Daniel Pinkwater

Internationally-bestselling author Daniel Pinkwater (The Big Orange Splot) brings his zany wit and wisdom to the magical adventures of a clever girl and her brave dog. Told with warmth and wit, this is a delightful exploration of growing up, the power of family, and how sometimes the best things in life happen when you least expect them. "Daniel Pinkwater is so obviously the funniest writer of children's books that he should be made a Living National Treasure."--Washington Post Book World Jules McShultz was promised a dog. Supposedly, she'd get one once her family moved from the city to the suburbs. But then her parents decided it still wasn't the right time. So Jules does what any intelligent girl would do. Instead of sulking, she enters an essay contest and wins first prize: A purebred Collie. And no one--not even Jules' parents--can resist Penny, who is clearly Jules's perfect new canine pal. Jules and Penny are ready to spend the summer exploring the woods by the house. But the woods are not at all what they seem to be. Magic and adventure await them just on the other side of an old stone wall.

"I loved it."--Neil Gaiman Bestselling author Daniel Pinkwater (The Hoboken Chicken Emergency) returns in classic form with the illustrated, middle-grade adventures of one young Molly O'Malley: a dwarf (well, dwarf-ish) girl who just won't settle for a boring life in the Catskills. "Captivating, cool and crazy " --Sam Lloyd, author of Mr. Pusskins"A Pinkwater whirlwind in all its glory."--Booklist Molly O'Malley is a clever, adventurous girl. She is also a Dwerg. Dwergs are strange folks who live very quietly in the Catskill mountains, have lots of gold, and are kind of like dwarves (but also not ). Molly isn't interested in cooking and weaving, as she is expected to be. So, she sets off to see the world for herself. Which means a new job, a trip to New York City, prowling gangsters, an adorable king, a city witch, and many historical ghosts. More importantly, it means excellent pizza, new friends, and very quick thinking. Now someone is pursuing the Dwergs for their gold. Can Molly O'Malley save the day?

In this clever picture book from children's luminary Daniel Pinkwater, vampires multiply in the town of Blinsh . . . until the entire population is taken over! This picture book is an account of events that took place in the village of Blinsh, Pinksylvania, during the month of October, when one person getting bit by a vampire leads to vampires multiplying until the entire town is taken over. The result is a hilarious, cumulative tale of an outrageous chain of events that has probably resulted in YOU becoming a vampire, too.

By the author of The Big Orange Splot, The Neddiad, and Adventures of a Cat-Whiskered Girl Things Victor loves: pizza with anchovies, grape soda, B movies aired at midnight, the evening news. And with his parents off at a resort and his older sister shirking her babysitting duties, Victor has plenty of time to indulge himself and to try a few things he's been curious about. Exploring the nearby city of Hogboro, he runs into a curious character known as the Chicken Man (a reference to his companion, an intelligent hen named Claudia who lives under his hat). The Chicken Man speaks brilliant nonsense, but he seems to be hip to the lizard musicians (real lizards, not men in lizard suits) who've begun appearing on Victor's television after the broadcast of the late-late movie. Are the lizards from outer space? From "other space"? Together Victor and the Chicken Man, guided by the able Claudia, journey to the lizards' floating island, a strange and fantastic place that operates with an inspired logic of its own.

"Hilarious. . . . The book is a lot like life, but with more bears, as well as mice in nightshirts. . . . Utterly, endearingly ridiculous." -- Kirkus Reviews When their father decides to compete in the speed-knitting world championship, Nick and Maxine are happy to stay with their babysitter, Mrs. Noodlekugel, along with her talking cats and four mice who wear glasses. What they don't expect is a dripping-wet, whiskered man in the kitchen the next morning Captain Noodlekugel has left his seafaring life to train animals for the circus, and he's even brought with him a hefty bear named Drooly for practice. When Drooly goes missing, the siblings must try to figure out where a big clumsy bear might go

"Sly, sweet illustrations provide piquant punctuation for Pinkwater's special brand of nonsense." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) When Mrs. Noodlekugel's four mice make a terrible mess at tea, she decides to take the mice to visit the eye doctor -- and invites Nick and Maxine to come along. Who could predict they'd meet a rough-edged alley cat with a surprising connection to Mr. Fuzzface, Mrs. Noodlekugel's talking cat? It's all a day in the life of Daniel Pinkwater's whimsical characters. A comical tone and cozy black-and-white illustrations are sure to keep young chapter-book readers coming back for more.

