which express her deepest wishes. A ‘W’ picture she drew for a school assignment depicts her deepest ‘wish’ or ‘want’ -- a family.

Then she is placed with Josie Cahill, a loving, retired art teacher. Hollis begins to love living with Josie and all her eccentricities, and wants to stay, but she senses Josie’s memory failing her. In an attempt to take care of Josie and hold onto what they’ve built together, she must escape the Social Services.

Even as she fights for a future with Josie, her pictures tell a different story... they reveal glimpses of her stay with the Regan family, her previous foster home. A family very like the one in her ‘W’ picture, one that truly seemed to care about her, but one she ran away from!

Will Hollis’ loving and caring nature lead her into the perfect picture?

I loved the book because as Hollis's story unfolds it seems to capture more than just the innocence of a young child. It shows how perceptive kids are to their environment, the people around them and the tiny details that make a difference in their lives. And how their naivety allows them to reciprocate and relate to being loved unselfishly.

Something that can be so apparent when I interact with Putta, Paapu and others but also easy to miss...

We have two copies of this book in our collection right now. Grishma also found there is a TV movie based on this book, which we are looking forward to seeing!