Pepper and Me

Publication Date:

January 2024

Pages:

48

Age Group:

4-8

Format:

21.59 x 27.94 cm

Original language and publisher

English (USA) | Hippo Park

Territories Handled

World excl. Asia and North America

Territories Sold

France (Ecole des Loisirs)
Italy (Topipittori)
English (UK & BC excl Can) (Thames & Hudson)
South Korea (BIR Publishing)
Taiwan (Linking Publishing)
China (Ronshin)
Greece (Kokkino, at auction)
Catalan (Combel, at auction)
Spanish (World) (Combel, at auction)
Turkey (Can)
Russia (Lemonade Books)

Genre

Children's

Foreign Covers

 Cover
Thames & Hudson

Pepper and Me

Synopsis

A reluctant love story…whimsy…but also truth, in the way children process the yucky yet intriguing surprises served up by their bodies. — New York Times Book Review

Alemagna deftly captures feelings of loss over something inconsequential to adults but of outsized importance to a child….Uniquely moving. — Kirkus Reviews

It’s easy for readers to see their own concerns reflected in the narrator’s—and to breathe a sigh of relief when the ordeal is over—in this slice-of-life portrait of life’s small comings and goings. — Publishers Weekly

The book was magically odd and the kids had so much to say about. I LOVED IT! — Colby Sharp (Nerdy Book Club)

Pepper and Me deftly taps into the wondrous and curious mind of a child–a scrape-turned-surly-scab-come-to-life!–alongside the surprising, inventive, and perfectly askew drawings I’ve come to expect in a new Beatrice Alemagna book. I am a huge fan–of Pepper and Ms. Alemagna. — Matthew Cordell, Caldecott Medalist for Wolf in the Snow

This beautifully illustrated story made me want to befriend all the bruises, scars and scabs that my inner child carries with her. I feel like hugging this book! — Elise Gravel, creator of the Disgusting Critters and Olga serie

Pepper & Me is a simple story, but is also a secret door to what days and weeks feel like when you are small. Beatrice Alemagna has the key, and we’re so lucky that she does. — Jon Klassen

By pulling on the right strings, Beatrice Alemagna manages to transform a scab into a delicate and endearing little thing that speaks of loss and resilience. — Isabelle Arsenault

If I had to choose my favorite illustrator it would be Beatrice Alemagna. Her images have a dreamlike atmosphere that are unlike anything else. — Chris Haughton

I have been waiting for years for a good book about a scab, and finally it’s here, thanks to Beatrice Alemagna. Only she could manage to create a truthful, moving, and relatable story about a crust of dry blood. — Sergio Ruzzier

A beautiful and subtle celebration of the everydayness of our magical bodies . . . — Julie Morstad

From three-time NYT Best Illustrated creator of On a Magical Do-Nothing Day comes a stunning picture book about a little girl, the scab on her knee, and the healing they do together.

In this utterly enchanting and unexpected tale from international picture book star Beatrice Alemagna, a childhood mishap is the occasion for growth and self-reflection. When a little girl falls on the street, scraping her knee, her father tells her not to worry, that “a beautiful scab will form.” But she does worry! The scab is not beautiful and it’s keeping her from bending her knee! When will it ever go away? By the time the scab—who she has named Pepper—falls off, something astonishing has happened: the girl has come to feel affection for the scab and has a hard time letting go. With an unerring understanding of a child’s emotional life and a dash of absurdist wit, this picture book will stand with classics from creators like Tomi Ungerer and William Steig, who explore the weird, funny essence of childhood.

Marketing Information

  • A January/February 2024 Kids’ Indie Next List pick
  • Beatrice Alemagna was awarded the prestigious PRIX DE LA GRANDE OURSE 2023
  • Italian and French translations available

Foreign Covers

 Cover
Thames & Hudson