Four farsighted mice get glasses -- and a talking cat solves a family mystery -- as the charmingly eccentric Mrs. Noodlekugel returns. When Mrs. Noodlekugel's four mice make a terrible mess with cookie crumbs at tea, she decides to take them on the bus to visit the eye doctor -- and invites Nick and Maxine to come along The mice ride on Mrs. Noodlekugel's hat, while Mr. Fuzzface, her talking cat, has the indignity of riding in a carrier. Afterward, the hungry crew head to Dirty Sally's Lunchroom, but the mice overdo their cheesecake and run out the door. Luckily a policeman is at the ready to help with the search -- as is a rough-edged, yarn-spinning alley cat with a surprising connection to Mr. Fuzzface It's all a day in the life of Daniel Pinkwater's whimsical characters, in a chapter-book series whose comical tone and cozy illustrations are sure to keep young readers coming back for more.

"Pinkwater works narrative magic within the grammatical confines of the early reader format." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) With signature wit and whimsy, the inimitable Daniel Pinkwater introduces an eccentric, endearing babysitter every child will wish they could have. Welcome to the world of Mrs. Noodlekugel, where felines converse and serve cookies and tea, vision-impaired mice join the party (but may put crumbs up their noses), and children in search of funny adventures are drawn by the warm smell of gingerbread and the promise of magical surprises.

With signature wit and whimsy, the inimitable Daniel Pinkwater introduces an eccentric, endearing babysitter every child will wish they could have. Nick and Maxine live in a tall building with one apartment on top of another. So when they look out their window and see a little house they never knew was there, of course they must visit (especially when their parents tell them not to ). Going through the boiler room, they're amazed to find to a secret backyard with a garden, a porch, and a statue of a cat. And they're even more amazed when that cat starts to talk. . . . Welcome to the world of Mrs. Noodlekugel, where felines converse and serve cookies and tea, vision-impaired mice join the party (but may put crumbs up their noses), and children in search of funny adventures are drawn by the warm smell of gingerbread and the promise of magical surprises.

Big Audrey is a girl . . . with cat's whiskers . . . and sort of cat's eyes. But, is there an other cat-whiskered, sort of cat-eyed girl?Big Audrey waves goodbye to her friends Iggy and Neddie, Seamus, and Crazy Wig, in Los Angeles and hitches a ride with bongo-playing-while-driving Marlon Brando across the country to Poughkeepsie, New York, city of mystery. She finds she has questions needing answers--and a bit of inter-plane-of-existence traveling to do.Big Audrey and her telepathic friend Molly zigzag off on an incredibly strange and kooky adventure, and solve the mystery of the cat-whiskered doppelganger.

There have been books about dogs since books began -- manuals on training and raising them, stories featuring dogs, and memoirs seen through the eyes of dogs. Lately, there has been a rash of books that purport to tell us what dogs are thinking, such as the bestselling What Dogs Are Thinking.This is a book about a Jewish boy and his sled dogs -- also a couple of wolves, a parrot or two...and Pinkwater's uncle...and his father. Daniel Pinkwater, prodigious author of books for children, popular commentator on National Public Radio, and dog trainer to the stars, is unclear about what dogs are thinking. In fact, he appears to be completely baffled by them. He considers himself lucky that his dog does not foul the carpet, bite people, or run in traffic. Unlike every other dog book ever written, this one does not make the reader feel more stupid than the author.

