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The Wonderful Fluffy Little Squishy
Eddie is five and a half, and thinks she is the only one in her family who isn’t really good at something. So when she hears her little sister say “birthday—Mommy—fluffy—little—squishy,” it’s extra important for her to find this amazing present before anyone else does. So, gregarious, charming, clever little Eddie goes all around the neighborhood to all her fabulous friends—the florist, the chic boutique owner, the antiques dealer, and even the intimidating butcher—to find one. It’s a magical adventure that draws on Eddie’s special gifts, ones that she herself learns to appreciate.
Beatrice Alemagna was born in Italy in 1973. At the age of eight, she decided that whatever the cost she would become a "painter and writer of novels" when she grew up.
Beatrice Alemagna was born in Italy in 1973. At the age of eight, she decided that whatever the cost she would become a "painter and writer of novels" when she grew up.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2015
3 people are currently reading
544 people want to read
About the author
Beatrice Alemagna
78 books207 followersBeatrice Alemagna was born in Bologna, Italy in 1973. She graduated from the Istituto Superiore for industrial arts in Urbino, Italy. She has won numerous international awards for her illustration. She now lives in Paris, France, where she works as an author and illustrator as well as a designer of childrens books, posters and collages.
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March 3, 2017
I don't really have an opening quote for this.*
I found this amazing little book quite by accident. When you open it, you are shocked by the neon pink end pages. Then the story begins.
My name is Edith, but my friends call me Eddie. I'm five-and-a-half years old.
My dad speaks five languages, my mom sings like a bird, my sister is an ice-skating queen, but me - I don't know how to do anything.
Nothing at all. That's what I think, anyway.
We see her waking up, getting dressed, and brushing her teeth.
On the next page we see her in the kitchen, drinking from a huge cup that has crazy bubbles flying out of it.
This morning I heard my sister say these words: "birthday - Mommy - fuzzy - little - squishy." "Oh, no!" I thought. "She's going to give Mom the most amazing present!"
I had to do something. But what?
Eddie runs through the streets of Paris to find Mr. John, the baker. She knows that with all his wonderful, squishy things he will be able to help her.
Running through the streets of Paris
"Hello, Mr. John! Do you have a FLUFFY SQUISHY?"
"I must say, little Eddie, that sounds completely inedible, but I do have some warm brioches. Take one for the road."
Eddie runs off to see Wendy, the prettiest florist in the whole neighborhood.
She walks into the florist's shop and we see a perfectly ordinary woman with short red hair and glasses.
"A TUFTY FLUFFY? That must be a fuzzy plant," Wendy decided. "Take this clover. It will bring you luck."
Wendy hands Eddie a four-leaf clover.
The fluffiest place Eddie can think of is Mimi's shop - a boutique. She is sure she will find the Wonderful fluffy little squishy there.
"A FLUFFY FUZZY? Oh, my dear girl, fuzzy isn't fashionable at all! But here, take this. It's very precious," Mimi assured me.
Mimi hands Eddie a mother-of-pearl button.
Mimi runs off through the streets of Paris to go see the most fashionable person in the whole wide world.
This is Emmett, the antique dealer. Note: the readers can see he is not the least bit fashionable.
"A PLUMP WHATSIT?" asked Emmett. "Hmmm... I don't have anything quite like that, Eddie. But here is a real treasure for your mother: a stamp from the British Navy. EX-TRE-ME-LY RARE! I'm sure she'll love it."
And he proceeds to hand over a stamp (worth hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars) to a five-and-a-half year old. Or possibly he's just fucking with her and the stamp is practically worthless? Not clear.
Either way, Eddie doesn't appreciate it and is rather disappointed by the stamp.
She takes it and runs through the streets of Paris to Theo's shop. He's the butcher.
The big grump was my last hope.
Theo's butcher shop is laid out in loving detail by Alemagna. Cuts of meat, hog's heads hanging from the ceiling, and pictures on the wall detailing cuts of meat.
"A what? A SILLY SQUISHY?" yelled Theo, pointing his big knife right at my nose. "I don't have time for such foolishness! Go on, get out of here, Eddie!"
We see Theo leaning over Eddie, holding a bloody, dripping knife right over Eddie's upturned face. The blood is about to fall on her nose and forehead.
She runs away.
AAAHHHH! I was so scared that I ran out of there as fast as a jack rabbit.
Darn it all! And now it was snowing. I felt so tired and discouraged that I looked for a place to rest.
It's just as she's given up that she hears some little giggles coming from the roof of a nearby house. She sees it!
