I’m very torn on my opinion regarding Genius Noses: A Curious Animal Compendium written by Lena Anlauf and illustrated by Vitali Konstantinov. The illustrations are done in a beautiful color scheme and overall style. There are many animals covered and the factual information is thorough. My concerns have to do with the actual readability of the text and lack of headings or apparent organization in how the text is laid out. I read the book electronically and even with zooming in, I had difficulty reading the text mainly because of the font choices. I’m worried that a physical copy will be difficult to read as well. I also wish that the information about each animal was organized with headings or something because I wasn’t sure what to read first. Even if the order of the paragraphs doesn’t matter, having headings is also helpful for finding the information you’re looking for on the page. All in all, I would give this 2.5 stars but am going to round down to 2 for accessibility concerns.

Genius Noses


I examined an edition of this book that did not migrate well to my Chromebook Kindle app, so I am not sure about the artistic quality of the layout of this book. It was jumbled in peculiar ways on a number of pages. I would only get this in paper copy.

This being said, the contents, particularly the drawings and illustrations, were marvelous.
Yes, it was plainly meant for children. but the drawing and text were detailed and expressed in such an interesting way that I think most people would enjoy looking at it.

As a librarian, I was gratified by the careful research and documentation that went into this.
I particularly liked the index. Most indexes for children's books are not nearly so detailed.

I am very impressed by this book. This author knows (no pun intended) a great deal about animals and I am glad that it was all shared with the rest of us

This is a really well written book for children for science. I think it would be great to introduce it to schools. For science for the younger G r a d e. I like how she categorizes these different animals and with the different names in different languages. The drawings are really helpful too how she explained these animals noses. I think it was a fun book to read and I had a great joy. Learning about different animals, noses.. I think it was really good too because the language was interesting too. Especially like the Otters. At the end of the book, she also did a dictionary of those words as well. I thought that was pretty impressive.. Show children you can have fun with science.

Cute book, my 4 year old enjoyed hearing me read it, we’ll definitely check it out when it’s released so we can enjoy it even more!

Who'd have expected a book about, well, noses to be both informative and downright entertaining? Not me, to be honest. It was the animal angle that drew me to this one, genius noses or not, and I'm glad it did. I met some animals that, quite frankly, I'd never heard of, and more about how not just their noses work but how different species contribute to the well-being of others as well as the environment. All illustrated with whimsical yet realistic illustrations that often made me grin. In other words, I had fun reading it and learned new things, a win-win for me.

This should definitely be on the book shelves of science teachers and those who have inquisitive children who love science and animals. You'll even be able to impress them by knowing that elephants have over 40,000 muscles in their trunks and can pick up some 660 pounds of weight with them almost as easily as they can a peanut. Bet they'll be as amused by the name Pinocchio Lizard and Stink Badger as I was, not to mention be amazed where those frequently tongue twister scientific names are derived from. And, that's only the very tip of all the fun, intriguing info within. Toss in a glossary, index, and notes on sources, not to mention a fun world map showing the primary location of the animals discussed and you've got a winner.

Thanks #NetGalley and #NorthSouthBooks for giving me a sneak peek at these "Genius Noses" critters. I honestly changed my mind a dozen times on which one was most fascinating, a good sign that they all had something of worth to offer.

Do you have a genius nose? I don’t. I was wondering what a genius nose is. I never realized how many animals have genius noses. Did you know that there is a Pinocchio Lizard? I didn’t.. It’s fascinating to learn how these noses are used. Their noses do more than smell. By studying their noses, one can learn their habits and more. The author also highlights each animal’s distinctive feature or structure, such as the unusual way the star-nosed mole detects underwater odors. There is a glossary, notes, a world map and index. There are illustrations included by the illustrator. The book fascinated me as I read it. I was truly astounded to learn what the animal noses can do. I agree they are genius noses. Though this book is written for children, I think adults would enjoy it too.

Adorable! 🐨 This book is filled with some really unusual animals, and their schnozzles, a lot of which you probably haven't heard of before. Golly, who knew there are so many different bats! 🦇 And pigs! 🐷 Cute and very informative. The illustrations are fantastic and the way everything is laid out makes it very engaging and enjoyable to read. Just a fun way to learn about animals 🐘🦌

Full of great info on some common animals and some very not common ones. Really fascinating and kids are sure to enjoy it, but don’t tell them it’s educational LOL.

I swear, it’s really easy to give @northsouthbooks a 5/5. Their books are so interesting! ♥️

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: Noses and Noses
𝗙𝗮𝘃 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿: Desman (adorbs)
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Easy
𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲: Book
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Discovery 🤣
5/𝟱

🌱THE EXCELLENT
~ Beautiful illustrations
~ Excellent use of space & art to give more info
~ Highly informative & well explained
~ Suitable for all ages

Let me explain how this book came to be: Someone who is obsessed with the random noses of animals, decided they would make a WHOLE book about which animals have the most awesome noses, how they are shaped, how they move, what colours they have and if they have super powers 🤣. After gathering said info, the author decided to sit with an impeccable illustrator to create this book and VOILA!!!! here we are!

A book suitable for all - from the very young (where people can read to them and show them the illustrations) to the very old - who want a beautifully illustrated book in their home with information that will make them go 😲😲 “really?! that’s so cool”!!!