SOMETHING'S FOWL IN HOBOKEN. When Arthur Bobowicz is sent out to bring home the family's Thanksgiving turkey, he returns instead with Henrietta -- a 266 pound chicken with a mind of her own. Feathers fly when this colossal clucker descends upon Hoboken, New Jersey. Thus begins the hilarious hen-tastic tall tale that has kept readers in stitches since Henrietta first pecked her way onto the scene in 1977. Revised with brand new illustrations by Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Auth, this new edition of The Hoboken Chicken Emergency will have readers crowing so hard with laughter, they may just lay an egg

The Education of Robert Nifkin is the education of a beatnik. Set in 1950s Chicago and conveyed in the form of a college essay, Robert Nifkin details his journey from a mind-numbing high school that smells to the curriculum-free carnival of a private school ruled by bohemians, beatniks, and freaks.

The delightful sequel to Mush, a Dog from Space revisits Mush's earlier days, before he met Kelly, when he and his jazz band called the Hot Animals saved their boss's dancehall and ice-cream parlor from dastardly burglars. Simultaneous.

LASSIE, GO HOME -- MUSH IS HERE! Now that Kelly Mangiaro's family has moved out of their apartment into a house, she figures her parents will finally let her get a dog. Instead, her mother gets a job, and Kelly gets a baby-sitter. Then Kelly comes upon Mush, a mushamute -- a breed not recognized by the Westminster Kennel Club, or by anyone else for that matter, possibly because mushamutes come from the planet Growf-Woof-Woof, in the solar system of Arfturus. Mushamutes can talk, tell time, cook up a storm, and even clean up the kitchen afterwards. Who needs a baby-sitter when there's a mushamute around? Now if only Kelly can persuade her parents to let her keep Mush....

First published more than 20 years ago, Superpuppy was instantly celebrated for its unique approach to dog training, which emphasizes the importance of understanding a dog's personality. Clarion is proud to announce the publication of a revised edition, updated for contemporary readers and featuring brand-new cover art. Award-winning authors Jill and Daniel Pinkwater share their enthusiasm and knowledge in this accessible guidebook. Readers will find advice on all aspects of puppy care, from how to pick the right puppy to the proper way to housebreak and train it. Enlivened by personal anecdotes and enhanced by black-and-white illustrations, the new Superpuppy is sure to be embraced by loyal fans as well as a new generation of dog enthusiasts.

Would you buy a used time machine from this man? Mr. Talbot has taken the Werewolf Club to London! Unfortunately, they made the trip in Uncle H. G. Talbot's unreliable time-and-space machine, and they've arrived in 1890 London -- where it might be a tad difficult to buy the 212 double-A batteries they need for the machine to get them home. The Werewolf Club's goose is cooked -- and not for a good old-fashioned English Christmas dinner. While they're figuring out what to do, the young werewolves have plenty of time to take in some sights usually missed by your average tour bus, and even help legendary detective Sherlock Holmes thwart the notorious Jack the Schlepper's attempt to steal the crown jewels from the Tower of London. There will always be an England -- but never one like the Werewolf Club's England.

What's small and round and smells like knackwurst, and is very, very scary? The Werewolf Club is about to find out! After a stop at the Local Yokel Diner to eat jitterbugs (you don't want to know), the young werewolves are off to Basketball Hall, the ancestral home of their teacher Mr. Talbot's uncle, Hugo Basketball. Generations of Basketballs have been cursed by their servants, the peculiar Barrymores, (it's so hard to get good help) not to mention by monstrous Hound of the Basketballs. Who better to vanquish the frightful hound, Hugo figures, than a pack of werewolves? So with the moon full (and their belies full of knackwurst and sauerkraut) our intrepid heroes are once again risking their young lives to rid the world of evil. But what about the haunted pastrami?

Just when you thought it was safe... Here comes Dorkula. Who is he and what does he want? Is this the vampire of ancient legend and bad late-night movies? Being in the Werewolf Club has never been so much fun! Just ask Ralf Alfa, Billy Furball, Lucy Fang, and Norman Gnormal. Follow their funny exploits as they wend their way through this spine-tingling tale of werewolves, vampires, and inspired lunacy.

Where is one place you don't want to go alone? Remember Werewolf Club members Ralf Alfa, Billy Furball, Lucy Fang, and Norman Gnormal? Well, they are back. Now they wreak havoc on a local restaurant they call "The Lunchroom of Doom." Tomato catsup squirts. Paper straws fly. Laughts and weird things abund. Don't miss this gripping story of the supernatural.