December 3, 2021
Gr 1-3-Mac and Mac, also known as the empty-headed Noodleheads, continue confusing themselves and misinterpreting the world as only they can. In each of the three chapters of this book, Mac and Mac attempt an impossible task, each one a homage to folktales about fools. All of the anthropomorphic foods, including the Macs' mother and Uncle Ziti, have large faces and speak in simple sentences, including bolded words for emphasis. Mac and Mac turn futile attempts to "put your best foot forward" and return reflections of stars to the sky into a unique kind of fun. An afterword explains the inspirations for each story and the Noodleheads in general. VERDICT The Noodleheads have trouble accomplishing the impossible, but they easily make reading enjoyable. Another delightful entry in the series.-Thomas Maluck
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Starred review from September 1, 2021
Empty-headed (literally) sibs Mac and Mac fulfill the title's promise with their grandest, daftest quest yet. Inspired by their uncle Ziti's "impossible" yarn about a snake and a frog that swallowed each other, the tubular twins decide to become famous for an impossible feat of their own. But what? Walking around the world? Counting all the stars above? Or all the grains of sand below? Each turns out to present certain difficulties--after counting a "bazillion" stars, for instance, Mac and Mac find more that have fallen into their mom's washtub and need to be rescued. "Are they heavy?" asks Mac. Mac responds: "No, they're light." (Ha, ha.) Adults, particularly those of a scholarly bent, will appreciate the fantastically detailed, tiny-type notes at the end about folktale motifs, variations drawn from diverse traditions, modern versions, idioms, and even the notion of "infinity." Readers younger of age and/or heart will chortle at the Macs' general cluelessness, then cheer them on as they do get "around the world" just in time for lunch--thanks to the intervention of frenemy Meatball, the only nonpasta player in Arnold's foodcentric cartoon frames, who turns their shoes around while they're napping. The little jokes embedded within the large ones are just as delightful, as when Mac and Mac try to figure out how to "always [put] your best foot forward." It's not as easy as grown-ups say it is. The sources may be old, but the drollery is timeless. (Graphic early reader. 5-9)
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