There is a carrot in my ear, and other noodle tales

Schwartz's noodle tales, drawn from diverse folk sources, are really jokes that culminate in a final punchline--except for the sixth and last which strings together a collection of one-liners about going to bed. (A sample: ""I am taking my ruler to bed. I want to know how long I sleep."") Schwartz casts all the anecdotes to feature the Brown family, pictured as cheerful humans with rodent-like profiles, who start out by cooling off in a swimming pool that hasn't yet been filled with water. Next, young Sam and Jane Brown, camping out, elude a swarm of mosquitoes only to be visited by fireflies. ""'Oh, no!' Sam groaned. 'They are back! And now they are looking for us with flashlights.'"" The title tine, from a vaudeville exchange, is spoken by Jane, who is puzzled by the development because ""I planted radishes."" And so it goes, in brisk, easy-to-read words and sentences: trusty nuggets that give beginning readers some periodic reinforcement. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.