author/illustrator: Mariana Ruiz Johnson
ages: 4+
40 pages
19 x 27 cm
Hardback
Spanish
Lecturita
Rights sold: Greek, French (world), Turkish, Slovenian
Nomo
We don’t always notice them, but they are always there. They are as small as an apple, with long beards, pointy ears, bald heads, and - beware - they can have a furious gaze. But don’t be afraid. They just need a little of our help to accomplish a wonderful mission.
A boy notices a missing sock and finds a small red cone in his room... Who could that be? He discovers a tiny gnome named Nomo. After helping him with a small injury, the boy learns that Nomo is on a super special mission: he has to find something extraordinary in the human world and bring it back to the forest.
The boy takes this mission very seriously and shows him his most incredible belongings: video games, super hero suits... But it turns out that what Nomo finds most wonderful is... spicy sauce!
Do you think the boy made up Nomo in his imagination? Check the final spread to find out!
- 2026 BOLOGNA RAGAZZI AWARDS AMAZING BOOKSHELF
THE AUTHOR
Mariana Ruiz Johnson who lives in Argentina, has been widely published around the world. She has won two international prizes: the Compostela Prize for the Illustrated Album for her book Mamá that was published in ten languages, and the Silent Book Contest for While You Were Sleeping.
She is also one of the winning illustrators of the 2024 and 2025 Bologna Book Fair Illustrators' Exhibitions.