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In this third episode of the whimsical Snoodles in Space series, Droodle and Schmoodle the poodle are locked in Zoodletraz, the space slammer, for smuggling a pet onto the no-pet planet. The story clearly embraces the twenty-first-century graphic novel trend but has an ambiance reminiscent of the wacky rhymes and unique characters envisioned by the late, great Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss), melded with futuristic 1960s cartoon fare such as The Jetsons or the soft, cyberpunk-adjacent Inspector Gadget. The futuristic space travel theme is a popular one, made anew with the amusing launch of the tale's backstory in the city of Noodleham, before readers embark on the main adventure.
The fascinating and nearly overwhelming cast of characters includes both human beings and nonhuman beings. The many unique and humorous situations and obstacles that unfold in the course of a zany sci-fi plot, featuring pickle-powered noodle craft, will transport readers from the city comforts of Noodleham to the stars and back again. Food and fun play a major role in the rhyming story, and Snoodles in Space could certainly fuel a plethora of birthday bashes and holiday masquerades inspired by this quirky cartoon universe.
The chapter book language seems geared to a middle-grade audience, but it could certainly be enjoyed as a tongue-twisting read-to or a pleasurable journey of paging through illustrations by the picture book set. The narrative's action-packed wordplay will certainly be appreciated by parents, teachers, and caretakers who are young at heart, too. There are so many lively twists, turns, and diversions in this story that it's quite possible to discover and rediscover it many times in multiple flights of anticipation and whimsy.
But wait, there's more! Good guys and villains populate both the Earth-centered and space-centered settings, so there are many amusing, edge-of-the-seat conflicts to unpack and unravel, each one more whackadoodle than the last. Author Joseph and illustrator Andy Case should be commended for the unparalleled imagination needed to craft this energetic, high-tech adventure. The intertwined plots often focus on cooperation between characters in order to solve their dilemmas, and clearly, good in this noodly universe always prevails over evil.
There's even more than one type of intergalactic music and dancing to engage the senses, including a warm welcome for Grandfadoodle and the poodle from Noodleham by a jazzy feline quartet, the Trash Can Cats. The detailed, comic-style page spreads are fun to examine, and kids will enjoy turning the pages and anticipating the high-energy antics that happen next. If readers are up for some ballroom dancing, why tango when you can tangozoodle, or kick back and listen to the Zoodle Symphony Orchestra? In fact, readers can listen to a free soundtrack, titled "Noodleham Rocks: The Album," on Bandcamp to accompany the text. This is billed as an exciting mix of "spacey synth-pop to interplanetary polka to straight-up pickle-fueled punk rock. Overall, this tale is an uninhibited escape from mundane reality and a fanciful reminder to have fun and explore both inner and outer space. It should incite many genuine belly laughs in readers of all ages.
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