Mrs. Noodlekugel and Four Blind Mice

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.)