Mr. Fuzzface had on a white apron, and a white chef’s hat. Mrs. Noodlekugel had a flowered apron.

“Here are aprons for you, children,” Mrs. Noodlekugel said. “You may help me mix the gingerbread dough.”

 

Nick and Maxine helped Mrs. Noodlekugel measure flour, molasses, butter, and ground ginger into a big bowl, also brown sugar and cinnamon. Then they took turns mixing with a big wooden spoon.

“I will add salt, an egg, and baking powder,” Mr. Fuzzface said.

“Mix it well! Mix it well!” Mrs. Noodlekugel said.

“Now it is time to roll out the dough,” Mr. Fuzzface said. “Then I will call the mice.”

“What will the mice do?” Maxine asked.

“We will show you,” Mrs. Noodlekugel said. “Mr. Fuzzface, please call the mice.”

The four mice scrambled up onto the kitchen table.

“Now the mice will lie down on the cookie dough,” Mrs. Noodlekugel said. “And we will trace around the mice with toothpicks. This way we will have mouse-shaped cookies. Be careful not to tickle the mice, children. They are quite ticklish.”

Maxine and Nick traced around the mice with toothpicks. The mice giggled. Mrs. Noodlekugel took the mouse-shaped pieces of dough and put them on a big metal cookie sheet.

The mice themselves made cookie shapes, but they were so farsighted that the shapes did not look like mice. They looked like blobs.

“The outlines of mice the children made with toothpicks will be gingermice,” Mrs. Noodlekugel said. “And the cookies the mice have made will be gingerblobs.”

“Is this sanitary?” Nick asked.

“What do you mean?” Mrs. Noodlekugel asked.

“I mean, we are going to eat cookies made from dough that had mice lying on it,” Nick said.

“Oh, we will not eat the gingermice, only the gingerblobs,” Mrs. Noodlekugel said. “The gingermice are just for fun.”

“So, we will not eat cookies made from dough that had mice lying on it, but it is OK to eat cookies mice made with their paws?” Nick asked.

“Mr. Fuzzface, did the mice wash their paws before making cookies?” Mrs. Noodlekugel asked.

“What?” Mr. Fuzzface said.