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Noodleheads find something fishy
2018
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Brothers Mac and Mac are outwitted by Cousin Meatball, three fish, and even a fishing rod when they set out to learn something new. Includes author's note on tales of fools and the motifs found in this story. - (Baker & Taylor)

Mac and Mac believe that because fish live in schools they must be smart, and the fish prove the brothers right by getting Mac and Mac to feed them worms while avoiding their hooks. - (Baker & Taylor)

The hilarious Noodlehead Brothers Mac and Mac return in this easy-to-read graphic novel by best-selling author-illustrator Tedd Arnold and two award-winning storytellers.

Mac and Mac, as gullible as ever, decide that since fish live in schools, they must be smart. The fish in this funny story certainly are smart enough to outwit Mac and Mac--and so is their friend Meatball, who shows them how to get a bigger boat. But there's something fishy about his suggestion. . .

Illustrated by Tedd Arnold, whose Fly Guy series is a kid favorite, this graphic novel is perfect for comic fans and reluctant readers, with short, funny chapters following Mac and Mac through ridiculous adventures. Full of wordplay, jokes, and slapstick humor, the Noodlehead series is sure to delight.

Based on traditional world folktales and stories of fools, the Noodleheads also encourage critical thinking, inviting kids to use their noodles- spotting the holes in the brothers' grand plans, and anticipating how things will go awry.
Source notes from professional storytellers Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss provide more information about the traditional stories that inspired Mac and Mac's mishaps, showing how these comic motifs feature in folklore and legends all around the world and offering opportunities for further reading.

This easy-to-read series, including the Geisel Honor book Noodleheads See the Future, is an accessible introduction to stories of fools, and a great next read for fans of the Fly Guy books.

A Junior Library Guild selection! - (Random House, Inc.)

Author Biography

MARTHA HAMILTON and MITCH WEISS are the acclaimed storyteller team known as Beauty & the Beast Storytellers. They have won an Irma Simonton Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, two Storytelling World Awards, and an Anne Izard Storytellers' Choice Award.


With more than 20 million books in print, TEDD ARNOLD is the best-selling author-illustrator of No Jumping on the Bed, Parts,Rat Life, and the Fly Guy series, including two Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Honor books.. - (Random House, Inc.)

MARTHA HAMILTON and MITCH WEISS are the acclaimed storyteller team known as Beauty & the Beast Storytellers. They have won an Irma Simonton Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, two Storytelling World Awards, and an Anne Izard Storytellers' Choice Award.


With more than 20 million books in print, TEDD ARNOLD is the best-selling author-illustrator of No Jumping on the Bed, Parts,Rat Life, and the Fly Guy series, including two Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Honor books.. - (Random House, Inc.)

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Horn Book Guide Reviews

Noodlehead brothers Mac and Mac are forced by their mother to go outside and learn something. They try their hands at fishing when they discover a rod but are bamboozled repeatedly (including by themselves). Over three humorous, comics-style chapters, the goofy yet lovable Noodleheads' ideas are as surprising as they are misguided. Authors' notes link each exploit to an original story source. Copyright 2019 Horn Book Guide Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

The macaroni noodle duo returns for their third adventure—fishing! Upon finding a discarded "fish stick" (aka fishing pole), noodleheads Mac and Mac decide to bring it home. Unfortunately, the "stick" can't fit between two trees on either side of the path when carried horizontally, so one of the siblings breaks it in two. The pair's bright outlook leads them to think they can now catch twice as many fish, but, clearly, they have much to learn about fishing. So the next day, the pasta pals head to water to try out the sport. After the duplicitous Meatball tricks the two out of their lunches (and one of their coins), the noodleheads doze off, wake from their nap to find a boat, and board it. But the boat doesn't move very far because the anchor line is too short. And, alas, the "biggest fish ever, ever, ever" takes their bait and swims away. As with other titles in the series, the two don't quite achieve their goal, but they do come away with some valuable lessons. Reade rs will come away with plenty of laughs. The introduction and three short chapters are filled with brightly colored comics panels in Arnold's signature art style, inviting in newly emergent readers and fans of Fly Guy alike. As always, the authors' notes explain the origins behind each folktale-inspired scenario. Fans won't want to miss the boat on this one. (Graphic early reader. 5-9) Copyright Kirkus 2018 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Reviews

Gr 1–3—The Noodlehead brothers, Mac and Mac, are back in this irresistibly funny graphic novel about misunderstandings and mistakes. The empty-headed boys go fishing after their mother pushes them out of the house on a beautiful day. Wordplay abounds, such as when the boys both literally and figuratively miss the boat. Arnold's exaggerated artwork complements the hilarious text. Side characters serve either to trick Mac and Mac or attempt to help them figure out life. The series reads like an updated (and, well, smarter) version of Harry Allard's The Stupids. The authors' notes at the end provide historical context for the adventures. Arnold, Hamilton, and Weiss borrow from many international sources of classic fools' stories, and the citations are a nice touch. Kids will feel like they have the upper hand while also reveling in Mac and Mac's foibles, and they might even learn a thing or two about logical reasoning. Even Mac and Mac learn something by the end, but when it comes down to it, they're still the same old Noodleheads. VERDICT A must-buy for graphic novel collections.—Gretchen Hardin, Sterling Municipal Library, Baytown, TX

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal.

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