As the title implies, Steven Joseph’s SNOODLES, KIDOODLES, POODLES AND LOTS AND LOTS OF NOODLES! is packed with wordplay and silliness. In a world where cars are powered by food, the SnoodleMobile—which runs on pasta—quickly becomes more popular than the KrautMobile, which ran on sauerkraut. Sour Croodleman, inventor of the KrautMobile, decides to get revenge on his rival by covering a piece of Mr. Snoodleman’s priceless noodle artwork in sauerkraut. When even renowned art restorer Pierre Le’Toodle can’t fix it, it takes a true sauerkraut enthusiast to restore the artwork and help Sour Croodleman find a new purpose for his beloved food.

SNOODLES, KIDOODLES, POODLES AND LOTS OF NOODLES is a picture book full of goofy inventions and situations, which are brilliantly brought to life by Andy Case’s animated and vibrant illustrations. Children will find the colorful cartoon panels appealing, while puns and pop culture references sprinkled throughout may get adults laughing along as well. The pictures are full of clever little background details—like building names and newspaper headlines—that make the book ripe for multiple readings. While the art stands out, its effects can sometimes be overshadowed by the use of red text throughout the book. Some readers may find the red text set against a light blue background difficult to read, while others may just find the amount of color it saturates the pages with to be sensorily overwhelming.

The story is silly and creative, with even moments of conflict approached gently and with humor. However, the ending feels much too rushed, with Sour Croodleman’s resolution only displayed in an illustration and not communicated in the text, leaving his key plotline feel unfinished. So much of the plot revolves around calling foods like sauerkraut and kimchi “stinky” that it could cause discomfort for kids who love those foods. While author Stephen Joseph obviously has the best of intentions, there does exist the possibility that young readers could miss the story’s most important lesson—that something that smells bad to one person may smell absolutely delicious to another—because of the hasty wrap-up. Despite those small issues, the story is fun, straightforward, and bolstered by its whimsical setting and delightful wordplay. The book is well worth a read, ideally with an adult guardian or teacher reading along and guiding children through a discussion on various food aromas.

SNOODLES, KIDOODLES, POODLES AND LOTS AND LOTS OF NOODLES! has a simple plot filled with amusing scenarios and accompanied by cartoons peppered with puns – perfect for an imaginative kindergartener or first-grader.

~Cameron Gillespie for IndieReader