Mrs. Noodlekugel and Drooly the Bear

April 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-Fans of Mrs. Noodlekugel's delightfully wacky and whimsical world will rejoice in Pinkwater's newest offering. The latest installment welcomes new characters Drooly Bear along with Captain Noodlekugel, Mrs. Noodlekugel's "mister" who is usually "lost at sea." During a rare stint on land, the captain treks home and declares that he has given up a life on the water in the hopes of becoming an animal trainer. Young neighbors Nick and Maxine spend a whole four days in Mrs. Noodlekugel's care-their father is competing in the speed-knitting world championship and their mother is going along-and they tag along with the captain as he attempts to train Drooly. Antics and hilarity ensue as readers follow Nick, Maxine, and the captain on their journey to train the bear, all the while grappling with Drooly nodding off and wandering away during training. Readers should know that the captain acquired Drooly (along with a canoe) from an "Inuit fellow" while shipwrecked on a piece of flotsam. The Inuit man takes a great liking to the captain and explains that he is poor and has difficulty feeding the bear, who also fights with his husky dogs. The inclusion of this unfortunately stereotyped character is both odd and unnecessary. Readers encounter the Inuit man only in this brief scene. After trading the bear to the captain for a "Mexican dollar," a gold watch, and a fish, the Inuit man paddles away on a piece of driftwood. VERDICT Pinkwater presents another silly glimpse into the world of Mrs. Noodlekugel and her talking cats and mice, but here's hoping the archaic stereotypes get lost at sea in the next installment.-Amy M. Laughlin, Darien Library, CT

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2015
Is there a Mr. Noodlekugel? Apparently the answer is yes. Capt. Noodlekugel is described as "a little man with wonderful whiskers." He's just come back from the sea to visit his wife, and his whiskers are pretty spectacular. They're an endless series of white waves, and they stretch several inches past the end of his face in the illustrations, as though Stower couldn't stop drawing. They look as if they might float off into the sky, like an altostratus cloud. Along with the whiskers, Pinkwater has given the artist all sorts of wonderful things to draw: cake with delicious mushrooms on top and the titular Drooly, a long-snouted bear that the captain is teaching to dance. There's not much plot: the bear is lost and found again. Though nothing really happens in the book, it is hilarious. Even when the characters are just eating dinner, they eat it backward, starting with vegetable cake for dessert and ending with chocolate soup. In its relative eventlessness, the book is a lot like life, but with more bears, as well as mice in nightshirts. The appeal is the loopy conversations about sardines-and the pictures. The artist has surpassed his work in the earlier books, with tightly detailed drawings of things that could never exist and glorious, textured gray ink washes everywhere. Also, the mice wear tiny glasses. Utterly, endearingly ridiculous. (Fiction. 5-9)

May 1, 2015
Grades K-2 Nick and Maxine return with Mrs. Noodlekugel and her talking animals in another zany episode. The children's father is competing in a speed-knitting contest, and therefore, they must stay overnight with Mrs. Noodlekugel. All is well until directionally challenged Captain Noodlekugel returns from being lost at sea. Drooly the Bear is along for the ride, causing mayhem in the garden and drooling too much. Abundant descriptions and eccentric humor showcase Pinkwater's considerable ability to entertain. The amusing line drawings support the story. Fans will be lining up for this one.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)