Mrs. Noodlekugel

Starred review from February 13, 2012
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.

March 1, 2012

K-Gr 3-From the inimitable Pinkwater comes this weird and wonderful tale of Maxine, Nick, and Mrs. Noodlekugel. Living in a high-rise, the children discover a mysterious cottage behind their building. Curious, they find out from the janitor that a "nice old lady" lives there. And although their parents caution otherwise, the youngsters decide to visit her, thinking that she might be lonely. They are greeted by Mr. Fuzzface, a "very capable cat" that can talk, dance, and play the piano. Mrs. Noodlekugel welcomes Maxine and Nick into her home and tea is served-by Mr. Fuzzface, of course. They are also introduced to a group of "prize-winning mice" who are "farsighted" but love tea parties. When the children return home, they proudly inform their parents that the elderly woman is neither a witch nor a child-hater, and their parents reveal that Mrs. Noodlekugel is, in fact, their new babysitter. 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.-Alison Donnelly, Collinsville Memorial Public Library, IL

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2012
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)

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April 1, 2012
Grades 1-3 Pinkwater takes his fey brand of humor into early chapter books with this story about a jolly little lady who lives in house within a circle of high-rises. Siblings Maxine and Nick discover the house and are determined to find out who lives there. Mike the janitor tells them that buildings grew up around the housewhich is owned by nice, old Mrs. Noodlekugeland that you can get there through the boiler room. Their father orders them not to go near the house. But of course they do, and soon the kids are having gingerbread cookies and tea with Mrs. Noodlekugeland her cat, the piano-playing Mr. Fuzzface; and the mice, who serve as cookie cutters; and the gingerbread mice who seem to have a life of their own. The book is quite short, even for the genre, but it's 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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

March 1, 2012
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. Nick and Martine discover a little cottage, hemmed in by their own tall apartment block and others and accessible only through the basement boiler room. It is the home of Mrs. Noodlekugel, "a little old lady with bright, dark eyes, a pointy little nose, and rosy cheeks"; a capable talking cat named Mr. Fuzzface; and four extremely farsighted mice. Together the children and their newfound friends make gingerbread. The recipe is traditional, but the method is innovative: the mice lie on the dough and the others trace around them with toothpicks. While the cookies are baking, Mr. Fuzzface entertains the guests with a piano recital. Will it all end with the classic cozy ending of a tea party? Almost. There is one more nursery rhymish surprise in store as the baked gingermice jump off the pans and scuttle out into the garden. Stower's pencil drawings perfectly echo the joyous insouciance of this benign -- if surreal -- backyard world. sarah ellis

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2012
Young Nick and Martine discover a little cottage, the home of little old lady Mrs. Noodlekugel; a talking cat named Mr. Fuzzface; and four extremely farsighted mice. Together the children and their newfound friends make gingerbread. While the cookies bake, Mr. Fuzzface entertains the guests with a piano recital. Stower's pencil drawings perfectly echo the joyous insouciance of this benign--if surreal--backyard world.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)