It was an adorable little creature! Fluffy, inedible, not stylish, and rare. A true FLUFFY LITTLE SQUISHY, at last! My present with a thousand uses!
The thing looks like an extremely fluffy, bright neon pink rat.
Eddie explains and illustrates all its uses: pillow, scarf, decorative plant, amazing hat, personal masseuse, treasure-finder, duster, living sculpture, paintbrush. How about pet? I think it would work best as a pet.
Eddie uses Mr. John's brioche to try and lure the creature down from the roof. But it slips and falls into a garbage can. And Quentin the garbage man has just come round to collect it. Eddie begs him to open the trash bag, but he refuses to do so for such a dirty old rag.
Eddie, thinking about what rotten luck she's experiencing, goes rooting around in her pocket for the four-leaf clover that Wendy gave her. But when the old Navy stamp falls to the ground, Quentin's eyes widen.
"What's that?" Quentin burst out.
"English navy. EX-TRE-ME-LY RARE!"
Eddie shouts out, imitating Emmett. Quentin exclaims that he doesn't have this one in his collection. He offers to buy it off Eddie. She refuses, but offers it to him in exchange for the bag of trash.
The wonderful fluffy little squishy is now stinky and dirty. Eddie needs to give it a bath! Luckily there is a coin-operated fountain nearby. But Eddie doesn't have any coin! She uses Mimi's mother-of-pearl button, and the fountain miraculously works.
We stood under a waterfall of mist and snow. It was a beautiful sight and all the people applauded.
Eddie snuggles the wonderful fluffy little squishy and carries it home.
It was the best day ever! Because nobody before me had ever discovered such a wonder, which meant that I now knew how to do something better than anyone else: how to find FLUFFY LITTLE SQUISHIES.
Her mom is delighted with the squishy, putting it on her head as a hat.
"This FLUFFY LITTLE SQUISHY is the best present ever! Did you find it yourself?"
"I did! Me and my WONDERFUL FRIENDS!"
EL FIN
Okay, let's discuss this.
I picked this book up completely on a whim. I had no idea what to expect. It surprised and delighted me, even though I'm still not exactly sure what it was about.
The little girl does not think she is good at anything, but she is such a good person. What I really liked about this book was how she sees her (perfectly ordinary) friends. She thinks Wendy is the prettiest florist in the neighborhood. Wendy is a normal-looking woman with short red hair and glasses. She is not particularly pretty. But to Eddie, she is gorgeous. Eddie describes Emmett as: "the most fashionable person in the whole wide world." But we see Emmett as a chubby guy with glasses wearing a red sweater vest over a striped shirt. He's certainly not fashionable. But Eddie thinks he is.
I love how children see the world and I think Alemagna is doing a great job here. To a five-and-a-half year old, Grandmother may seem impossibly elegant. Mother may seem like the most beautiful woman in existence. The neighbor may seem like the smartest woman on the planet. But to adults, perhaps these people seem ordinary or plain. I love how she has captured a child's loving and exaggerated worldview here. Even as an adult, one can find that love colors your perspective on people. Also, seeing the true goodness in a person can make them 10x more beautiful and attractive to you. So even adults can hold on to this magic through love.
Her wonderful friends
I also like how Eddie runs through her Paris neighborhood. There are no adults with her. Everyone knows her. When they see her, they indulge her by giving her a little something from their shop. I like this community-style life and I like Eddie's freedom and great knowledge of her neighborhood and neighbors here.
I like how the wonderful fluffy little squishy actually exists - it isn't a figment of her imagination, and at the end she can proudly hand it to her mother, who is delighted. I wasn't sure how Alemagna was going to play this, but she goes all the way with this fantasy - the creature is real and Eddie finds one. She doesn't play it off as a rag or a stuffed animal or a hat or a discarded scarf that Eddie's imagination is bringing to life. The squishy is a living, breathing animal that is a shocking neon pink.
Which brings me to the exquisite pictures in this book. I could gush about them all day. Alemagna's brilliant use of colors is only ONE of the things that stands out. The bright day-glo pink of both the wonderful fluffy little squishy AND Eddie's puffy winter coat stand out and offer bright sparks of color for the reader to follow on each page. It's perfect, and spruces up an otherwise dull (purposefully dull) color scheme. This winter coat is EXACTLY the kind of thing a five-year-old girl would love and wear everywhere.
Not only that, but her illustrations are just top-notch. Wonderful. Words can't do them justice.
