On 1 October 2018 I (Sandie Mourão) posted my first PEPELT film, it was about the picturebook of the month, ‘Imaginary Fred’ by Coin Colfer and Oliver Jeffers. My film began like this: “My name is Sandie Mourão and I’m very pleased to be filming the first ‘Picturebook as object’ film for the PEPELT facebook page. What am I going to be talking about? Well, everything except the pages in the book, I’m going to be talking about the peritext, everything that makes a book a book. The front and back covers, the fore matter like half title pages, endpapers, title pages etc. and I’m going to help you see the relevance of these parts of the picturebook for the picturebook sharing experience.”

Over the years that we made the films for PEPELT (between 2018 and 2021) my definition of peritext became, “that which makes a picturebook a picturebook”, and I began all my films with this phrase. I’d like to think that “peritext” is now a word which means something to the PEPELT community and that peritextual features are no longer taken for granted. I thought I would take a look at some of my favourite picturebooks over the last 5 years from a peritextual perspective:

Consummate Covers

‘Freddy and the fairy’ by Julia Donaldson & Karen George (Macmillan Children’s Books, 2021) was shared in May 2021. Its front and back covers are all one image, and they present the different characters that appear in the book, so they are perfect for returning to and (re)discovering the animals.		Read More
Fantastic Formats

Picturebooks come in many shapes and sizes but they usually open from right to left, so it’s always exciting when we share one that breaks the norm. In May 2019 we shared ‘Tadpole’s promise’ by Jeanne Willis & Tony Ross (Andersen Press, 2003), which opens from top to bottom, rather than from right to left. It represents the setting of the story, and the gutter cleverly divides the two spaces – above the water and under the water. It’s fantastic!		Read More
Extraordinary Endpapers

Endpapers come in many forms and my favourites are the ones which show the beginning and the end of the story. In ‘Aalfred and Aalbert’ by Morag Hood (Two Hoots, 2019), which we shared in June 2021, this is just what they do. But for this picturebook, before even starting out I recommended that teachers first find out about aardvarks with their learners, so they understand what the opening endpapers represent … the aardvarks in their separate burrows underground, and the ending shows them sharing a burrow … they are extraordinary!		Read More
Powerful Prologue illustrations

A prologue illustration appears before the title page and it can be extremely relevant to the visual narrative. In November 2018 we all talked about ‘Bully’ by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (Macmillan Children’s Books, 2013), where the prologue illustration shows us why the small bull is a bully. It’s very powerful and perfect for returning to and generating discussion around bullies.		Read More
Delightful Dedications

In April 2018, our very first PEPELT Earth Day month, we shared ‘What a wonderful world’ illustrated by Tim Hopgood (Oxford University Press, 2015). It’s a jubilant picturebook showing us the delights of the world around us and visually interprets the lyrics of the song made famous by Louis Armstrong. The dedication, which appears on the copyright page, says “For everyone!” – it’s perfect for sharing with the children and asking them why they think Tim Hopgood dedicates the book in such a way. Never miss a dedication, they are often delightful!		Read More
Terrific Title pages

Title pages serve many functions in picturebooks, they can present the main character or the setting, show the ending or preview a moment to come. In ‘The suitcase’ by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros (Nosy Crow, 2019), which we shared in June 2021, the title page shows us the beginning of the story. It’s such an important visual representation that overlooking this title page would be like missing the beginning of a film or play.		Read More
Brilliant Blurbs

Blurbs are the short verbal texts on the back of a picturebook (or sometimes on the front flap of a dustjacket). They can often be read out and used to prompt prediction. In March 2021, we shared ‘Leaf’ by Sandra Dieckmann (Flying Eye Books, 2017), which I think really was one of the most beautiful picturebooks on PEPELT. The blurb is perfect for reading out loud and prompting predictions … it’s also got an image of a crow on it, so you can return to that and ask children why crows appear all over this picturebook, even on the back cover.		Read More