Spring is around the corner in much of the northern hemisphere. Time to get out and explore, including the region highlighted in today’s Perfect Picture Book.
Title: Looking for Peppermint, or Life in the Forest
Written & Illustrated By: Maxwell Eaton III
Publisher/Date: Neal Porter Books/2024
Suitable for Ages: 4-8, and older
Themes/Topics: graphic novel, nature, woodlands, Adirondack Park, natural history, woodland animals, hiking, outdoor adventures, pets
Opening:
“PEPPERMINT!”
“Where is that pesky pup?”
“I’m going out to look for Peppermint!”
“You come too.”
Brief Synopsis: An unnamed child searches the woods for her pet dog, Peppermint.
Links to Resources:
· Check out these fabulous Activity Sheets;
· Do you have a pet? What type of animal is it? Describe in words or pictures an adventure you shared with your pet or something funny your pet did;
· Take a walk in a park or the woods. Bring along a notebook and pencil or crayons. Describe in words or pictures some of the plants and/or animals you find there;
· Learn more about the Adirondack Mountains and its creatures in the Back Matter;
· Learn more about the Adirondack Park.
Why I Like this Book:
In this difficult-to-describe, but so-much-fun-to-read picture book, the reader follows an unnamed child who searches the woods surrounding her home (or cottage) for her pet dog, Peppermint. The action begins before the title page and includes vignettes of Peppermint on each spread, sharing his thoughts.
Eaton has written Looking for Peppermint principally as a monologue addressing you, the reader. Although it is picture book length and geared towards the picture book age group, Eaton uses a graphic-novel style, including panels on some spreads, insets showing journal pages on some spreads, and lots of facts about trees, woodland creatures, and natural history. Readers will learn so much! I certainly did, and I’ve had the pleasure of hiking in the story’s setting, the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York.
There’s so much for older children to discover and learn in Looking for Peppermint, including on the end pages. But I think younger children will enjoy its colorfully-detailed illustrations and fun facts about porcupines, fishers, and other flora and fauna, too.
Whether read at home or in a classroom, I think readers of all ages will enjoy Looking for Peppermint.
A Note about Craft:
As mentioned above, Looking for Peppermint is a difficult picture book to categorize. But I think by adding in so many details and asides and action on each spread, Eaton expands the appeal and age range of this picture book.
This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!
Wander, Ponder, Write 