As I said earlier, the point of this story is rather unclear. The power of friendship? Her friends' generosity certainly makes everything possible for Eddie. Eddie being good at something? The book tries to claim it is finding the wonderful fluffy little squishy, but the reader can easily see that it is her loving, exuberant nature and her ability to love and worship those around her that makes her endearing and beloved by everyone. So she already is 'good at something' - something she is blind to. And it's not really a book about finding a present for your mother, at least not in my opinion.
Tl;dr - Oh, well. Despite it's muddled ideas, this book is a charmer. Stunning illustrations. A sweet heroine who has a lot of energy and friends all over town. A cute little animal kids will love - reminiscent of Coville's purring fluffy alien in his My Teacher Is An Alien series, another favorite of children.
Even though I'm not always a fan of Alemagna - I didn't like A Lion in Paris, for example - she knocks it out of the park with this one. Highly recommended.
*That usually indicates a bad book, but not this time. :D
I found this amazing little book quite by accident. When you open it, you are shocked by the neon pink end pages. Then the story begins.
My name is Edith, but my friends call me Eddie. I'm five-and-a-half years old.
My dad speaks five languages, my mom sings like a bird, my sister is an ice-skating queen, but me - I don't know how to do anything.
Nothing at all. That's what I think, anyway.
We see her waking up, getting dressed, and brushing her teeth.
On the next page we see her in the kitchen, drinking from a huge cup that has crazy bubbles flying out of it.
This morning I heard my sister say these words: "birthday - Mommy - fuzzy - little - squishy." "Oh, no!" I thought. "She's going to give Mom the most amazing present!"
I had to do something. But what?
Eddie runs through the streets of Paris to find Mr. John, the baker. She knows that with all his wonderful, squishy things he will be able to help her.
Running through the streets of Paris
"Hello, Mr. John! Do you have a FLUFFY SQUISHY?"
"I must say, little Eddie, that sounds completely inedible, but I do have some warm brioches. Take one for the road."
Eddie runs off to see Wendy, the prettiest florist in the whole neighborhood.
She walks into the florist's shop and we see a perfectly ordinary woman with short red hair and glasses.
"A TUFTY FLUFFY? That must be a fuzzy plant," Wendy decided. "Take this clover. It will bring you luck."
Wendy hands Eddie a four-leaf clover.
The fluffiest place Eddie can think of is Mimi's shop - a boutique. She is sure she will find the Wonderful fluffy little squishy there.
"A FLUFFY FUZZY? Oh, my dear girl, fuzzy isn't fashionable at all! But here, take this. It's very precious," Mimi assured me.
Mimi hands Eddie a mother-of-pearl button.
Mimi runs off through the streets of Paris to go see the most fashionable person in the whole wide world.
This is Emmett, the antique dealer. Note: the readers can see he is not the least bit fashionable.
"A PLUMP WHATSIT?" asked Emmett. "Hmmm... I don't have anything quite like that, Eddie. But here is a real treasure for your mother: a stamp from the British Navy. EX-TRE-ME-LY RARE! I'm sure she'll love it."
And he proceeds to hand over a stamp (worth hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars) to a five-and-a-half year old. Or possibly he's just fucking with her and the stamp is practically worthless? Not clear.
Either way, Eddie doesn't appreciate it and is rather disappointed by the stamp.
She takes it and runs through the streets of Paris to Theo's shop. He's the butcher.
The big grump was my last hope.
Theo's butcher shop is laid out in loving detail by Alemagna. Cuts of meat, hog's heads hanging from the ceiling, and pictures on the wall detailing cuts of meat.
"A what? A SILLY SQUISHY?" yelled Theo, pointing his big knife right at my nose. "I don't have time for such foolishness! Go on, get out of here, Eddie!"
We see Theo leaning over Eddie, holding a bloody, dripping knife right over Eddie's upturned face. The blood is about to fall on her nose and forehead.
She runs away.
AAAHHHH! I was so scared that I ran out of there as fast as a jack rabbit.
Darn it all! And now it was snowing. I felt so tired and discouraged that I looked for a place to rest.
It's just as she's given up that she hears some little giggles coming from the roof of a nearby house. She sees it!
It was an adorable little creature! Fluffy, inedible, not stylish, and rare. A true FLUFFY LITTLE SQUISHY, at last! My present with a thousand uses!
The thing looks like an extremely fluffy, bright neon pink rat.
Eddie explains and illustrates all its uses: pillow, scarf, decorative plant, amazing hat, personal masseuse, treasure-finder, duster, living sculpture, paintbrush. How about pet? I think it would work best as a pet.
