Norman and the Smell of Adventure

Norman

by Ryan T. Higgins

New York Times best-selling creator Ryan T. Higgins follows up the much-lauded NORMAN DIDN'T DO IT! with this hilarious sequel about answering the call (and smell) of adventure.

Norman is a porcupine.
Norman’s best friend is Mildred.
Mildred is a tree.

They have favorite things they do together, day after day.
When Norman wakes one morning and wants to try something new, he’s frustrated to learn that Mildred has other plans.

So Norman storms off. On his own. Without Mildred.

Can their friendship survive?

With his signature humor and heart, Ryan T. Higgins explores the joy of independence and the power of best friendship.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, Adventure, Humor, Fiction

48 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2025

Reviews

[Shanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ryan Higgins has a knack for creating lovable characters with quirky personality traits. Love his Penelope Rex books and his Bruce books. This is the second of the Norman books I have read and it is very cute. We begin with Norman and his tree friend, Mildred, from the first book. Norman wants to go on an adventure. Mildred does not. Norman tries to convince her, but, after a fight, he stomps off on his own. He meets new characters on his trek and proves that sometimes best friends have to do some things on their own. And that’s okay. I liked the cactus.

Mia’s 2nd Year of Books: Day 153

#FirsttoCheckOut

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the Penelope Rex series. So it's nice to see some new characters. Norman is a delight. I loved his interactions with Sally the cactus. And Norman has an awesome adventure.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

First sentence: Norman was a porcupine. His best friend was Mildred. Mildred was a tree. They had favorite things they did day after day. But one morning Norman wanted to try different things. "What do you say, Mildred? Let's go do something new! What do you mean you have other plans?"

Premise/plot: Norman and Mildred have a fight. If you've read the first sentence (above), you know Mildred is a tree. Still, Norman has a "fight" with Mildred his best friend. He gets so angry he sets off on his own adventure. He expects Mildred to come after him. She doesn't. She's a tree. Still, he's determined to have an adventure even if it's on his own. He soon makes other "friends." At the end of his adventure he returns home to Mildred to tell her all about it.

My thoughts: This one was definitely silly. Norman is quite a silly character. Meeting "Sally" (the cactus) was fun. (Norman misreads a "sale" sign on the cactus and thinks it's a name tag). The lesson was simple enough: friends don't have to do everything together. I liked it. However, my expectations were a bit higher for this one. I wanted to love it more than I did. I have LOVED, LOVED, LOVED some of his books in the past, and I was expecting to be charmed or delighted. It was a good enough read. But his other books are better.

[Melanie H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Norman the Porcupine is back and this time he is ready for adventure! When he asks his best friend, Mildred the Tree, if she would like to do something different, Mildred says no. Dismayed, Norman packs some snacks and his camera and takes off on his own. On the way he meets a silent but obviously wise cactus named Sale, or Sally, as Norman decides. Norman continues with his adventures and eventually reaches the top of the hill. As he gazes out at the forest of trees and ruminates on how Mildred would have loved the view, he realizes that he misses his best friend. He returned to Mildred and showed her the pictures he took and told her about his adventure. Norman decides that it's ok to do things on his own sometimes; we don't always have to do what our friends want to do.

Perfect story for a hard-to-learn lesson.

[P.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing I enjoy the most about this author’s work is the subtle way the “lesson” is brought forth—simple enough for a child to understand, yet comical enough for an adult to agree with. Like his other books, Mr. Higgins is the illustrator, but don’t just look at the pictures within because the cover and end pages are just as meaningful to the stories.

The text is simple, yet it never talks down to children. Norman, the porcupine going on the adventure, is a simple creature whose naivete presents a wonderful charm. This book is being donated to St. Joseph School in Chehalis, WA.

[Ellon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars (I liked it)

Maybe it's because I read Norman Didn't Do It!: SO many times when it was a Black Eyed Susan Award nominee but I just don't think that this follow up has the same spark that the first book had. I still liked this book and it has a good message about how friends don't have to do everything together but I think the original is miles better.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Norman heads off to find adventure. It takes a long time and plenty of effort before he finds it.

Why I started this book: Thrilled that the library's copy arrived!

Why I finished it: I like Norman, have been pretty far into an uncomfortable situation before I realized that this very thing I'm going through, is the adventure. And we all need friends like Sale with sharp and good points.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Norman is bored and encourages Mildred to go on an adventure with him. Of course, Mildred can't do that as she is a tree. Readers will love seeing more of Norman as he sets off to find adventure. He meets a silent wise plant who encourages him to think for himself. I love that he figures out he can have both a friendship with Mildred and times for adventure too. Higgin's humor comes through clearly in both the text and the artwork.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the characters in these books by Ryan Higgins. Norman is a porcupine and loves his tree friend Mildred. He can't understand why Mildred won't go on an adventure. He runs into a cactus, a cave, upriver, swamp, brambles, and a moose. All things found in nature. He climbs a tall mountain and views his surroundings. and takes photos to share back home when he runs out of snacks. Lots of tongue-in-cheek humor.

[Elizabeth Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

i got this from Amazon, a real book, i love it when i do that. got it today, so fun. wish it was longer. but we have to keep the kids happy, i guess kids can't sit to long for a book. wish they did though. so fun. great illustrations. i think Mildred is rather opinionated. lol. kidding ...but fun times. enjoy Ryan's writing. so fun!! check it out!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found in L4L Volume 166. I LOVE Norman!!

[Michele Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good one to use to talk about how friends don't have to do everything the same - enjoy what you like together and it's ok to different things.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolute romp 🙌

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you know when an adventure is an adventure? What do you do when your friend doesn’t want to go with you? Let’s see what Norman decides.

[Y.Poston]

a very cute & funny friendship between a tree and a porcupine

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an ok story about a porcupine who is finding his best to be kind of boring because it doesn’t do anything or go anywhere, which makes sense since it’s a tree.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Norman and so excited to see this sequel that is as charming and delightful as the first and celebrate friends and differences.

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could use for a tree storytime and pair with other books of friends with trees, Maple Series,