Mrs. Noodlekugel and Drooly the Bear

Daniel Pinkwater delivers another delightfully absurd chapter book in the Mrs. Noodlekugel series. Nick and Maxine are staying with their eccentric babysitter, Mrs. Noodlekugel, whose home is already filled with talking cats and scholarly mice. The arrival of Captain Noodlekugel, fresh from the sea with a new career training circus animals, and his star pupil, Drooly the bear, adds to the delightful chaos. When the sleepy, tulip-loving bear goes missing, the siblings must use their wits to find him. This book is perfect for children aged 4-11, offering gentle humor, imaginative characters, and a light mystery that encourages curiosity and problem-solving. It's an excellent choice for a read-aloud or for early independent readers.

When their father decides to compete to be speed-knitting champion of the world, 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. But whenever he tries to teach Drooly to dance, the bear wobbles and falls asleep on the tulips. When Drooly goes missing, the siblings must try to figure out where a big clumsy bear might go!