By Daniel Pinkwater, Adam Stower (illustrator)
Candlewick Press, $14.99, 72 pages
Mrs. Noodlekugel from Daniel Pinkwater is a delightful early-reader story. Nick and Maxine are from New York and live in an apartment building that looks out on a small house, with a leafy green yard, and a grandmotherly woman. The brother and sister proceed to the house, and meet Mrs. Noodlekugel and her talking cat. After a fun afternoon with the wacky granny, Nick and Maxine are overjoyed to learn Mrs. Noodlekugel is their new nanny. This fun note hints to the best part about Mrs. Noodlekugel–it is the first installment in a series with another book to be released in 2013.
Within the pages of this short chapter book, the children enjoy magical adventures as they mingle with nearsighted mice and bake ‘living’ gingerbread cookies.
Since the books are designed for early readers, they are broken into small chapters with a few illustrations in each. Young readers will be able to follow along with the beginner words, and large print in this 72 page novel. The book is a delight for children, with Mrs. Noodlekugel a combination of Cinderella’s godmother, Mary Poppins and Amelia Bedelia–all tied together with Adam Stower’s whimsical illustrations.
Reviwed by Sophie Sestero
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