The inspiration for this story came when I was picking up my twin boys from nursery school one afternoon. In the entrance area was a shabby old cardboard box, like a large moving box, that had once upon a time been made into an arts and crafts penguin. Unfortunately there was a bare flap where the beak had been. As the three of us walked past, the boys chatted about the penguin which had lost its nose. We had a whole conversation about his nose and wondering how he would be able to smell anything. So I decided to write a book all about his adventures trying to find his nose.