Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This book reads like a guide book and delves into facts about gnomes. From what they eat and where to how they live and more. The illustrations are beautiful and colourful and add a lot to the story. It's a quick, fun read for any gnome fan.

3.5/5⭐️

I liked this one! Love talking directly to the reader and all the elements in introduces as totally normal parts of gnome life! Would definitely read more books like this!

Also the illustrations were SO cute!

I am a huge fan of gnome related things so this was a fun one to come upon on NetGalley -- it did not disappoint. I love the whimsy of this and how the illustrator and author were able to get so detailed on gnome life and culture. I almost feel like I might find one around somewhere with how detailed it got! I'm obsessed.

I liked the idea behind this book and the little details were cute, but I could not understand the decision to include a dog peeing on a gnome, with more detail than necessary.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a delight! Its a darling little glimpse into the lives of gnomes. It reminds me of Richard Scarry in the best way possible. Each page is filled with magical illustrations that you can look at for hours. I cannot wait to purchase a physical copy to share with my children.

I received the translated version of this book on NetGalley. It was super cute and I loved all the illustrations and deeper look into the lives of gnomes super informative and so creative thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

When I first began reading The Gnome Book, by Loes Riphagen, I thought "oh what a cute book!" And then when the main character Kick rode a bird to school, I liked it even more! I noticed some Dutch style windmills in the illustrations and I wondered if perhaps this was a translation of a book first published in another language. When I got to the page depicting a dog peeing on Kick, complete with dog anus and penis, I knew it had to be. A quick web search confirmed this was originally published in the Netherlands. I think there must be a mismatch between Dutch and English-speaking cultures, because this is too graphic for me to even think of showing to a child. It reminds me of that Danish kids show about the man with the very long penis, just too crude for (in my opinion)!American audiences. This book is so cute, but I think of the English-speaking audience for this book would not expect to see such graphic depictions in a children's book. I literally double- and triple-checked that this was a children's book, I was so surprised by that page.

The Gnome Book is all about gnomes and is written in a way where you would think it's a reference book, if it wasn't about gnomes. The illustrations are very interesting. Some things are very obviously drawings, while others are so life like that they could almost be photographs. Overall, it was a silly and fun book that made my kids laugh.

Thanks to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for an eARC of this book for an honest review.

"The Gnome Book" by Loes Riphagen was imaginative, unique, and full of whimsy. The way that author describes the world of gnomes of full of creative world-building. Guided by the friendly gnome Kick, the book explores various aspects of gnome life, including their diets, recreational activities, education, and even their pets. Riphagen's richly detailed illustrations are a highlight, with each page brimming with vibrant artwork that captivates the reader's imagination. The book is filled with fascinating gnome facts, humor, and practical advice for embracing the gnome lifestyle. Whether it's a step-by-step guide to crafting a pointy red gnome hat or a cross-section of a gnome house, every spread offers a visual feast.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read a digital reader copy of The Gnome Book by Loes Riphagen.

This book will fly off the shelves when released by Gnome Road Publishing on March 4, 2025. The main character takes baths in a teacup, flies to school on a bird, uses discarded objects like paper clips for making music, and helps humans understand life as a gnome. This tiny being does a great job pointing out nuances in gnome family life. It’s is a work of adorable art from the cover to the endpapers. I especially enjoyed the hat designs. Kids will find surprises in the art on each spread and chuckles in the little gnome’s comments.

I recommend Riphagen’s The Gnome Book for homes, kindergartens, as well as for school and library story times. It will fun for kids to talk about compare how the gnomes’ things and activities are similar to their own - or not!

2.25 ⭐️ the store was a big all over the place for me and every page just seemed to have ALOT going on. I will say that the art work was absolutely beautiful !

Very sweet book, with plenty of humorous details sure to delight young readers! Illustrations are charming, particularly those of the inside of the Gnome homes.

This book was adorable! This is a great book for children and the gnome concept was so cute! Even as an adult, I would find this a very wholesome read and something I’d want to share with my child!

This is absolute perfection.

The illustrations are stunning.

The story and writing are so funny I laughed so hard I snorted!

I would give this a million stars if I could.

Pub date March 3,2025

Who remembers reading the large and beautifully illustrated Gnomes book by Wil Huygen? Or The Littles? or The Borrowers? My love for those childhood favorites are what led me to stray from the fiction NetGalley arcs and download this translated (from Dutch) picture book.

My son has inherited my love for tiny worlds. When we lived in the east bay we would often visit the fairy street in Point Richmond. Whole blocks of tiny fairy houses in front of their normal sized parent houses. I of course read this with my kid and we both loved it. The illustrations are so satisfying—there is so much to look at! And there were many jokes that made my kid laugh out loud. Absolutely recommend this delightful book for the 4-8 range.

This is a cute book about a family of gnomes. It is very colorful and fun , and is told in a very quirky informative way by the main character Kick. My only caveat about this book is the occasional unnecessarily, slightly crude, pages, in particular the page in which the dog is lifting it's leg and peeing on the gnome's face and we get nearly a full page of just dog butt hole and other parts. As a children's librarian I can foresee some parent's in our community that might not be comfortable with this page, unfortunately. Otherwise I think this book is great.

This book is the cutest! I love the illustrations and all of the tiny details. I think kids would really enjoy learning about a gnome's life (I know I did). I loved all of the arrows with extra information and the labels. I also enjoyed how bits of humor were sprinkled in. I will be purchasing this book for my classroom! I would recommend it for you too!

Thank you Loes Riphagen and Pushkin Children's Books for allowing me to review this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Oh I adored this. This would most definitely have been my favorite book as a child. The details, the artwork, the characters. I just LOVED this!!! I loved all of the various things to look at and see. Almost like an iSpy book. This is so fun and such a great way for kids to explore their imagination

Published previously in Dutch and now English (as of March 2025), The Gnome Book is a quirky but adorable look into the lives of gnomes for children. The illustrations are beautiful and my 6 year old son appreciated the many “find it” games throughout (searching for bugs, the paper clip and other items). Probably best suited for a younger audience (4-7).

Thank you to NetGalley, Loes Riphagen and Pushkin Publishing for the eARC.

This was a cute little story, and the parts where Kick encouraged the reader to be on the lookout for gnomes (pieces of leaves missing, cracks as openings to their homes, etc) were adorably sweet! There was some minor potty humor but I don't think it was taken too far.