Review by Booklist Review
Did you know there are tiny gnomes living all around? Canadian author Soloy welcomes readers into their magical, miniature world with a detailed directory of all things gnome related. An adorable introductory spread features a lineup of some of the residents, including mushroom-clad Minolta, fuzzy green Hotchi-Mossy, and acorn-hatted Cob Tiggy. Like any reputable guidebook, this one imparts basic gnome-knowledge first, covering eating habits, celebrations, and seasonal observances. It then delves into specific gnome professions (Rose Gladly maintains the seed library, Beatrix Nut works on fluffing squirrel tails, Merry Pip runs a postal service via cooperative bees and ants) and endless activities (leaf riding or snail stacking, anyone?). There are even exuberant exercise diagrams, simple cookie recipes, and rhyming chants to shout aloud. The cheeky, cheerful book is incredibly endearing, and darling digital illustrations are wonderfully textured in rich earth tones. Some pages are marvelous magnifications of tiny activities, while others are glorious spreads of the wider but still intimate world that that gnomes inhabit; regardless, each page turn brings an unexpected treat. Young readers can dip in for a delightful detail or read all the way through for a deep dive into the cozy world, and Soloy concludes with a reminder that there is always magic to be found in the world around us. An utterly charming gnome tome for anyone searching for wonder.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this charming guidebook to gnomes and gnome-dom, Soloy introduces, via a lunar calendar year, an ethos of being at home in the natural world. Digital spreads that suggest loose ink lines and gouache show the world from a gnome's-eye view: just shy of the height of a snowdrop. Their tiny bodies are rounded, and their faces, portrayed with varying skin tones, peer out from hoods in a world populated with acorns, ferns, and mushrooms. Some pages describe individual gnomes ("Burley Bell is the doctor. She is always busy tending to various animals, insects and plants"), while others describe activities ("Snail Stacking"), particular moons (the "Bursting Moon" heralds harvest), and varied pleasures ("The joy of tapping a stick"). The cooperative gnomes take time to celebrate, muse on the mysterious, and sing and dance and play, and this idyll invites readers to "see the magic in the world" as gnomes do. Ages 3--7. (June)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Tiny gnomes' life goals center on experiencing as much joy as possible. More emotive and less instructive than Owen Churcher and Niamh Sharkey's A Field Guide to Leaflings (2023), this book introduces similar elusive beings who live "all around us." Inventive names like Hotchi Mossy, Merry Pip, and Cob Tiggy help individualize Soloy's thumb-size creatures, who have bulbous bodies, stick appendages, and kind, squarish faces in shades from light to brown. The gnomes each have an "important job," like storytelling, eggsitting for birds, and planting. They ride leaves while wearing acorn helmets, enjoy chases astride squirrels and hares, and seem to be vegan. Gnomes love celebrating, singing and circle-dancing when a mushroom appears or a shiny rock is found. Unlike the lollipop watercolors of Leaflings, the art here features heavy lines and earthy colors that will perhaps inspire some young copyists. The book aims to make readers more attentive to nature as a source of joy: Rose Gladly's seed library or Abel Potter's "woody pig" (i.e., woodlouse) might help readers find pleasure in what they see outdoors. There are joys for every sense, including a recipe for gnome cookies. And there are more subtle forms of happiness to appreciate, like "the joy of sitting with another person, not talking, together." The final message is direct: "You can choose to look closely. You can choose to see the magic in the world. You can choose to believe." (This book was reviewed digitally.) Gnomish "heart-seeing" might be the best way to appreciate this winning tribute to euphoria. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
