The Gnome Book

Have you ever wondered how gnomes really live? This funny, beautifully illustrated picture book will teach you all about it.

Hello human!

How lovely to meet you. I’m Kick. As you can see, I’m a gnome. ’Gnome’ is actually pronounced ’Nome’. Maybe you’re wondering about the reason for the weird silent ’g’? Well, I’m afraid that reason is one of the biggest gnome secrets. Only gnomes are allowed to know it - gnobody else.

I’m guessing you think you know a lot about me? Well, actually, you don’t! Let’s get going and I’ll tell you everything.

The modern gnome’s life is a far cry from the stereotypes of toadstools and forest glades. In fact, these days most gnomes live in towns and cities - right alongside us! The Gnome Book is the essential guide for anyone curious about their way of life: what they eat, how they have fun, what they learn at school and even what pets they have - you’ll learn about all this and more as a friendly gnome Kick shows you around his world.

Each page of this richly illustrated picture book is crammed with fascinating gnome facts, jokes and advice for following the gnome lifestyle. Whether it’s a step-by-step plan for making a pointy red gnome hat or a cross section of a gnome house, every spread is a feast for the eyes. After reading it, you’ll be seeing signs of our gnome neighbours everywhere you look.

Loes Riphagen is a Dutch picture book author and illustrator who made her debut in 2008 and whose work has since gone on to be published in twenty countries across the world. She grew up on a farm near a forest, and was always fascinated by the stories of the gnomes that her mother told her lived in the woods. The stories stayed with her, and so many years later she decided that she wanted to write a book about modern, urban gnomes - The Gnome Book is the result!
Michele Hutchison is a British translator from Dutch to English, whose translations have won the International Booker Prize and the Vondel Prize. She also translated The Starling’s Song, by Octavie Wolters, for Pushkin’s Children’s Books.