Mrs. Noodlekugel Series

“Hilarious. . . . The book is a lot like life, but with more bears, as well as mice in nightshirts. . . . Utterly, endearingly ridiculous.” — Kirkus Reviews

When their father decides to compete in the speed-knitting world championship, Nick and Maxine are happy to stay with their babysitter, Mrs. Noodlekugel, along with her talking cats and four mice who wear glasses. What they don’t expect is a dripping-wet, whiskered man in the kitchen the next morning! Captain Noodlekugel has left his seafaring life to train animals for the circus, and he’s even brought with him a hefty bear named Drooly for practice. When Drooly goes missing, the siblings must try to figure out where a big clumsy bear might go!

“Sly, sweet illustrations provide piquant punctuation for Pinkwater’s special brand of nonsense.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

When Mrs. Noodlekugel’s four mice make a terrible mess at tea, she decides to take the mice to visit the eye doctor — and invites Nick and Maxine to come along. Who could predict they’d meet a rough-edged alley cat with a surprising connection to Mr. Fuzzface, Mrs. Noodlekugel’s talking cat? It’s all a day in the life of Daniel Pinkwater’s whimsical characters. A comical tone and cozy black-and-white illustrations are sure to keep young chapter-book readers coming back for more.

“Pinkwater works narrative magic within the grammatical confines of the early reader format.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

With signature wit and whimsy, the inimitable Daniel Pinkwater introduces an eccentric, endearing babysitter every child will wish they could have. Welcome to the world of Mrs. Noodlekugel, where felines converse and serve cookies and tea, vision-impaired mice join the party (but may put crumbs up their noses), and children in search of funny adventures are drawn by the warm smell of gingerbread and the promise of magical surprises.