Looking for Peppermint: Or Life in the Forest

by Maxwell Eaton III

A young girl shares stories and facts about the woods near her home while catching up with her mischievous dog, Peppermint.

When her dog Peppermint wanders off, this little girl isn’t too worried; they both know their way around the woods. On her way to find Peppermint, she regales us with stories and information about the area, from encounters with spiny porcupines and protective mother coyotes all the way back to the mile-thick glaciers that shaped the landscape. Parts of the story are highlighted with art-within-art glimpses of the girl’s journal, where she’s captured her exploits in drawings.

Author-illustrator Maxwell Eaton is back with another genre-bending picture book full of fun facts and witty asides. Detailed illustrations bring wild critters to life and keep the reader guessing what’s next. Any young reader with an interest in science and the natural world will want to hike out into the forest with Peppermint and her humans.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Environment, Nature, Nonfiction, Childrens, Science

40 pages, Hardcover

Published February 6, 2024

About the author

Maxwell Eaton III is the critically acclaimed author and illustrator of dozens of outdoor adventure-based picture books and comics for young readers. All of Maxwell’s books are informed by a life led outdoors in the mountains and on the water. He is passionate about sharing his love for the natural world with young people and empowers them to get outside; make and do with their own hands; to think and act with calm and collected minds; and to maintain perspective and humor. He skis, paddles, and writes in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State.

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

As usual, this author/illustrator has a clever way of teaching readers about the woods, trees, and some of the interesting animals that live in that particular habitat. The colorful and detailed illustrations, created with pen and ink, graphite, watercolor, and colored pencil, are visually appealing and will probably entice readers who prefer their reading material to be in graphic or comic form. The narrator, a young girl, addresses readers directly from the opening pages, inviting them to come along with her as she searches for her missing dog, Peppermint, who seems to have disappeared in the woods. There are small circles on several of the pages showing Peppermint's thoughts. As the girl searches, she comes upon different flora and fauna, including white pines, hemlocks, red oaks, sheep, a porcupine up in a tree, about which she provides tidbits of information while also recollecting various adventures with her dog and the animals she sighted in the past. Finally, Peppermint's barking gives him away, and the girl sees something she's always wanted to find in the forest. The front endpapers contain sketches of trees while the back endpapers are devoted to the animals mentioned in the story (3.5 for me). As usual, this author/illustrator doesn't disappoint, making this a good choice for a science classroom library.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friendly brown haired child invites the reader to join them as they head into the woods, sketchbook in hand, to look for their dog, Peppermint. Peppermint is known to head off into the woods, so the child tells us what they see (or have seen) on the familiar route: trees (white pine, northern red oak, eastern hemlock), animals (porcupines, mink, coyotes, turkeys) and their tracks, evidence that the forest was once a sheep pasture, and more. They also talk a bit about the geology of eastern woodlands. This is the best of narrative non-fiction: an engaging interlocutor, a quest that involves lots of description, and a dog!

Eaton’s hand-drawn, graphic style panels are full of foresty greens, and there are lots of woodland scenes that will be familiar to children of the northeast U.S. Along with the descriptions, there are funny vignettes about Peppermint, and a really interactive feel to the text. At the end, the child says, “Well, thanks for walking with me./ I always see something special when a friend comes along.” Back matter and endpapers add information about trees and animals and includes additional resources. The book makes me hunger for warmer weather walks in the woods.

[Martha Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely stroll in the Adirondack woods with Maxwell Eaton III! The book starts out as a chance to hunt in the forest for our young protagonist’s dog, Peppermint. And since this is Eaton, we get to hear the dog’s delightfully snarky comments leavening the tour of the forest that includes tree species, mammals, birds and more! Our young tour guide also has a graphic journal she keeps so we get to dive into a graphic novel of her past interactions with the forest. A good way to introduce graphics to kids (in a picture book, no less!) And an introduction to the ecosystem Mr. Eaton loves. Unlike most fiction, this book has some backwater - a map and more information about a few of the species we met, plus a bibliography.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh thank heavens - this is the perfect palate cleanser after the awful All That Grows.

Cartoons grab attention as a young curly haired, polka dot dress wearing child sprints through the northeastern forest looking for her lost pup. Along the way she conversationally passes on loads of information about the woods and the animals that live in it. We learn about the mumbling, strong smelling porcupine she found under a tree, the fisher she longs to see and how it manages to eat porcupines, and the surprising history of the land - once buried a mile under a glacier and regrown from sheep pasture in the last 100 years. Delightful and entertaining and informative. Double bonus points for backmatter that includes recommended reading, field guides and a reference.

[Louise M. Aamodt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Follow along with the narrator, a girl searching through the woods for her dog who has wandered off. Along the way, she shares all kinds of facts about the forest in a conversational and natural voice. Peppered with anecdotes about interesting adventures and discoveries, it never feels like a lesson, yet I learned a lot! And the artwork--ohhh, the artwork! I spent even longer studying the gorgeous pen and watercolor masterpieces laid out in an inviting, paneled style. High marks all around.

[Zan Porter · Rating 3 out of 5]

When her dog Peppermint wanders off, this little girl isn’t too worried; they both know their way around the woods. On her way to find Peppermint, she regales us with stories and information about the area, from encounters with spiny porcupines and protective mother coyotes all the way back to the mile-thick glaciers that shaped the landscape. Parts of the story are highlighted with art-within-art glimpses of the girl’s journal, where she’s captured her exploits in drawings."

[Ann Haefele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wildlife (creatures and trees) is described as a little girl hunts for her dog, Peppermint. Detailed colorful illustrations accompany the speech bubble graphic narrative. Children who live near the Adirondacks in NY will especially enjoy this, as the author’s note says “these pages are based on my family’s experiences in the forest where we live in the Adirondacks.” Nature that is native to the Adirondacks is what is explored.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a young girl's dog named peppermint runs off into the forest, she invites the reader along to help her search, and along the way shares informative facts about the forest and its inhabitants in the Adirondack Mountains.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fictional walk in the woods with a girl looking for her dog. She points out a lot about the trees and animals she passes as she looks for her dog Peppermint. Set in the Adirondack Mountains of New York.

[Cristina Raymer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and clever book that explores the forest and wildlife within it. Perfect for nature lovers and to spark curiosity!

[Meghan Bohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the pace of ‘now let’s learn about this new thing!’ to be a little frenetic, but I may have been a little burned out from reading at that point. I don't know why I didn't like this better.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is so much informational content crammed into this book that the story doesn't flow well, but it's cute and educational.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

The narrator's journal looks pretty much exactly like the book's illustration style, just done in "crayon" instead of other media. I would have liked this better without the side stories.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learn about the critters of Adirondack Mountains in this nonfiction graphic novel.