Eddie uses Mr. John's brioche to try and lure the creature down from the roof. But it slips and falls into a garbage can. And Quentin the garbage man has just come round to collect it. Eddie begs him to open the trash bag, but he refuses to do so for such a dirty old rag.
Eddie, thinking about what rotten luck she's experiencing, goes rooting around in her pocket for the four-leaf clover that Wendy gave her. But when the old Navy stamp falls to the ground, Quentin's eyes widen.
"What's that?" Quentin burst out.
"English navy. EX-TRE-ME-LY RARE!"
Eddie shouts out, imitating Emmett. Quentin exclaims that he doesn't have this one in his collection. He offers to buy it off Eddie. She refuses, but offers it to him in exchange for the bag of trash.
The wonderful fluffy little squishy is now stinky and dirty. Eddie needs to give it a bath! Luckily there is a coin-operated fountain nearby. But Eddie doesn't have any coin! She uses Mimi's mother-of-pearl button, and the fountain miraculously works.
We stood under a waterfall of mist and snow. It was a beautiful sight and all the people applauded.
Eddie snuggles the wonderful fluffy little squishy and carries it home.
It was the best day ever! Because nobody before me had ever discovered such a wonder, which meant that I now knew how to do something better than anyone else: how to find FLUFFY LITTLE SQUISHIES.
Her mom is delighted with the squishy, putting it on her head as a hat.
"This FLUFFY LITTLE SQUISHY is the best present ever! Did you find it yourself?"
"I did! Me and my WONDERFUL FRIENDS!"
EL FIN
Okay, let's discuss this.
I picked this book up completely on a whim. I had no idea what to expect. It surprised and delighted me, even though I'm still not exactly sure what it was about.
The little girl does not think she is good at anything, but she is such a good person. What I really liked about this book was how she sees her (perfectly ordinary) friends. She thinks Wendy is the prettiest florist in the neighborhood. Wendy is a normal-looking woman with short red hair and glasses. She is not particularly pretty. But to Eddie, she is gorgeous. Eddie describes Emmett as: "the most fashionable person in the whole wide world." But we see Emmett as a chubby guy with glasses wearing a red sweater vest over a striped shirt. He's certainly not fashionable. But Eddie thinks he is.
I love how children see the world and I think Alemagna is doing a great job here. To a five-and-a-half year old, Grandmother may seem impossibly elegant. Mother may seem like the most beautiful woman in existence. The neighbor may seem like the smartest woman on the planet. But to adults, perhaps these people seem ordinary or plain. I love how she has captured a child's loving and exaggerated worldview here. Even as an adult, one can find that love colors your perspective on people. Also, seeing the true goodness in a person can make them 10x more beautiful and attractive to you. So even adults can hold on to this magic through love.
Her wonderful friends
I also like how Eddie runs through her Paris neighborhood. There are no adults with her. Everyone knows her. When they see her, they indulge her by giving her a little something from their shop. I like this community-style life and I like Eddie's freedom and great knowledge of her neighborhood and neighbors here.
I like how the wonderful fluffy little squishy actually exists - it isn't a figment of her imagination, and at the end she can proudly hand it to her mother, who is delighted. I wasn't sure how Alemagna was going to play this, but she goes all the way with this fantasy - the creature is real and Eddie finds one. She doesn't play it off as a rag or a stuffed animal or a hat or a discarded scarf that Eddie's imagination is bringing to life. The squishy is a living, breathing animal that is a shocking neon pink.
Which brings me to the exquisite pictures in this book. I could gush about them all day. Alemagna's brilliant use of colors is only ONE of the things that stands out. The bright day-glo pink of both the wonderful fluffy little squishy AND Eddie's puffy winter coat stand out and offer bright sparks of color for the reader to follow on each page. It's perfect, and spruces up an otherwise dull (purposefully dull) color scheme. This winter coat is EXACTLY the kind of thing a five-year-old girl would love and wear everywhere.
Not only that, but her illustrations are just top-notch. Wonderful. Words can't do them justice.
As I said earlier, the point of this story is rather unclear. The power of friendship? Her friends' generosity certainly makes everything possible for Eddie. Eddie being good at something? The book tries to claim it is finding the wonderful fluffy little squishy, but the reader can easily see that it is her loving, exuberant nature and her ability to love and worship those around her that makes her endearing and beloved by everyone. So she already is 'good at something' - something she is blind to. And it's not really a book about finding a present for your mother, at least not in my opinion.