✨𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱.

🌱THE MEH
~ nothing

♡🌱 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗲 ;)

Boy! I learned a lot about animal's noses from this book. I think that kids will love this book. I like how the information was presented. I also loved the illustrations too! I liked the non-fiction features-glossary, index. This would be a great nonfiction book to read aloud to my first graders!

You learn the what and where of noses of the animal kingdom. Very interesting facts about how noses work in the animal kingdom. How they keep animals safe, finding a mate, eating, and just pretty unique in looks. All sizes and shapes. For the child that enjoys learning, this will keep them engaged.

A special thank you to NorthSouth Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

Genius Noses was a cute children's book about animals, in particular, their noses. My 5 year old son loved the imagery, but was lost on most of the words. Some of the descriptions were lengthy, more suited for someone a little more advanced. Overall, it was a very cute book.

Thank you for allowing me a free, advanced copy in exchange for this review.

What qualifies a nose for genius status? Enterprising kids may just want to find out.

In these pages, readers will discover loads about animals and noses from all over the world and from different environments. There are sections of Flying Creatures, Ground Dwellers, those who spend time in trees and Water Creatures. There many facts on each spread. In addition, this books is engagingly illustrated throughout.

Kirkus has given this title a well-deserved starred review. Get it for a curious child whom you know. It is just chockablock with information and can be read in any order.

Many thanks to NetGalley and NorthSouth Books Inc. for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 19 September 2023

This is a super cute compendium of animals with prominent noses, from the familiar to the unusual. Kiddo (9) is a big fan of animals and biology and greatly enjoyed reading about each of them. There are lots of fascinating facts about each animal, and the illustrations are absolutely adorable in a quirky, weird sort of way.

My only criticism is that the font chosen is hard to read, which is compounded by the odd choice of green text on tan background. I had to zoom in a lot while reading.

*Thanks to NetGalley and NorthSouth Books for providing an early copy for review.

A fun and very interesting collection of animals that use their noses for survival or in their daily lives. I found the book to be extremely well done. I learned something new on the second page. The muted colors provide cute drawings while still keeping the focus on the information. This is a great research book for children. It is a bit too wordy for just reading unless it is broken up in smaller portions. I would have liked to see larger printing.


I received an ARC from North/South Books, Inc. through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

Thank you Netgalley for offering me an advanced ebook copy of the book "Genius Noses" by Lena Anlauf in exchange for an honest review.
Ever wondered why some animals have very prominent noses and what their functions are outside of the sense of smell? This book is filled with fun animal nose facts. from an Aardvark to an Echina, a Tapir to an Anteater. All of their noses are all so different, so distinct, and they all have a great use!
The book is beautifully illustrated and offers quick and easy blurbs of informartion for both children and adults to learn from. I love coming across a book like this one, one that you know the kids will be excited to read and learn about. I learnt so much about animal noses from my read through of this book and I felt great joy while engaging with it. Definitely a book to purchase for your school and public library systems.

This was a fun children's book to explore animal's noses! I thought the beginning was a great introduction by showing where these animals live with the map and the 'what and where' categories. The pictures and facts were interesting and engaging. I also liked that, at least for my kids and I, it felt like lesser known animals, or animals you don't often see in books like this in Canada.
Thank you NorthSouth Books Inc for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Read this book to my prek class (4 and 5 year olds). Kids loved the pictures and guessing the animals. Then we would read about the animals. Book gave fun facts about the animals. Many of the animals were ones my kids had never heard of so it made it exciting to learn about new animals. Great book to use for STEM.

This nonfiction work is about animals with special noses, and how those noses can inform us about the habitats and habits of the animals. It looks at animals from around the world with the goal of celebrating animal diversity and providing information about animals that may be lesser known if they’re not from your home continent.

The work begins with a cute drawn map of the world with the animals placed on their proper continent. The front of the book sorts the creatures by their habitats, titled “What and Where”, which I quite liked. There are some animals that I was familiar with like koalas and elephants, and others that I’d never heard of like the desman. There is also a glossary in the back that includes the more advanced terms used, the sources used, and an index. I quite enjoyed how well somewhat advanced terms were used throughout the text but adequately explained, which made for a smooth and informative read.

The pages were set up in a way that was visually pleasing. The lefthand page was usually a large drawing of the animal with its common and scientific names included. The righthand page usually included a couple small drawings of the animal with several different textboxes that were separated by the pictures or different background colors. This made the information approachable and digestible, even when there was quite a bit of text on the page. There are a few errors in the work that will hopefully be changed by the published version. This work was originally in German, and the errors seemed to be simple translation errors. While I did love the illustrations and their style, I think this book would have benefitted from also using actual photographs of the animals to be more educational.

This would be a wonderful gift for slightly older kids (6-12 is the Amazon age recommendation) who love and are interested in animals. My thanks to NetGalley and NorthSouth Books for allowing me to read this book, which will be published September 19, 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Genius Noses by Lena Anlauf - 5/5

Genius Noses is an adorable children's book that shares a collection of animal noses and all the functions they have. This was such an adorable story, loved by me and children. The illustrations are fun and a great way to show children different types of noses.

Children's Nonfiction - Science
Available for purchase July 2023
Thank you NetGalley and NorthSouth Books Inc. for the eARC.