New Releases by Daniel Pinkwater

Collected for the first time, four funny and imaginative tales for kids by an acclaimed storyteller include Wingman, Fat Men from Space, The Magic Goose and The Muffin Fiend.

In a wonderfully loopy third episode, Nick and Maxine are surprised to meet Captain Noodlekugel, back from the sea with a somewhat untrainable bear. 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!

Yetta, beautiful Yetta, manages to escape from the butcher''s shop. But now she is lost in Brooklyn—a strange place filled with rude rats and dangerous buses! !?????? geVAHLT! Oh, dear! But then, brave Yetta saves a small green bird from a sneaky cat, and his friends, the wild parrots of Brooklyn, are very grateful. ¡Muchas gracias, gallina hermosa! ¡mooCHAS grahSEEas, gahYEEna ehrMOsa! Thank you very much, beautiful chicken! Has beautiful Yetta found her new home? Inspired by real events, this multilingual story by Daniel Pinkwater is a witty, warm, and wonderful read-aloud for any age.

Could the bear have a secret friend? Who is leaving him surprises? The ever-lovable Daniel Pinkwater spins a funny and sweetly offbeat story. Features an audio read-along performed by the author! One morning, the bear finds something just outside his cave. It is orange and long and pointy and has bushy green leaves at one end. And it’s sweet and crunchy! Where did it come from? Did someone leave it for him? Then there are two more of the sweet crunchy things the next morning! The bear knows that someone nice is leaving him these treats. If only he could discover who it is! Should he leave something tasty in return? With the help of Will Hillenbrand’s endearing illustrations, the inimitable Daniel Pinkwater spins a charming little mystery about unexpected kindnesses and finding that extra-special someone.

An ALA Notable Book Kids ages 9-12 will “delight in [the] oddness” of this Home Alone-style tale set in the 1970s—from a prolific children’s author who captures “a magic that’s not like anyone else’s” (Neil Gaiman). With Victor’s parents out of town, he is free to investigate the mysterious lizard musicians who have recently appeared on TV . . . Things Victor loves: pizza with anchovies, grape soda, B movies aired at midnight, the evening news. And with his parents off at a resort and his older sister shirking her babysitting duties, Victor has plenty of time to indulge himself and to try a few things he’s been curious about. Exploring the nearby city of Hogboro, he runs into a curious character known as the Chicken Man (a reference to his companion, an intelligent hen named Claudia who lives under his hat). The Chicken Man speaks brilliant nonsense, but he seems to be hip to the lizard musicians (real lizards, not men in lizard suits) who’ve begun appearing on Victor’s television after the broadcast of the late-late movie. Are the lizards from outer space? From “other space”? Together Victor and the Chicken Man, guided by the able Claudia, journey to the lizards’ floating island, a strange and fantastic place that operates with an inspired logic of its own.

Jacob is the boy. Max is the dog. Until they decide to change places. Now Jacob gets to eat kibble, chase squirrels, and snooze, just like a real dog. Max brushes his teeth, goes to school, and plays video games, just like a real boy. The question is: Who has the better deal? Story maestro Daniel Pinkwater collaborates once again with the gifted illustrator Jack E. Davis for a boy-and-dog escapade that''s sure to set tails a-wagging.

Inspired by real events, this story told in English, Spanish, and Yiddish is a witty, warm, and beautiful tale about an escaped chicken who finds adventure and love in Brooklyn. Full color.

Mush, a dog from the planet Growf-Woof-Woof, relates how she came to be on Earth, and how she and three other animals formed a jazz ensemble that foiled a band of ice cream parlor robbers.

Kelly Mangiaro, who has wanted a pet for as long as she can remember, gets more than she bargained for from her new dog, Mush.

Melvin recounts his extraordinary adventures in time and space with his 111-year-old sort of great-Uncle Borgel.