When their father decides to compete to be speed-knitting champion of the world, 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....

Melvin recounts his extraordinary adventures in time and space with his 111year-old sort of great-Uncle Borgel.

When a seagull drops a can of orange paint on his neat house, Mr. Plumbean gets an idea that affects his entire neighborhood.

Yetta, the beautiful chicken, breaks free from the truck that is carrying her to market. She quickly realizes the big city is nothing like the chicken farm. She is scared and confused until she meets and saves the life of a little, green parrot.

Victor's parents go away for two weeks. It is while staying up late watching television that he discovers evidence of a secret community of intelligent lizards. In fact there seems to have been an invasion from outer space that went almost unnoticed.

Big Bob and Big Gloria, who are friends because they are both large for their age, start a new trend when their second-grade class is supposed to make turkey decorations for Thanksgiving.

Irving and Muktuk, two muffin-eating polar bears from the frozen north, have some trouble fitting into life at the zoo in Bayonne, New Jersely.

After three Hoboken children and their giant chicken Henrietta begin to appreciate beautiful sidewalk art, they venture into art class and visits to Manhattan.

Flash Fleetwood finds a very quiet gorilla which he names Phil, and, to the delight of the second grade students, their teacher Mrs. Hotdogbun says he may attend school along with them.

A bear continues to paint what he likes despite criticism from two passing gentlemen.