Tl;dr - Oh, well. Despite it's muddled ideas, this book is a charmer. Stunning illustrations. A sweet heroine who has a lot of energy and friends all over town. A cute little animal kids will love - reminiscent of Coville's purring fluffy alien in his My Teacher Is An Alien series, another favorite of children.
Even though I'm not always a fan of Alemagna - I didn't like A Lion in Paris, for example - she knocks it out of the park with this one. Highly recommended.
*That usually indicates a bad book, but not this time. :D
December 29, 2017
This book is seriously adorable. The four-year-old test subject agreed, although I had to change the words a bit to make it easier for her to follow (I don't think she's very developed in her reading behaviors). The drawings remind me of a more refined Madeline style, with improved shading and coloring. The Fluffy Little Squishy is a bright spot of color on the pages.
There was one scary spot where the heroine goes into a butcher shop where the butcher is furiously wielding his knife in front of many customers. The four-year-old focused in on that immediately. Oddly, it's also the section that has a fold-out page, a detailed picture that should have been given to a different, less scary and more interesting scene. It was the only off note in a charming book.
For further details on plot, along with great pictures of the illustration style, I refer you to Carmen's excellent review.
There was one scary spot where the heroine goes into a butcher shop where the butcher is furiously wielding his knife in front of many customers. The four-year-old focused in on that immediately. Oddly, it's also the section that has a fold-out page, a detailed picture that should have been given to a different, less scary and more interesting scene. It was the only off note in a charming book.
For further details on plot, along with great pictures of the illustration style, I refer you to Carmen's excellent review.
July 16, 2019
3.5 stars. I do like the style of these illustrations, the details, the lines and colours, some pages were really fascinating, I loved looking into these French shops as we follow a little girl seeking a present for her mother. A pity the fold out page featured a butcher's shop, it would have been lovely to see any of the other shops in detail but I don't think many children would enjoy seeing the pigs head and birds hanging by their necks. It would have been so much more enjoyable to see a fold out of the village or the bakers.
January 8, 2021
I'm very glad for Eddie's sake that her mother liked her gift so much after all the work Eddie put into finding it.
Please do not get me a fluffy little squishy for my birthday though, friends.
Please do not get me a fluffy little squishy for my birthday though, friends.
April 28, 2018
I love the illustration. The story is pretty cute.
But that’s all about it :)
But that’s all about it :)
November 10, 2018
When five-and-a-half-year-old Edith - Eddie for short - overhears her sister mumbling the words "birthday - Mommy - fluffy - little - squishy," the young girl realizes that she has nothing for her mother's birthday present. Determined to get a 'wonderful little fluffy squishy" herself, Eddie sets out to inquire at all of the local businesses for one. But although Mr. John the baker, Wendy the florist, Mimi the clothier and Emmett the antique dealer each give her something, she has no luck locating a fluffy little squishy... until a bright pink something appears on a roof above her head. It is then that Eddie finds the little gifts given to her by her neighborhood friends useful, in enticing the squishy, and then rescuing it....
Originally published in France as Le merveilleux Dodu-Velu-Petit, this entertaining and beautifully-illustrated picture-book from Italian author/artist Béatrice Alemagna won the 2016 Batchelder Award, given annually by the American Library Association for Library Service to Children to the best work of translated children's literature from the previous year. Unsurprisingly, given their generally excellent catalogue, The Wonderful Fluffy Little Squishy was published here in the states by Brooklyn-based Enchanted Lion Books, which has presented some amazing foreign-language titles to American children over the last few years. I enjoyed the story here, and appreciated its depiction of a sensitive young girl's striving for a sense of self, for something that sets her apart in her family of over-achievers. I also greatly appreciated the artwork, which looks to be created in a variety of media, and has a colorful, stylized feeling that is very appealing. The splashes of bright pink - not usually my favorite color, but here it just works - added to the sense of visual fun. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about birthdays, searching for the perfect present, and/or looking for one's own talent.
Originally published in France as Le merveilleux Dodu-Velu-Petit, this entertaining and beautifully-illustrated picture-book from Italian author/artist Béatrice Alemagna won the 2016 Batchelder Award, given annually by the American Library Association for Library Service to Children to the best work of translated children's literature from the previous year. Unsurprisingly, given their generally excellent catalogue, The Wonderful Fluffy Little Squishy was published here in the states by Brooklyn-based Enchanted Lion Books, which has presented some amazing foreign-language titles to American children over the last few years. I enjoyed the story here, and appreciated its depiction of a sensitive young girl's striving for a sense of self, for something that sets her apart in her family of over-achievers. I also greatly appreciated the artwork, which looks to be created in a variety of media, and has a colorful, stylized feeling that is very appealing. The splashes of bright pink - not usually my favorite color, but here it just works - added to the sense of visual fun. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about birthdays, searching for the perfect present, and/or looking for one's own talent.
