(Noodlephant #1)

Kramer tackles political oppression with wit, inventiveness, and a love of good food. Noodlephant the elephant is so named by her crowd of friends, who treasure her love of pasta and the way she cooks for every sort of animal--except the kangaroos, who would rather spend their time making unfair laws. Things head downhill when the kangaroos dictate that Elephants must eat only sticks and branches--enjoying pasta means time in the zoo. Throughout, sly verse interludes capture the animals' subversive spirit: "The laws for elephants and shrews/ ...should be the same as those we use, / for all you wealthy kangaroos." Noodlephant and her friends come up with a machine that turns everything into pasta ("cans into cannelloni, pillows into ravioli"), but their creativity lands Elephant in the zoo. The story's casual disregard for narrative logic--why not just buy eggs and flour if you're going to break the law?--will baffle some readers and charm others. Graceful black ink lines and bold color wash by newcomer Steele give the story even more comic force, capturing the joy of Elephant's parties, the bleakness of her imprisonment, and her satisfaction as she finds a way to outwit her oppressors. Ages 4-8. (Jan.)

Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

K-Gr 3--Elephant is obsessed with noodles of all shapes and sizes, which is why her friends have given her the name Noodlelephant. This eclectic group of friends relish her famous pasta parties. The only bossy, unfriendly animals in the town of Rooville are the cantankerous Kangeroos, who are intent on making unreasonable new laws that restrict who can swim at the beach and more. When a new law forces elephants to eat only sticks and branches, Noodlelephant creates a "Phantastic Noodler" that turns anything into noodles with a few turns of a crank. Ultimately, it is this machine that transforms the Kangaroos' rigid law book into a delicious lasagna, resulting in a peaceful resolution for all. The story presents the complex idea of pursuing social justice in a child-friendly way. The plot progresses further as Noodlelephant is taken to court and thrown into jail, only to escape when the machine changes the iron bars into udon. At more than 60 pages of text and illustrations, the book might be somewhat overwhelming for younger children, who may focus more on the pasta and the magical device, overlooking the true message of the tale. The Kangaroos are not nearly as mean-looking as they act and look a bit similar to one or two other animals. VERDICT An ambitious message that simplifies its overall purpose; social injustice, after all, cannot be solved instantaneously with wacky inventions.--Etta Anton, Yeshiva of Central Queens, NY

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

★ "Accessible sentences are peppered with spurts of couplets, wordplay, and culinary vocabulary. The art is perfect: pen-and-ink and colorful washes show numerous, wide-eyed animal citizens, anthropomorphic and, sometimes, laugh-out-loud funny." —STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews
"I love Noodlephant—brilliant & necessary, and the parable we need now." —Dave Eggers, Best-Selling Author, Editor, Publisher, and Co-Founder of 826 National
"Kramer tackles political oppression with wit, inventiveness, and a love of good food. Noodlephant the elephant is so named by her crowd of friends, who treasure her love of pasta and the way she cooks for every sort of animal—except the kangaroos, who would rather spend their time making unfair laws. Things head downhill when the kangaroos dictate that Elephants must eat only sticks and branches—enjoying pasta means time in the zoo. Throughout, sly verse interludes capture the animals' subversive spirit: 'The laws for elephants and shrews/ ...should be the same as those we use, / for all you wealthy kangaroos.' Noodlephant and her friends come up with a machine that turns everything into pasta ('cans into cannelloni, pillows into ravioli'), but their creativity lands Elephant in the zoo. [...] Graceful black ink lines and bold color wash by newcomer Steele give the story even more comic force, capturing the joy of Elephant's parties, the bleakness of her imprisonment, and her satisfaction as she finds a way to outwit her oppressors." —Publishers Weekly
"It's about a noodle-loving elephant. It's about a magic pasta machine. It's about a community's response to injustice. It's 80 pages long. All that is to say it's unlike any picture book I've read in a long time. And it's great." —Travis Jonker, 100 Scope Notes
"I truly believe that the best way to engage kids with issues of inequality and justice is through story. Noodlephant manages to take on racism, police brutality, and unjust laws in a playful, thought provoking way. The illustrations are detailed and fun. We stumbled upon a reading of this book at the library, and my kids loved it. The authors are really doing something special." —Mission Branch, San Francisco Public Library
"What's most remarkable about Noodlephant is how it trusts its young readers to recognize broad concepts like injustice, oppression and civil disobedience. It's great silly fun, but also subversive and empathetic and intelligent. It's truly amazing to see students engage with the story and apply its many lessons to their understanding of the world." —David, Skylight Books (Los Angeles, CA)
"This story about standing up to injustice is both charming and resonant!"—Sara Grochowski, McLean & Eakin Booksellers
"Noodlephant is a fun, wacky look at creative civil disobedience and injustice. The kangaroos are oppressive and mean, forbidding other animals from enjoying anything the kangaroos deem exclusive to their little group. The pushback is creative and silly enough to get a laugh out of readers while encouraging them to think about bullying and exclusion. Occasional verse lends a subversive air that kids will understand and appreciate: "When the laws are so unjust, misbehavior is a must!" Sometimes, you just have to break the rules. K-Fai Steele's cartoony art is bold, bright, and loaded with noodley fun." —Rosemary Kiladitis, Mom Read It
"I just love, love, love this book!" —Cindy Derby
"I cannot tell you how much I loved Noodlephant!!!!! . . . Not only do I dig the message, but I am also smitten with the illustrations. There is a long hold list for our copy." — Maria Falgoust, Librarian, International School of Brooklyn (Brooklyn, NY)
"This book will not only make you crave noodles asap, it'll make you hungry to go change the world." —The Reading Ninja, @thereadingninja
"...there's a long waitlist for students to check out this popular book. I just cannot keep it on the shelf!" —Heather Jones, Librarian, Redmond Elementary School (Redmond, WA)
"A picture book for even the youngest readers about community, social justice, incarceration, and non-violent protest. It's also about cooking, sharing, and eating delicious noodles and features a cute cast of animal characters." —Marika McCoola, Porter Square Books (Cambridge, MA)
"A creative way to open the eyes of the kids in our community to the injustices surrounding us. A beautiful parable that encourages even the littlest of readers to use their voice for social change! We LOVED having Jacob and K-Fai in the store to read to our customers. The Q&A and discussions following the book were encouraging, engaging and challenging. This book should be on all bookshelves in every home, classroom, and library!" —Jess Tonti, Marketing Coordinator, SEED People's Market
"[Our students] loved the story and were able to make such great connections to the MLK study we just finished, and I know they will be able to draw from the story and make deep connections as we launch our Black History and Black Lives Matter unit—this is the deepest compliment. I and other teachers are always searching for books that can serve as mirrors for our students and Noodlephant does that while remaining engaging and age appropriate." —Alisa Rodgers-Taylor, K/1 Teacher, Leschi Elementary School (Seattle, WA)
"Carbs. Pachyderms. Community organizing. What more do you need? Jacob and K-Fai delighted adults and kiddos alike when they came in to the store for story time. While a brief but heated debate over favorite pasta sprang up between our youngest customers, all assembled agreed that Noodles Are Tasty and the kangaroos had been Very Mean, which is Not Okay. And, perhaps, a little more resolve to stand up against injustice seeped out into the world." —Lilly Cantwell, University Bookstore (Seattle, WA)