Noodles is a little boy who loves to play outside in the mud puddle. Mud oozes through his fingers and his toes; it squishes around his leg; it's caked on his clothing; and it's smeared in his eyes and his hair. Noodles refuses to go in the house for lunch or dinner because his mom will make him wash his hands and take a bath. He even jumps into bed covered in mud.
Noodles is so dirty his mom says he's going to turn into a pig. Noodles begins to worry when his nose becomes flat, and he has a little pig tail and little pig ears. He is ashamed. He doesn't want to be a pig. He gathers his courage and asks his mom to help him become a little boy again.