The Finger and the Nose
by Paula Merlan
Gomez (illustrator)
2019
Hardcover, 44 pages
NubeOcho
Read together February 2, 2020
Rating: 3 / 5 ⭐️
Book #19 in our “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” challenge
Little One’s Book Review: Sophie has a little problem…that’s quickly turning into a big problem. She loves picking her nose; a common enough habit for most children, Sophie has taken her picking to the next level. She loves picking her nose so much that she has named her nose-picking finger Tom, and he’s become a rather close friend.
One day, she looks in the mirror and notices that her nose is getting bigger; she compares it to a large radish. It has beyond doubled in size and the growth doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Her parents told her this would happen if she didn’t stop letting Tom the Finger in her nose to root around all the time. Of course, Sophie didn’t believe them but now she thinks there might be something to it.
Sophie has made a nice home in her nose for Tom the Finger and he’s starting to explore and expand every day. That’s why her poor nose is getting bigger; Tom is upgrading his habitat!! Upon closer inspection, he’s got quite a nice place to live in Sophie’s nostril: he enjoys a large living room where he reads books, among other nice amenities.
If Sophie wishes her nose to return to normal non-radish size, she’ll have to stop her constant nose-picking and Tom will have to help out. Eventually, she figures out a way to occupy Tom in other pursuits. Things go back to normal when he behaves as properly as Sophie’s other fingers.
Mama’s Book Review: This is a cute book about a rather unsavory habit that many children will relate to and chuckle at while reading the story. I’m willing to bet that both children and adults have not encountered any subject matter quite like it in a children’s book, although the idea (plot) is pretty unique.
Originally published in Portugal, “The Finger and the Nose” tells an amusing tale of extreme nose-picking and a child’s (forced) mission to evict her troublesome friend from his nose-home. You’ve never read anything like it!! The artwork isn’t really a draw for us but it actually matches the story perfectly.
The artwork and the ick factor (which is a bit over the top) are why we rated it 3 / 5 ⭐️ However, we think the “grossness” won’t bother young children too much, as they pride themselves on this kind of behavior sometimes. And the book is perfect for a nice laugh.
Can you believe it’s almost the end of February?! We’ll be back soon with more reviews; marching toward March (and Spring).
xoxo,
Mama & Logan
Baby Stole My Book 