Spirin's ( Snow White and Rose Red ; Boots and the Glass Mountain ) painstakingly detailed, gilt-flecked artwork has earned him a reputation for elegance, a quality that permeates his sumptuous rendering of the absurdist classic by his compatriot Gogol. This time, however, Spirin's offering seems best suited to adults who can appreciate the rich and subtle irony of the story; even in this adapted form, Gogol's deadpan tone and devilishly deliberate pacing may not be to children's tastes. The nuances of the text are enhanced by a lavish visual presentation: the eponymous proboscis cuts a debonair figure, bedecked in a stylish cutaway jacket, hip boots, powdered wig and tricornered hat, and it exudes a haughtiness to match. In contrast, the ``very punctilious and slightly pompous'' civil servant who has been robbed of his snout appears crude, almost pig-like, his ungainly figure looming awkwardly on the page. Intricate borders featuring the stately classical architecture of 19th-century St. Petersburg wrap around the boxed text, so that buildings crawl up one side of the page and down the other, overlapping at the corners. In several, the massive nose can be seen squired about town in a tiny, ornate carriage. Collectors may bury their own noses in this one. All ages. (May)

Gr 1-4-A barber breaks open a loaf of bread and finds a nose baked into it. It's not just any nose, either. It belongs to the Deputy Inspector of Reindeer. When the Deputy Inspector awakens to find his nose missing, he searches everywhere until he finds it masquerading as a General and Glorious Governor of Games. When he requests that it resume its proper place, it refuses and hurries away. The man is in despair until a policeman returns the nose. It will not stick to his face at first, but after a few days it is properly restored. Cowan has made a brave attempt at paring Gogol's short story into a form accessible to children, but she is not entirely successful. While her writing captures the cadence of Russian literature, the transitions are abrupt and often confusing. There is a sense of something missing. Furthermore, Gogol's story is satire, which may be entirely lost on the young children. Hawkes's acrylic paintings are slightly skewed in perspective, as if seen through a glass, and reflect an off-beat humor. The artist has a good eye for detail: the Deputy Inspector's wallpaper is patterned with reindeer and most of the pages containing text are bordered with a frame decorated with appropriate motifs. The vivid illustrations carry the story where the text falters. A well-intentioned attempt that falls a little short of its goal.-Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA