Dr. Pompo's Nose - Hardcover

Freymann, Saxton; Elffers, Joost

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0439110130 ISBN 13: 9780439110136

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2000

Synopsis

When they see a stem on a pumpkin that looks just like someone's nose, Dr. Pompo and his pumpkin friends get involved to figure out what is going on with this unusual pumpkin. By the creators of How Are You Peeling? 75,000 first printing.

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

Vegetable wranglers Freymann and Elffers, who photographed anonymous produce in How Are You Peeling?, stage an all-pumpkin performance. In this rhyming conversation, a seven-squash ensemble led by the round, orange Dr. Pompo discovers a disembodied "nose." The nose looks an awful lot like a stem. In fact, woody stem-schnozzolas protrude from between the characters' cut-out eyes. But the doctor's friends argue about the object's origin until someone arrives with a conspicuous gap above her mouth and a stuffed-up voice: "'Good Hebbens,' said Ms. Sniffen, 'and how do you subboze/ I lost it ober dare?... Please Doctor, help be wid by doze!'" Plot is not Freymann and Elffers's strong suit, nor does it matter much. The real fun comes from figuring out how the bumpy, wrinkly protagonists change their facial expressions. The artists photograph the extroverted Dr. Pompo, skeptical Uncle Wrinkle and unripe, earnest little Sarah B. from all angles, at all stages of carving. The same pumpkin can wink an eye, gape or turn a small frown into a maniacal smile; it can appear lemon-size or grapefruit-size on the page, its orange skin complemented by a brilliant turquoise or lilac backdrop. Moveable beans serve as beady eyes, and the talking heads shift their gazes from page to page. Freymann and Elffers considerably prolong the shelf life of these seven fresh faces; their animation is so effective that readers may believe an ordinary, featureless pumpkin is merely squeezing its eyes shut. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 2-The characters in this rhyming fable are carved pumpkins with stems for noses. Dr. Pompo, rolling on his morning rounds, discovers an unattended stem and freezes, wondering if it could be a nose. Along comes Uncle Wrinkle, who suggests that the item is a gardening tool. Nimkin suggests it is a horn for calling sheep, Mrs. Gordon puts the item to her ear like a hearing trumpet, and Sarah B. thinks it might be a fossil of an ancient dinosaur. Then Ms. Sniffen rolls into the group pleading, "Please Doctor, help be wid by doze!" Dr. Pompo puts the missing nose on (backward) and addresses the crowd, "So-Ms. Sniffen's good as new./And I hope that all you pumpkins have learned a thing or two:/No matter what the problem, it often is the case/that the answer is as simple as the nose upon your face." Though the premise is a bit hard to accept, children may enjoy the idea that they know more than the pumpkins do. Unfortunately, Dr. Pompo points out the obvious from the beginning. The possible explanations provide a playful, creative tone, but the moral is less than satisfying. The best aspect of the book is the portrayal of character and emotion in the various faces, which look puzzled, critical, grouchy, and playful at times. The pumpkins are photographed and placed on solid, brightly colored backgrounds with few other details. While not much of a story, this is an original Halloween addition.
Adele Greenlee, Bethel College, St. Paul, MN
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0439110130
• ISBN 13: 9780439110136
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32