Many cultures have folktales and fables about fools and their silly exploits often called noodlehead stories and, based on these tales, Arnold, Hamilton, and Weiss have created their own comic versions starring two literal noodles, a pair of elbow-macaroni brothers named Mac and Mac. In their first story, Mac and Mac decide to sleep outdoors, but nighttime sounds scare them so much they tangle their feet together while trying to run, and they're not sure whose feet are whose. Then, gazing hungrily at a pie on a windowsill, they have a dreaming contest whoever has the best dream gets to eat the pie. Trickster Meatball outsmarts them, however, and gets the pie all to himself. Young children will enjoy the colorful panels and the Noodleheads' foolish adventures, while the opening authors' note (in small enough type that it's easy to miss) can help teachers find the original stories for possible lesson plans. Arnold's signature cartoonish style makes great use of comedic timing and slapstick humor, so kids will get a kick out of this even if they don't catch on to its folklore origins.--Kan, Kat Copyright 2016 Booklist

Arnold (the Fly Guy series) teams up with the husband-and-wife storytelling/performing duo of Hamilton and Weiss for a trio of silly, sleep-centric tales drawn from the rich folkloric tradition of the fool (a detailed opening note delineates the themes and motifs that inspired each story). A pair of literal noodleheads-two macaroni-shaped brothers both named Mac-fumble their way through a spooky night sleeping in the backyard, get tricked out of a freshly baked apple pie, and devise a plan to get out of making their beds forever in crisply delineated vignettes. The Noodleheads' goofy schemes and over-the-top reactions to their situations are sure to elicit giggles as the stories unfold in comics-style panels ("I'll eat the pie and you eat the pan," suggests one of the Macs in the second tale). Arnold employs some of his signature visual flourishes to great effect, including bug-eyed characters and an in-your-face palette. While the third story gets a little convoluted as one of the Macs suffers nightmares while using a wooden box for a pillow, the punchy storytelling and all-around goofiness will entertain emerging readers and graphic novel fans. Ages 6-10. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Anthropomorphic noodles worry and fret over a series of bedtimes and bad dreams. Mac and Mac are two noodleheads, literally: they are noodle-shaped boys with nothing inside their heads. As might be expected, the two Macs are not particularly bright, and consequently they get into all types of goofy gaffes. The tubular tots initially decide to sleep outside because they hate making their beds, despite their mother's bribe of a pie. Nighttime sounds scare them so much their legs tangle comically, and ultimately they go back inside. At least now they get pie. However, mischievous Meatball is also out for their confectionand gets it. Finally, one of the Macs loses his pillow and tries to compensate for its loss by bringing all sorts of odd objectslike a wooden chest and some foodinto bed with him, with disastrous results. Funny nightmares punctuate each episode. Short chapters with large, brightly hued panels and spacious speech bubbles make this an easy choice for emerging readers. Fans of Arnold's previous work, particularly his Fly Guy series, will recognize his trademark artistic style and gravitate toward this. Opening notes in microscopic print explain the folk origins of each short chapter. Endlessly wacky; fast-moving antics and incessant fretting that would make Chicken Little look mellow give this familiar topic a fresh feel. (Graphic early reader. 5-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.