Mrs. Noodlekugel (Mrs. Noodlekugel Series #1)

by Daniel Pinkwater, Adam Stower (Illustrator)

Overview

With signature wit and whimsy, the inimitable Daniel Pinkwater introduces an eccentric, endearing babysitter every child will wish they could have.

Nick and Maxine live in a tall building with one apartment on top of another. So when they look out their window and see a little house they never knew was there, of course they must visit (especially when their parents tell them not to!). Going through the boiler room, they’re amazed to find to a secret backyard with a garden, a porch, and a statue of a cat. And they’re even more amazed when that cat starts to talk. . . . Welcome to the world of Mrs. Noodlekugel, where felines converse and serve cookies and tea, vision-impaired mice join the party (but may put crumbs up their noses), and children in search of funny adventures are drawn by the warm smell of gingerbread and the promise of magical surprises.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763650537
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	04/24/2012
Series:	Mrs. Noodlekugel Series , #1
Pages:	80
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	AD580L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Daniel Pinkwater is the wildly popular author of many books for children, including The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, The Big Orange Splot, and the Larry series of books, illustrated by his wife, Jill Pinkwater. He is well known as the co-host with anchor Scott Simon of a segment on NPR’s Weekend Edition that focuses on children’s books. Daniel Pinkwater lives in Hyde Park, New York.

Adam Stower is the illustrator of a number of books for children including Bottoms Up and Sing a Song of Bottoms, both by Jeanne Willis. He lives in Brighton, England.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Stower’s illustrations have an old-fashioned sweetness, while Pinkwater, ever the effortless storyteller, adds just enough bite with his signature deadpan, loopy humor... Pinkwater works narrative magic within the grammatical confines of the early reader format—readers should find Mrs. Noodlekugel’s world delightful and instantly familiar, and look forward to future installments.
—Publishers Weekly

Daniel Pinkwater does not deal in pathos but in nutty good humor, and he has pitched the gently zany tale of MRS. NOODLEKUGEL at 5- to-7-year-olds who are just getting confident with chapter books... With occasionally tricky vocabulary, such as "ventriloquist" and "sanitary," this is just the sort of book to make a young reader feel adept.
—The Wall Street Journal

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle meets Mary Poppins.
—Kirkus Reviews

In novels and picture books we’ve seen Pinkwater in a variety of modes—absurd, satirical, anarchic, deadpan, funny-melancholy. In this offering, an early chapter book, we see yet another color in his palette: cozy... Stower’s pencil drawings perfectly echo the joyous insouciance of this benign—if surreal—backyard world.
—The Horn Book

Editorial Reviews

Not long after siblings Nick and Maxine move into a new high-rise home, they discover that right behind their building, surrounded by skyscrapers, is a tiny, incongruously idyllic cottage. With help from Mike the janitor (who “sat in a little room in the basement, eating stewed tomatoes out of a can, talking to himself, and listening to the radio”), they make their way to the cottage. Mrs. Noodlekugel is grandmotherliness personified, with white hair, a dotted apron, a Mrs. Claus face, and a penchant for baking gingerbread. What’s more, she’s at least a little magical, having trained her cat, Mr. Fuzzface, to talk and some farsighted mice to help out in the kitchen. Stower’s (Snowball Fight!) illustrations have an old-fashioned sweetness, while Pinkwater, ever the effortless storyteller, adds just enough bite with his signature deadpan, loopy humor. Much like Grace Lin in Ling & Ting, Pinkwater works narrative magic within the grammatical confines of the early reader format—readers should find Mrs. Noodlekugel’s world delightful and instantly familiar, and look forward to future installments. Ages 5–10. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Arena Illustration. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Stower’s illustrations have an old-fashioned sweetness, while Pinkwater, ever the effortless storyteller, adds just enough bite with his signature deadpan, loopy humor... Pinkwater works narrative magic within the grammatical confines of the early reader format—readers should find Mrs. Noodlekugel’s world delightful and instantly familiar, and look forward to future installments.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle meets Mary Poppins.
—Kirkus Reviews

In novels and picture books we’ve seen Pinkwater in a variety of modes—absurd, satirical, anarchic, deadpan, funny-melancholy. In this offering, an early chapter book, we see yet another color in his palette: cozy... Stower’s pencil drawings perfectly echo the joyous insouciance of this benign—if surreal—backyard world.
—The Horn Book

Full of odd twists and amusing turns that will get new readers giggling. The cover art is so delicious readers will immediately pick this up and, when done, happily await the next Mrs. Noodlekugel adventure.
—Booklist

Told in 10 short chapters, this funny book has a good-size font and plenty of whimsical illustrations. It would be a good choice for children who have enjoyed Pinkwater’s previous works, and the likes of Roald Dahl.
—School Library Journal

This is a quick read that will bring smiles while bringing memories of Hansel and Gretel and The Gingerbread Boy; light-hearted to keep those younger readers turning the pages.
—Library Media Connection

Daniel Pinkwater does not deal in pathos but in nutty good humor, and he has pitched the gently zany tale of MRS. NOODLEKUGEL at 5- to-7-year-olds who are just getting confident with chapter books... With occasionally tricky vocabulary, such as "ventriloquist" and "sanitary," this is just the sort of book to make a young reader feel adept.
—The Wall Street Journal

Fans of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle will adore Mrs. Noodlekugel, the latest invention from the curious mind of Daniel Pinkwater... Short chapters, abundant illustrations, and pointed repetition make this an ideal first chapter book. This funny, charming tale proves one needs look no further than his own backyard for adventure.
—Shelf Awareness

From the Publisher

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle meets Mary Poppins. Pinkwater is renowned for peculiar premises, and here he delivers again. Peering through a window and spotting a small house far below their new apartment, curious Nick and Maxine make their way down to the boiler room and out the rear exit. Waiting to welcome them at the end of a tidy garden is Mrs. Noodlekugel--a matronly sort with a distinctly Piggle-Wiggle–ish look in Stower's loosely drawn illustration--who invites them in for apple cookies and tea. Joined by a multitalented talking cat named Mr. Fuzzface (who later takes a brief turn at the piano) and four not exactly blind but very farsighted mice, the children have a splendid time. After learning from their parents that Mrs. Noodlekugel will be their new babysitter, Nick and Maxine return the next day to make "gingermice" cookies that get up and dance before running outside to, their chaperone casually suggests, probably be eaten by crows. Written in mannered prose (free of contractions, except for the children's dialogue), printed in generously sized type and liberally strewn with vignettes and larger illustrations, this ends abruptly and reads overall like the opening chapter of an episodic tale for newly fledged readers. Good news, if so. It is, to quote the children's reaction to the gingermice, "extremely entertaining--and weird." (Fantasy. 8-10)

Kirkus Reviews