THE DAY MY RUNNY NOSE RAN AWAY

One day a most peculiar thing happened to Jason: Montague, his nose, left him a note on his pillow informing him that the mistreatment had to stop (blowing on scratchy paper towels, squishing against windows) and he took off. Jason can’t smell, his glasses keep slipping, and a sneeze is just plain nasty. His mom is unsympathetic (wiped his nose on his sleeve too many times) and his class stares and calls him No-Nose. Sent home from school, his grandfather recalls how the same thing happened to him, from sticking his nose in other people’s business, and he had to go to Nose Island to find it. He tells Jason to hitch a ride with the Ship of Lost Things; while onboard, the ship captain tells him never to take his nose for granted. When he lands on Nose Island, Jason discovers his nose has become king of the island. Montague orders a feast by throwing favorite foods on a bonfire to make delicious smells for the noses. Then he informs Jason of his plan for noses to take over the world. Taken prisoner, Jason manages to escape—without his nose—though when he returns to school, everyone there is noseless, too. Seems Montague has convinced all the noses in the world to join him. The first-person voice plays up the absurdity and the cartoon art matches the wacky story. A great variety of noses abounds, including the wooden one on the captain; the schnozzes and the color-saturated pages will attract readers. Unfortunately, while the idea is funny, the ending takes a nosedive, abruptly falling flat on its face. (Picture book. 5-8)