The Nook Simple Touch does have those buttons.
If you ask me (which I guess the OP did), the Nook Simple Touch is a great little device, but the Nook Tablets are worthless. Since you can get the Nook App on just about any tablet (including Windows 8 tablets) you might as well get a tablet you actually want and then just install that, if you really want to use Nook ebooks on a tablet. There's no compelling reason to get a Nook Tablet.
Another thing is that the Nook Simple Touch is very easily rooted. After rooting I've got a backlit $120 e-ink tablet running full Android.
I mostly use it to review Anki, but it is adequate for browsing in Opera, reading books, or most anything else that a tablet does. Without the backlight but with wifi the battery lasts at least 10-12 hours of use, and the screen is absolutely the best screen I've ever use, on any mobile or stationary device.