March 4, 2016
I was a little confused by the end because we never found out what her sister got her mother and how it related to a "fuzzy little squishy." Eddie is only partially overhearing something and we never know what it is. That part is just kinda left dangling. And it won the Batchelder. Hmm. I wasn't blown away by it in the least.
January 11, 2018
What a 'marvellous' book! A story about the young, independent, clumsy and adventurous Eddie discovering who she is, on a journey to find her Mum a 'fluffy, squishy, itty, bitty' Birthday present. Within this story, you meet a number of interesting characters who help (or don't help) Eddie on her quest. This book is translated from French and is set in a gorgeously illustrated French town, featuring their independent and unique shops. The illustrations are created from a variety of materials. Alemagna uses crayons, pencils, paints, magazines, collages and pens to create the fun and colourful illustrations which bring the French town to life.
My peers and I read this book together for our literature module as part of our teaching degree. We have created a creative curriculum plan around this wonderful book, which you can access here if you are interested: https://app.box.com/s/y4w9kq2w3vjfhaj...
My peers and I read this book together for our literature module as part of our teaching degree. We have created a creative curriculum plan around this wonderful book, which you can access here if you are interested: https://app.box.com/s/y4w9kq2w3vjfhaj...
April 25, 2016
This wins the award for most pointless fold-out. Yes, the butcher shop has a lot of customers and there's a lot for sale there. So what? This book seems to be an excuse for the illustrations.
August 29, 2019
I WANT TO LIVE IN THIS BOOK.
I do wonder, Is the squishy a living creature?
But everything is so rich and luscious I just want to stay here forever.
I do wonder, Is the squishy a living creature?
But everything is so rich and luscious I just want to stay here forever.
August 13, 2021
Darling illustrations and cute story. One page was a bit scary but easy to help child understand it’s a butchers shop and he is cutting meat. My daughter loves the fluffy little squishy 🥰
March 13, 2016
It really didn't take this long to read only this long to put a review together. A story which celebrates one child's imagination and determination, this translated text is glorious in every way you want a picturebook to be. The story, its characters and message alongside the wonderfully bright and busy illustrations make this a wonderful read and one which invites a celebration in terms of a creative curriculum. You only need look to what Zoe Toft createswith her own children to see its potential.
Highly celebrated for her art and books in her own country, Alemagna's story took several years to make and was inspired by Pippi Longstockingadventures. Caught by one particular episode in which Pippi went looking for something that she had made up, Alemagna's own protagonist, the equally wonderfully haired Eddie, searches for an original present for her mother which captures the love she has for her as well as a sense of Eddie's own identity.
What works incredibly well though is the sense of wonder we see Eddie experience when she walks into the different shops to look for a gift. We experience everything just above Eddie's height and there is a sense of mystery and awe in these different shops which I can imagine readers experiencing this too.
Highly celebrated for her art and books in her own country, Alemagna's story took several years to make and was inspired by Pippi Longstockingadventures. Caught by one particular episode in which Pippi went looking for something that she had made up, Alemagna's own protagonist, the equally wonderfully haired Eddie, searches for an original present for her mother which captures the love she has for her as well as a sense of Eddie's own identity.
What works incredibly well though is the sense of wonder we see Eddie experience when she walks into the different shops to look for a gift. We experience everything just above Eddie's height and there is a sense of mystery and awe in these different shops which I can imagine readers experiencing this too.
December 19, 2016
I like the style and detail of the pictures, but the text falls flat. Normally, it would bother me that I didn't find out exactly what a fluffy little squishy is - or what the older sister bought for the mother's birthday - but the story didn't even interest me enough to get me wondering. I would love to see this artist illustrate something else - perhaps written by another author. In the meantime, two great books about deciding what to give one's mother are Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present and Ask Mr. Bear.
March 18, 2017
What a fun, fanciful story! There's a lot to like about this picture book. I adore the illustrations (always love it when there's a little collage-y touches thrown in, as well as "lines" worked into the overall artwork). The shocking pink endpapers, continuing into the story, are wonderful, as is the illustration on the closing endpaper. There's so much to see on every page! Perfect for five year olds...and four year olds...and six year olds....
February 1, 2017
Eddie (short for Edith) is a five year old girl who overhears her older sister say "birthday-Mommy-fuzzy-little-squishy" and the hunt is on to find the perfect "fluffy little squishy" for her mom's birthday.
