Review by Booklist Review
Though human noses are rather spectacular, other animals have us beat. An elephant's sense of smell is five times better than a human's and twice as good as a dog's. Figueras and De Gastold have created a unique book for children to learn about the world of smell. Noses are for breathing, but they're also for locating food, friends, enemies, danger, or even finding one's way. The informational book's oversize picture-book format includes fact strips along the bottom of pages and numerous flaps for children to lift and view an otherwise hidden aspect of the animal or setting one only wishes the thin paper flaps were sturdier! The flaps' interiors offer additional information to further educate readers. An interesting mix of animals are included, from whales and sharks to bees and mosquitoes to star-nosed moles and ring-tailed lemurs, and the text highlights not only their noses but also how some creatures deliberately communicate with smelly glands or pheromones. The book's muted, engaging illustrations and interactive format invite quiet adult-child explorations of the natural world.--J. B. Petty Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Trunks, snouts, rostrums, muffles, beaks, and muzzles take center stage in this captivating investigation into the power of smell. Arranged by theme and loosely progressing from basic concepts (what smell is) to specific animal behaviors (lemurs' penchant for attracting mates through stinky secretions; ants' use of pheromones to communicate), each spread uses short text blocks to concisely present information on the sense's specifics. Figueras adeptly presents complex concepts in accessible language: "Molecules that have a smell are called odorant molecules." De Gastold's realistic illustrations engagingly incorporate amusing details (an elephant teetering atop a ladder, horses pulling funny faces) and are augmented by lift-the-flap features that offer varying perspectives, zoomed-in views, and additional facts. A handy index amplifies the book's usefulness as a reference. Ages 7--11. (Oct.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A survey of the many ways we and other animals use and detect odors.In this large-format French import, lightweight flaps hide inside views, diagrams, and close-ups added to De Gastold's whimsical scenes of expressively posed animals and (racially diverse) people sniffing air or water to track down prey or other food, identify mates or offspring, detect danger, and offer clues to migratory routes. The flap on which two seals swim beneath a thick layer of sea ice that separates them from a sniffing polar bear lifts to reveal a seal coming up for breathright into the jaws of the bear; a pigeon-shaped flap lifts to reveal an aerial view of that pigeon sniffing its way home. Figueras explains in simple but specific language how the "high tech instruments" of creatures including dogs, sharks, elephants ("superheroes of smell"), and ants process pheromones and other odorant molecules. Readers also learn, memorably, how male giraffes smell and taste the urine of females to check out their hormone levels and male ring-tailed lemurs produce a "stomach-churning perfume" to engage in "smell battles" with rivals. These whiffs of humor lighten the informational loadthough serious-minded young biologists will still prefer Mary Holland's Animal Noses (2019), with its more naturalistic photographs. Suggested titles for further reading are limited to three British books and two in French.A fresh, factual blast with hints of drollery. (index) (Informational novelty. 7-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
