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Summary
Summary
Four farsighted mice get glasses -- and a talking cat solves a family mystery -- as the charmingly eccentric Mrs. Noodlekugel returns.
When Mrs. Noodlekugel's four mice make a terrible mess with cookie crumbs at tea, she decides to take them on the bus to visit the eye doctor -- and invites Nick and Maxine to come along! The mice ride on Mrs. Noodlekugel's hat, while Mr. Fuzzface, her talking cat, has the indignity of riding in a carrier. Afterward, the hungry crew head to Dirty Sally's Lunchroom, but the mice overdo their cheesecake and run out the door. Luckily a policeman is at the ready to help with the search -- as is a rough-edged, yarn-spinning alley cat with a surprising connection to Mr. Fuzzface! It's all a day in the life of Daniel Pinkwater's whimsical characters, in a chapter-book series whose comical tone and cozy illustrations are sure to keep young readers coming back for more.
Author Notes
Author, illustrator, and radio commentator Daniel M. Pinkwater was born in Memphis Tennessee on November 15, 1941. He is trained as an artist and attended Bard College. In 1969, he wrote and illustrated his first book, The Terrible Roar. Since then he has written over 50 books for children, young adults, and adults. He is also a commentator on National Public Radio's All Things Considered and regularly reviews children's books on Weekend Edition Saturday. While he has illustrated many of his works, his most recent ones have been illustrated by his wife Jill Pinkwater.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
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 (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
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. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
In this second endearingly silly adventure about Mrs. Noodlekugel, she; her charges, Nick and Maxine; cat Mr. Fuzzleface; and four near-blind, messy mice take the bus to the oculist to get the rodents eyeglasses. That this is patently ridiculous merely adds to the fun. Large type, ample leading, and frequent illustrations make this a good choice for new readers ready for chapter books. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
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)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Four farsighted mice take center stage in the second installment of the Mrs. Noodlekugel series. Along with the mice, Mrs. Noodlekugel, Mr. Fuzzface (the talking cat), and children Maxine and Nick are having tea one afternoon. When the mice make a terrible mess of their tea table, Mrs. Noodlekugel declares it's their bad eyesight. So off they go to the oculist for a fitting of mice-sized glasses. It's rare to find a subplot with any real substance in a short novel for younger readers. However, Pinkwater has provided one that involves the search for Mr. Fuzzface's missing father. Clever, as always, Pinkwater's quirky story with a touch of whimsy will amuse many readers.--Edmundson, Martha Copyright 2010 Booklist
