Ahead of World Kindness Day, Author Gail Kuhnlein’s "Into the Thicket" Teaches Children Compassion for Wildlife

Into the Thicket by Gail Kuhnlein

Author Gail Kuhnlein

A true story of a boy and an injured baby rabbit introduces children ages 4 to 8 to wildlife rescue. Half of the author’s proceeds support wildlife rehab.

ANN ARBOR, MI, UNITED STATES, October 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Ahead of World Kindness Day on Nov. 13, Michigan children's author Gail Kuhnlein is sharing "Into the Thicket," a picture book for ages 4 to 8 inspired by a true story from her own backyard. About 25 years ago, her young son found an injured baby rabbit. The family took it to a wildlife rehabilitator, but the kit was too young and too badly hurt to survive.

In "Into the Thicket," Kuhnlein gives that moment a new ending. The book follows Patrick, a boy who finds an injured cottontail and is determined to help it. Along the way he faces his fears, finds his courage, and learns that loving a wild creature sometimes means letting it go.

Illustrated by John Megahan, the 60-page book is divided into three parts, giving families natural stopping points for a read-aloud over several nights. Back matter covers cottontail facts, what to do and what not to do if a nest of baby rabbits appears abandoned, and where to find help.

The story also introduces many young readers to wildlife rehabilitation for the first time. The rehabilitator in the book is a young Black woman, offering a role model for Black girls who love animals. Teachers can use the book in early-elementary science and social-emotional learning lessons.

Today's children are growing up amid regular news coverage of climate change and biodiversity loss. Kuhnlein believes the empathy children build now will shape how they care for the planet later.

"I hope that children take away an enhanced feeling of compassion, love, and respect for wildlife and our natural world," said Kuhnlein. "This upcoming generation will be faced with mounting environmental crises. They are the ones who are going to have to, quite literally, save the world."

She also wrote the book with practical preparedness in mind. "I hope children and adults alike will be more prepared if they find an injured or abandoned creature, knowing who to contact, and have handy resources about what to do until they can get to wildlife rehab," she said.

"A number of reviews mention the story's emotional depth and how it will stay with the reader long after the final page," Kuhnlein said. She is donating half of her proceeds from the book to Out-Back Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Ottawa Lake, Michigan.

Kuhnlein's path to publication carries its own story of resilience. In 2022, open-heart surgery to repair a leaky mitral valve led to serious complications, and she spent nearly three weeks on life support in an induced coma. She survived, relearned how to walk, and says she has been living on "bonus time" ever since.

She now volunteers in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, a role inspired by the month her younger son spent in a NICU as a newborn. She previously volunteered at the Bird Center of Michigan, caring for injured and abandoned birds.

"I take the honor of writing for children to heart," Kuhnlein said. "Writing picture books combines two loves of my life. I have a profound respect and love for children. I remember what it was like to be a child."

"Into the Thicket" was published in hardcover in August 2025 ($27.99, ISBN 979-8990747807), followed by paperback ($14.99) and Kindle ebook ($5.99, free with Kindle Unlimited) editions in April 2026. The book is sold online and can be ordered through independent bookstores. Ahead of Small Business Saturday on Nov. 28, Kuhnlein encourages readers to shop at a local indie bookstore or through Bookshop.org, or to ask their library to add the book.

About Gail Kuhnlein
Gail Kuhnlein is a children's author based near Ann Arbor, Michigan. A Michigan State University journalism and public relations graduate, she spent more than 30 years in communications, including 17 years at the University of Michigan's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Her picture books include "How Happy Is a Lark?" and "Into the Thicket." Her next picture book, "Bunchy Socks," for highly sensitive children, is in development for 2027. More information is available at https://authorgailkuhnlein.com/.

Gail Kuhnlein
Children's Book Author
gailk@authorgailkuhnlein.com
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Book trailer credit: Jocelyn Rish