When your dad speaks five languages, your mom is a beautiful singer and your sister is an ice skater, you have a lot to live up to, which is five year-old Eddie's predicament. After overhearing her sister talk about their mother's birthday, Eddie sets out to find her mother the perfect present. Her quest leads her to travel around her neighborhood asking the baker, florist, butcher and others if they have a squishy to give her mother. When she comes upon an adorable pink creature, Eddie knows she has found the perfect gift, then uses what she gained through her search to discover her own talents and bring the unique fluffy home.

Winner of 2016 Mildred L. Batchelder Award.

Author was born in Italy.

French. Originally published in French as Le Merveilleux Dodu-Velu-Petit by Albin Michel Jeunesse in 2014. English translation by Claudia Zoe Bedrick published in the United States by Enchanted Lion Books in 2015.

Eddie is five-and-a-half and thinks she is the only one in her family without a special talent. So when she hears her sister say 'birthday--Mommy--fluffy--little--squishy, ' she worries that her sister will give Mom the better present. From that moment on, she is determined to find a fluffy little squishy of her own. Uttterly charming, clever and gregarious, little Eddie goes about her neighborhood in search of the perfect birthday present. It's a magical adventure that draws on Eddie's own special talents, which end up surprising her most of all! --