Small Readers: Noodles the Puppy by Hans Wilhelm

Scholastic has a confusing variety of reading levels under the umbrella of "level 1". This title includes the "50-250 words" logo, which means it has more complex vocabulary, but compared to some other titles under this level that I have read, the sentences are very short and simple.

This paperback includes two stories about Noodles, a fluffy, friendly puppy. I Won't Share! has a pretty typical plot. Noodles doesn't want to share his squeaky toy with the other dogs, but then realizes sharing is more fun and they all enjoy it together. I Am Brave! shows Noodles facing his fears about storms when he gets stuck on the porch during a storm. As he watches each part of the storm; rain, wind, thunder and lightning, he enjoys the power of the storm and enthusiastically congratulates himself on his own bravery when it's all over.

Wilhelm's art focuses heavily on the cute and there are lots of pictures of the adorably fluffy Noodles romping about the pages with flapping ears. The backgrounds are white or washed over in soft pastels. This can sometimes make it difficult to find the words, which are in a smaller font (for an easy reader). Since there are only a few words - no more than two sentences - per page, they sometimes blend into the artwork.

Verdict: Many of the Noodles titles are still available as paperback or prebound. The difficulty of finding the text makes these an additional purchase in my estimation. If you have really strong fans of Biscuit and Mittens and are looking for additional titles in that vein, these could be worth purchasing.

ISBN: 9780545045919; Published 2008 by Scholastic; Borrowed from another library in my consortium