The Truly Great Noodle Review

The Truly Great Noodle is a really fun and creative interactive storybook for iPad that has a lot of goofy interactions hidden among the pages and some interesting extras. Very good narration is included, as well as a record feature, but reading this book to oneself is also an option.

This story is about a boy named Nate, who is served a plate of a never-ending noodle, so immense that this noodle extends out of Nate’s house and through the entire neighborhood, going on quite an adventure at night, meeting odd characters and finding itself in sometimes gloriously yucky situations, all the while as Nate is doing his best to suck this noodle back home and into his belly.

My son and I really enjoy the style of this story, but I must say, it is an acquired taste, and there are those who may consider it peppered with “gross-out” humor. Although I did not find any parts inappropriate for my 3.5 year old son, do understand that I am fond of a good fart or burp joke. This story's rhyming nature reminds me of Dr Seuss, mixed with the off-beat humor and odd-ball laughs reminiscent of Dr Demento or The Fireside Theatre.

The plot is simple as one watches the adventure of this noodle at night in many strange situations, such as interacting with a dog down the street or a toad in a lake, as well as going through a sandbox, conveniently as a cat is finishing up his business in the privacy that nighttime offers, through a pig pen, complete with a farting pig and other moments, such as a skunk going through the garbage and a crotchety old man sleeping in a rocking chair. I enjoyed explaining to my curious son exactly what is happening, as I have talked to him about cats and what happens to open, public sandboxes at night and the potential for skunks in garbage cans - things that one must venture out at night to witness.

Among all of these pages, both with Nate in the kitchen and on the adventure in the neighborhood, tap about to find the plethora of interactions, especially a comical mouse whose antics are found within each page of the story. These interactions are numerous, creative, a lot of fun and quite stimulating to the reader - also an acquired taste as many of these elements also have a free-flowing feel to them that are often not focused on the narrative thread but are simply a lot of fun, and it is obvious that the developers had a lot of fun with this app as well.

Personally, I enjoy the fart and burp humor included within this app, necessary for this target audience, as some of these noises are abundant, especially at the end of this story where even the tappable framed art on the wall of the kitchen belch, as does Nate, also looking very close to becoming horribly sick only to feel better just in time, giving the reader a knowing smile. There is also a fun surprise ending that can turn a stomach if taken literally, as is the charm of this application.

I appreciate the vague period look this story has - the pastel walls and furnishings along with a vintage-looking radio, working gears behind the clock, and the baritone delivery of the narrator, all elements that I really enjoy. My son loves looking for the hot spots, sometimes pushing my hand away silently, focusing on all the sights and sounds of this application.

A Burp-o-Meter is also included, where the reader is challenged by Nate to outperform his fanciful burps - a difficult task to be sure. Record one’s own bodily noises to play back and get judged on quality and even saving the sounds for later and well being ranked, although it is not clear if the parameters are focusing on the volume or length of belch.

A very nice selection of songs is also included which is available from iTunes to download as well, and the songs are quite good, many with a different sound reminiscent of different styles of music that adults will recognize and would be at home on the Dr Demento Show, such as a gravelly Tom Waits-sounding voice singing about Mac and Cheese or a song about overindulging with a decidedly surf music feel.

I am impressed with what this app has to offer, being a fan of this type of humor, especially when it is done with such quality as it is here with all the elements of story, illustrations, interactions and music which are all well-crafted and perfectly realized for the application that these developers set out to make.

It is also worth noting that, although much of this app is played for laughs, it is nice that these developers at Grids Interactive donate a percentage of net profits to charities, specifically Kids Against Hunger, for this title.

I look forward to seeing more applications from Grids Interactive, as I enjoy their style and taste in comedy, but I get that this app will not be for every family.