Whose nose do you suppose? by Richard Turner

Illus. by Margaret Tolland. Starfish Bay Publishing, 2019. ISBN: 9781760360627.
(Age: 3+) Themes: Noses, Animals, Comparison, Verse. In easy to read verse stanzas the question is asked of the reader about the nose seen on the facing page. When the child has made some hopefully, extravagant and also some measured guesses the page is turned to reveal the correct answer. Readers will laugh out loud at their responses, eagerly seeing who is correct and what the answer will be. They will notice the detail of each drawing, the nose giving some clues to recognising the animal, and the page when turned revealing more of its habitat and environs along with its physical features.
The accompanying stanza gives details about the animal: where it is found, habitat, feeding habits and so on, each stanza offering a different range of information, urging the student to find out more.
The twelve animals depicted include a rabbit, ostrich, elephant, polar bear and shark, and I found the selection surprising so it will be interesting to see how younger readers accept them. Some are well known, meerkat and panda for example, but a few will stretch their imaginations: anaconda, flamingo, ostrich for example. But its always useful to add a few variables with the known.
In a classroom a map would be useful to show where these animals come from and a trip to the local zoo would make a great adjunct to the reading of the book.
Fran Knight