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PICTURE BOOKS
Soloy, Lauren

The Newest Gnome

72 pp. | Tundra | October, 2025 | Trade ISBN 9781774887202 $19.99
(2) K-3 This follow-up to The Hidden World of Gnomes re-introduces the gnomes who call their forest home “The Pocket.” No white beards or red caps here: these hand-holding gnomes look a bit like children (with a range of skin tones) on a stage—their peanut-shaped outfits even resemble homemade costumes. Upping the kid-friendly factor are their names, which sound straight out of Beatrix Pot-ter. After the moonlit arrival of new gnome Grolly Maru (referred to as they/them), Burley Bell sings a lullaby and the group curls up on the ground, like it’s naptime at daycare. The next day, the gnomes show the fresh recruit around and explain their different jobs in the forest. At day’s end the newcomer expresses their gratitude, and the gnomes realize Grolly Maru’s skill is poetry. As at pre-school, there are lessons (blueberries are yum; rabbit poop is not yum), playtime (Squirrel Scramble and Follow-the-Leader, with ants), and a snack (baked apple with blackberries; recipe included). The warm, earth-toned illustrations are as cozy as the story and include interspersed spreads of paneled vignettes that mimic time-lapse photography (a dandelion opening; a strawberry ripening). Soloy’s (Tove and the Island with No Address, rev. 1/25) message that “each unique being is part of a greater whole” is naturally conveyed in this sweet but not sappy tale.
Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2025

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