Mrs. Noodlekugel and Four Blind Mice

Starred review from July 22, 2013
If Pinkwater’s first Mrs. Noodlekugel book didn’t persuade readers, the second one will: it’s Mrs. Noodlekugel’s matter-of-factly loopy world—we just live in it. Even her babysitting charges, Nick and Maxine, now show little surprise at how life unfolds under Mrs. Noodlekugel’s watch. When she announces that her four pet mice are “very farsighted” (just look at the mess they’ve made of teatime) and need to visit an oculist, the kids’ only question is, “You want us to come with you on the bus?” Three pairs of tiny eyeglasses, four pieces of Dirty Sally’s famous cheesecake (served by a monkey), and one mice escape later, Mrs. Noodlekugel’s cantankerous talking cat hears the words he’s been longing to hear ever since he was a kitten: “Fuzzface, I yam yer fadder.” Stower’s sly, sweet illustrations provide piquant punctuation for Pinkwater’s special brand of nonsense, and certainly clear up any questions about how a mouse eye exam works. And is the model for that policeman who helps Mrs. Noodlekugel in her hour of need none other than Pinkwater himself? Ages 5–9. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Arena Illustration.

November 1, 2013

K-Gr 3-Mrs. Noodlekugel is back with more of her signature unapologetic quirkiness. The four mice who live with her need eyeglasses, so she loads them, along with her cat, Mr. Fuzzface, and the neighbor kids, Nick and Maxine, onto the bus. Once downtown, the group visits the oculist's shop, where the mice have eye exams and are fitted for glasses. The next stop is Dirty Sally's Lunchroom for a cheesecake treat served by a monkey. While the mice are lovable and cute-especially during their eye exams, as they mime whether they see a piece of cheese, a cat, or a mouse wearing a cowboy hat on the eye chart-Mr. Fuzzface really steals the show. His contributions to the dialogue reflect a cat who takes himself seriously; when Mrs. Noodlekugel reminds him that he'll need to ride in a cat carrier on the bus, he informs her that he resents being treated like an animal. In a serendipitous turn of events, he is reunited with his long-lost father, the seafaring Oldface, toward whom Fuzzface has long harbored resentment. When the cat hears his father's story and Oldface announces, "Fuzzface, I yam yer fadder," all is forgiven, and Oldface finds a new home under Mrs. Noodlekugel's roof. Readers will appreciate the characters' distinct personalities and the book's wacky humor. Plenty of black-and-white illustrations bring every step of the group's journey to life. Mrs. Noodlekugel's fan base will undoubtedly continue to grow with this addition; her books will surely join the canon of must-read beginning chapter-book series.-Amanda Struckmeyer, Middleton Public Library, Madison, WI

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2013
The archetypal babysitter introduced in Mrs. Noodlekugel (2012) takes a quartet of farsighted mice to the oculist for an exam in this equally offbeat second chapter. As Pinkwater fans know to expect, the plot zigzags from one wild twist to the next. On the bus, Mrs. Noodlekugel and her loquacious cat, Mr. Fuzzface, regale enthralled young human charges Nick and Maxine with exploits from her previous career as a railroad engineer. Rising to the challenge of testing four mice who can't read, the doctor cheerfully whips out a unique eye chart. Then, new eyeglasses merit a celebratory stop at Dirty Sally's Lunchroom, where the waiter is a monkey and the sugar rush caused by the cheesecake touches off a chase that culminates in an astonishing family reunion. Printed in short, well-spaced lines of easily visible type with much room for spot art (finished illustrations not seen), the outing offers plenty of action, easy yuks and characters--from the visually challenged mice to Mrs. Noodlekugel herself, who plainly carries literary DNA from Mary Poppins, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle and perhaps Pippi Longstocking too--who will seem familiar to young audiences. A savory episode for noodle--er, newly independent or struggling readers. (Fantasy. 8-10)

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