Eddie travels around town visiting her friends who own different shops, and while they can't supply her with what she is looking for; they all (excluding the butcher) give her something for a gift for her mother. After being chased out of the butcher shop, Eddie, feeling sorry for herself about the lack of a "fluffy little squishy", sits down under a roof only to encounter a vibrant pink "squishy" animal- the perfect fluffy squishy that can be used for virtually anything including a duster and a treasure finder! Eddie uses the gifts she has acquired from her shop friends to rescue and then clean up her fuzzy squishy. Her mother loves it and we end the story with the fluffy squishy being worn as a posh pink hat.
The artwork in this story is amazing- amazingly vibrant and detailed pictures depict a quaint French town. Excluding her mother at the very end (with her pink hat), Eddie is the only one wearing pink in the entire story. Her coat is so vibrant your eye is immediately drawn to it on every page -or multiple places when Eddie is pictured running into every store! (It reminds me of another famous French character who is the only one wearing blue in her village :)) There is a pull-out page while in the butcher shop that gives even greater depth to the size of this town. The mediums of the pictures also change (from crayon, pencil, oil pastel) that the entire story is a work of art!
I thought that this story was very cute and it shows how while something may not at first seem useful or valuable to us; sometimes they are just what we truly need when the time comes (Eddie used a button to replace a coin to use the fountain) and how by helping someone else you too can be rewarded. I did however, feel that some of this story was lost in translation. It may also just be me, but what parent allows a five year old to go running around town by herself? On the butcher shop page, every other child pictured is with a parent and most are even holding onto their child. It would have also been nice to see what Eddie's sister bought for their mom's birthday because we never get to see the origin of the need of a "fluffy little squishy."
I would recommend this story for the primary grades to show how everything has value even if it's not monetary. Students could even turn it into a type of giving project where they assist classmates who may be needing something they they themselves no longer need or want. Overall, a sweet story that shows that persistence does pay off.
(In case you were wondering, Belle from Beauty in the Beast is the only one who wears blue)
Winner of the Batchelder Award
Eddie travels around town visiting her friends who own different shops, and while they can't supply her with what she is looking for; they all (excluding the butcher) give her something for a gift for her mother. After being chased out of the butcher shop, Eddie, feeling sorry for herself about the lack of a "fluffy little squishy", sits down under a roof only to encounter a vibrant pink "squishy" animal- the perfect fluffy squishy that can be used for virtually anything including a duster and a treasure finder! Eddie uses the gifts she has acquired from her shop friends to rescue and then clean up her fuzzy squishy. Her mother loves it and we end the story with the fluffy squishy being worn as a posh pink hat.
The artwork in this story is amazing- amazingly vibrant and detailed pictures depict a quaint French town. Excluding her mother at the very end (with her pink hat), Eddie is the only one wearing pink in the entire story. Her coat is so vibrant your eye is immediately drawn to it on every page -or multiple places when Eddie is pictured running into every store! (It reminds me of another famous French character who is the only one wearing blue in her village :)) There is a pull-out page while in the butcher shop that gives even greater depth to the size of this town. The mediums of the pictures also change (from crayon, pencil, oil pastel) that the entire story is a work of art!
I thought that this story was very cute and it shows how while something may not at first seem useful or valuable to us; sometimes they are just what we truly need when the time comes (Eddie used a button to replace a coin to use the fountain) and how by helping someone else you too can be rewarded. I did however, feel that some of this story was lost in translation. It may also just be me, but what parent allows a five year old to go running around town by herself? On the butcher shop page, every other child pictured is with a parent and most are even holding onto their child. It would have also been nice to see what Eddie's sister bought for their mom's birthday because we never get to see the origin of the need of a "fluffy little squishy."
I would recommend this story for the primary grades to show how everything has value even if it's not monetary. Students could even turn it into a type of giving project where they assist classmates who may be needing something they they themselves no longer need or want. Overall, a sweet story that shows that persistence does pay off.
(In case you were wondering, Belle from Beauty in the Beast is the only one who wears blue)
Winner of the Batchelder Award
December 6, 2020
"The Wonderful Fluffy Little Squishy Book" by Beatrice Alemagna is a picture book that was published in 2014. The book won the Mildred L. Batchelder Award for international literature in 2016. The book was originally published in French and then translated to English.
