Noodlehead Stories [Hardcover]

Martha Hamilton (Author), Mitch Weiss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 10, 2006 | Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

Call it what you will nincompoop, knucklehead, ninnyhammer, numskull, noodlehead stories of the fool have been around as long as people have been telling stories. Everyone has had a noodlehead day, a day when the brain takes a leave of absence and nothing but noodles seems to fill in the head space above the sinuses.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3 Up-Some of the stories included here are well known, such as "The Wise Fools of Gotham" (England) and "Seven Foolish Fishermen" (France), while others, like "When Giuf? Guarded the Goldsmith's Door" (Italy), will probably be new to most youngsters. In the introduction, the authors explain the popularity of noodlehead tales around the world, and the fact that the same story is often found in more than one tradition. Tellers are also warned to be careful about using derogatory terms such as "dumb" or "stupid" to describe the fool, numbskull, or knucklehead. The selections are very short (none are more than two pages long, some are less than one), which makes them easy for the youngest, most inexperienced storytellers to perform. The fact that they are funny is a bonus: most kids love reading, telling, and listening to amusing stories. A short note about the tale as well as tips for telling it follow each piece. The authors also include ideas on how to choose a story and learn it, along with some basic guidelines for presenting it. There are also ideas for follow-up activities and source notes. Humorous black-and-white sketches appear throughout. A good storytelling tool for children.
Marlyn K. Roberts, Torrance Public Library, CA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5, younger for reading aloud. Admitting that they are well qualified to be presenting a gallery of numbskulls, Hamilton and Weiss, professional storytellers collectively known as "Beauty and the Beast," offer 23 tales from nearly as many countries that take readers to Gotham and Chelm and introduce Juan Bobo, Giufa, and a bevy of unnamed ninnyhammers (mostly male for, as they point out, few tales of this kind feature girls or women). Budding tellers will find these short, simplified versions easy to learn and to perform, particularly because each is followed by practical tips for effective delivery. A section of general storytelling advice caps the lot, and for veteran raconteurs or folklorists, notes on tale types and variants are appended. Some of these episodes will be familiar from similar versions in picture books or Alvin Schwartz's easy-reader collections, but this makes a popular bridge between those and M.A. Jagendorf's classic Noodlehead Stories from around the World (1957) and the stories of Isaac Bashevis Singer. Illustrations not seen. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: August House (January 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874835844
• ISBN-13: 978-0874835847
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,360,352 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of Noodlehead Stories, February 25, 2002

By 

michelle brown (Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Noodlehead Stories (Paperback)

I really enjoyed reading all the stories in this book. The introduction defining what a noodlehead is is a great way to begin the book. Reading each story makes you laugh and realize that you too sometimes do noodlehead things. My favorite story was "Next Time I'll Know What To Do" which is about a boy whose mother has him go out and get a job. So he goes off and finds a job. After his first day of work he earns a coin. Being so proud of himself he shows everyone on his way home, unfortunately he drops it the water while crossing a bridge. His mother, disappointed, tells him he should have put it in his pocket. So the next day he received two slabs of butter for working. On his way home he put it in his pocket, like his mother said but by the time he made it home the butter had melted. This continues on each day, somehow losing what he earned by bringing it home the way his mother had told him. Now anyone with common sense would know that the butter would melt but Jack was following his mother's instructions. This continues on until he receives two bags of gold because he made the rich man laugh by trying to carry his donkey over his shoulder because that was what his mother had told him to do, onlyshe was referring to carrying the meat over his shoulder.
This story was fun to read, along all the others. Each story comes with great little illustrations that represent the characters in the story. At the end of each story there are tips for ways to tell the story along with a little added information about the story. Also at the end of the book there is a section describing great techniques for story telling as well as follow up activities to do after you've read the story, such as creating a new stories from a few characters, each from different stories. Each story in this book is from a different country, offering us a little cultural information as well. I highly recommend this book, it can be fun for children of all ages.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oodles of Noodles, February 23, 2003

By 

"nannette-" (Utah, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Noodlehead Stories (Paperback)

Since we already owned "How & Why Stories," and "Through the Grapevine, World Tales Kids Can Read & Tell," we knew we had to get this one too. We anticipated that this collection would be a real treat and it is!

My kids always ask where this book is; someone always has it off the shelf. These stories keep my children busy for hours. They read to themselves, to each other, and then they tell them. These stories made them roar with laughter. A perfect humorous compilation of Folk Tales for children.

In the beginning there is a world map to illustrate where these stories originate. At the end they offer General Tips for Telling Stories. These tips are the next best thing to having Hamilton & Weiss in person to do the coaching. They even offer Follow-up Activities to expand the lesson plan or teaching possibilities this book has to offer.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic resource!, February 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Noodlehead Stories (Paperback)

This book really spoke to the children in my classroom. They all enjoyed hearing stories about the archtypal fool, and it paved the way for discussions on our treatment of others, since we, too, are often "the fool."

Hamilton and Weiss have a great storytelling style: it's easy to read AND easy to tell. The illustrations are absolutely wonderful, too. I think other teachers, librarians, parents, etc. would all enjoy sharing this book with their children.