Noodle Man: The Pasta Superhero

by April Pulley Sayre

Book Overview

With his spaghetti-thin arms and farfalle tie, Al Dente might not look like a superhero, but never underestimate the power of pasta. It's served up with antic illustrations and outrageous puns. Pasta... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0439293073
• ISBN13: 9780439293075
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Orchard Books (NY)
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 11.3" x 8.8"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Pleased

The book was in great shape as promised. It is a used book so it looks like a used book.There were no rips or discolorations just your normal fading. I would happily buy from this seller again.

A fun and creative story

Noodle Man: The Pasta Superhero is the story of Al Dente and his family. The family had always been in the pasta business but once pizza delivery was invented, nobody in the town wanted pasta anymore. Al develops a portable pasta maker and goes door to door to sell his pasta but everyone still wants pizza. However, Al becomes a hero when he uses his pasta to catch some thieves breaking into a store, rescue two boys from a burning building, help some people cross a flooded street, and save the pizza delivery truck driver when she crashes the truck. The town loves him and starts buying pasta again, saving the family business. The last page of the book features a description of how pasta is made and how to cook it properly. This book would be appropriate for ages 6 and 7. Children in this age group will enjoy the fantasy quality of this book and will laugh at the silliness of the story and pictures. I would recommend using this book in a school setting with an extension about pasta. The children could see and feel the different types of pasta and maybe use them to create art projects, like macaroni necklaces, pictures, or sculptures. The zany watercolor illustrations fit the text perfectly. The title of the book is drawn with pasta noodles, and other small details continue the pasta theme, such as the clock with a fork and a spoon for hands and numbers made out of noodles. The endpapers display buildings in the town with different types of pasta pictured and labeled in each window.

Absolutely Delightful... And Delicious!

I don't know what it is about this book, but each night after reading this book to my daughter, I get cravings for pasta. "Noodle Man" is my 4 year old daughter's number one most requested bedtime story. The story is original, if a little clunky at times, but it is Stephen Costanza's whimsical illustrations that really make this book shine.My daughter never tires of tracing the loopy, convoluted path the two trapped boys would make down the "Lasagne Slide." The deftly illustrated picture of a group of people "Fusili Bouncing" also gets squeals of delight. As an added bonus, my daughter now can name more pasta varieties than most kids her age.Do your child a favor and purchase this enchanting book!

Silly fun with pasta

This light hearted and fun story is a great read for children ages 5-8. Al Dente, the young hero of the story, lives in family that owns a pasta making business. Unfortunately, business is very slow- it seems that people only want pizza these days. But when trouble strikes, Al uses his pasta machine to conjure up zany ways to help people out and save his town. What I really liked about this book was its educational value. Although it treats its subject in a silly manner, it actually teaches kids (and adults!) about the many, many different types and varieties of pasta. An attractive glossary is presented inside the front and back covers containing labelled illustrations of different kinds of pasta. In addition, a page after the conclusion of the story details exactly how pasta is made and even the best way to cook it. The internal illustrations are wonderful; they give the story an "other worldly" quality that match the text in a terrific manner. See if you and your child can read this and then NOT have a hunger for pasta!