Henri & Miko: Autumn in Bosk Olivette – written and illustrated by Rebecca Green
Tundra Books, 2026
Rebecca Green has invented a world, building it with color, poetry, and companions dedicated to friendship and beauty. The high level of artistry in this new classic is a sign of respect for the children, along with adults, who will respond to its qualities. There are many allusions suggested by Henri and Miko’s detailed environment and loyal friendship: Winnie the Pooh, The Borrowers, Wind in the Willows, Brambly Hedge, and The Tale of the Castle Mice, to name just a few. At the same time, this book is neither homage nor imitation. Henri, a mouse, and Miko, a bee, are distinctive creatures in their own right.
Green uses sensory language with memorable specificity. Leaves are ocher, scarlet, and vermilion.Breakfast includes ginger tea and toasty pear scones. Henri creates movie tickets out of bits of scalloped paper, colored pencils and paint. (Green’s art is rendered in acrylic gouache and matte graphite.) Sometimes, in a book this beautiful, the visual elements overshadows the story. Here, characters develop in the perfect setting, combining domestic interiors with the woodland background.
To introduce the mouse and bee in their home, Green presents their miniature scale as the reward for close observation. Looking down from a maple tree, readers are asked to notice a tiny chimney emitting smoke from a small cider press. “This is the home of Henri and Miko.” A four-page spread emerges, revealing Bosk Olivette, its inhabitants, and the fully furnished inside of the cider press transformed into home. Henri and Miko put a great deal of effort into its design. Naturally, as a former cider press, the inside was “very sticky.” They transform it into a place where Henri can read upside down on her bed, and Miko can decorate with candles.
The book’s genre is flexible. In addition to traditional illustrations and prose, there are poems, recipes, and drawing guidelines. Some of the story is told in graphic novel sequences. On Leaf Day, Henri wakes up to the sound of rustling leaves and the scent of pastries. She is “too happy to sleep.” Such intense feelings invite a sense of regret, with Henri and Miko agreeing that they would like to “freeze time” so that autumn would never end. Henri identifies so closely with the season that she wishes she could turn the red color of her favorite leaf. At day’s end, the two friends, and their new companion, Chickpea, console themselves with the idea that they will always have memories.
In fact, the whole back is a celebration of memory, preserving the sensory and emotional experiences that make Bosk Olivette a place of wonder.
