Kirkus Reviews QR Code
GOT YOUR NOSE! by Alan Katz

GOT YOUR NOSE!

by Alan Katz ; illustrated by Alex Willan

Pub Date: Jan. 10th, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-302504-2
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Follow your nose on an adventure!

Becky, a tan-skinned girl with poofy dark hair and a missing tooth, loves playing with her Grandpa Max, who is bald with tan skin. But when Grandpa Max attempts to play a final trick on Becky as he is leaving for the day, our heroine soon discovers that the “got your nose!” joke is no laughing matter—her nose is tucked unknowingly into Grandpa Max’s pocket! She runs after Grandpa Max—or “Mampa Max,” as Becky has to pronounce it now—to tell him what’s going on, and the nose takes off, leaping out of Grandpa Max’s pocket and growing arms and legs. The nose leads them on a merry chase across town before returning back to Becky’s face thanks to a combination of luck and smart thinking. As the duo are about to part, Becky’s game of “got your ear!” starts the mischief all over again. It’s a clever idea, but some clunky choices along the way impede the story. Becky’s mispronunciations sans nose are amusing, but some don’t work. This becomes apparent when reading the story aloud: “We mustn’t mive up mope,” says Becky, but anyone plugging their nose can easily pronounce give and hope. Additionally, the nose’s motivations—initially it seems to seek out its favorite smells—give way quickly to less logical activities like minigolf and swimming. (Who likes getting water up their nose?) The digital images do a lot of heavy lifting humorwise, but they can’t save this story. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Lost by a nose.

(Picture book. 4-8)