By Jonathan Graziano, illustrated by Dan Tavis
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2022
Picture book, 32 pages, ages 2+
Noodle is a silly, stubborn, sweet old pug. Jonathan is his human who takes him on walks and gives him snacks (his favorite).
Inspired by the real-life Noodle (whose videos went viral on TikTok)
One day, Noodle doesn’t want to get out of his bed or go on a walk. He’s not sick – he still wants snacks! But when Jonathan picks him up, it feels like Noodle has no bones. Noodle just wants to spend a lazy day inside in his bed … with snacks. Jonathan thinks this looks like a great idea. After that, some days are bones days, some days are no bones days.
This story was inspired by the real-life Noodle (whose videos went viral on TikTok) and written by the real-life Jonathan. It’s a simple story, half of it focused on introducing Noodle and his bond with Jonathan. It also comes with a gentle message: it’s okay to slow down and have a relaxing day every now and then.
For the most part, I really enjoyed the writing, narrated in third person. One thing that was slightly confusing for me was the bones/no bones part of the story. It feels more like an inside joke and I think it would have been more understandable if I was familiar with the TikTok videos. Because I wasn’t, I thought the title referred to Noodle not having any bones to chew on. (Yeah…it took me a minute to catch on!) So to me, it felt gimmicky.
Dan Tavis proves himself a talented illustrator and imbues a lazy pug with a lot of personality!
Will kids like this book? If they’re familiar with Noodle on TikTok, they’ll love this book. If, like me, they didn’t know who Noodle was before reading it, the story might not resonate as strongly with them. But Noodle is adorably illustrated, which will help them connect; he’s a character!
Noodle and the No Bones Day by Jonathan Graziano gets 4 stars from this reviewer.