The book is set in France and it follows little Eddie throughout her day as she tries to find her mother the perfect birthday gift. Eddie overhears her sister saying that she will find something wonderful, fluffy, little and squishy. She goes throughout her town looking for the perfect gift and asks many different people to help her. As she goes on her journey she learns it is more difficult to find this perfect gift. As the various shop keepers try to help her she realizes the gifts aren't perfect she begins to feel defeated. When she finally finds it, she realizes that her journey helped her find the perfect gift. The gift has many uses and in the end her mother loves it!
The author did a great job of portraying Eddie and making us fall in love with her as she goes on her journey. She is quirky, funny and personable. The illustrator did a wonderful job of drawing illustrations that portrayed her town. It made you feel as though you were in France right there with Eddie. This helped portray an accurate depiction of the setting and put the reader in that place.
I listened to the book on Youtube that a teacher recorded. It was nice listening to her voice read the text and she added a cute little voice for Eddie!
This book was a great picture book for young readers and they will enjoy to go on this journey with Eddie!
The book is set in France and it follows little Eddie throughout her day as she tries to find her mother the perfect birthday gift. Eddie overhears her sister saying that she will find something wonderful, fluffy, little and squishy. She goes throughout her town looking for the perfect gift and asks many different people to help her. As she goes on her journey she learns it is more difficult to find this perfect gift. As the various shop keepers try to help her she realizes the gifts aren't perfect she begins to feel defeated. When she finally finds it, she realizes that her journey helped her find the perfect gift. The gift has many uses and in the end her mother loves it!
The author did a great job of portraying Eddie and making us fall in love with her as she goes on her journey. She is quirky, funny and personable. The illustrator did a wonderful job of drawing illustrations that portrayed her town. It made you feel as though you were in France right there with Eddie. This helped portray an accurate depiction of the setting and put the reader in that place.
I listened to the book on Youtube that a teacher recorded. It was nice listening to her voice read the text and she added a cute little voice for Eddie!
This book was a great picture book for young readers and they will enjoy to go on this journey with Eddie!
January 11, 2018
A fun read for children in Key Stage One and Lower Key Stage Two. This tells a story about a girl who goes to many places in order to find a present for her mother. The book can be used to teach literacy, drama and grammar, as well as many other areas of the curriculum. If you are interested in finding out more about how to incorporate it into your teaching, please look at the planning my friends and I have created here: https://app.box.com/s/y4w9kq2w3vjfhaj....
March 22, 2017
Five stars on account of the gorgeous, vivid artwork on this one. These are the kind of visuals that charm, entertain, and make an lasting impression all on their own. The offbeat story is amusing, though I thought the language (translated from the original French) paled a little in comparison with the fabulous artwork.
February 9, 2017
Beautiful art! The hot pink notes and the cute little French town were wonderful.
However, the story was weird and didn't have a very good ending. I know it's a children's book but even a kid would questions what the Fluffy Little Squishy even was, especially considering the last picture in the book.
Very whimsical and lovely to look at but the ending just made it awkward and questionable.
However, the story was weird and didn't have a very good ending. I know it's a children's book but even a kid would questions what the Fluffy Little Squishy even was, especially considering the last picture in the book.
Very whimsical and lovely to look at but the ending just made it awkward and questionable.
January 14, 2016
I'm still not quite sure what a fluffy little squishy is, but I'm going to need one stat. The use of hot pink throughout the book is wonderful! I feel like the story is lacking just a little bit though.
March 25, 2019
Not a fan of the art style. And we never do learn what the sister gave to mom, which I found surprisingly deeply frustrating.
January 31, 2021
I found The Wonderful Fluffy Squishy on the Batchelder Award home page. It received an award in 2016. It was originally written and published in French in 2015. It was translated to English in 2016 by Claudia Zue Berdick. I watched a read aloud on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uovbt....
Little Eddie thinks that she is not good at anything. Her father speaks five languages, her sister is an ice skater and her mother is a singer. There isn’t anything special about Eddie. At least that's what she thinks. I love how as the story progresses, we discover something that Eddie is great at. She proves to be extremely resourceful! It’s her mother’s birthday and Eddie realizes that she does not have a gift for her. She overhears part of her sister’s conversations and knows that her mom would want something “fluffy”, “little”, and “squishy” . She is determined to get it before anyone else would. She walks around the neighborhood trying to find something that fits the description. She succeeds and at the end her mom is very happy with her gift.
I appreciate the element of mystery in the story (we don’t really know what the fluffy, little squishy is). Also, I like how the five and a half year old child is free and wanders by herself around the neighborhood, like in the setting of a fairy tale. Finally, I love how the story is written from a perspective of a child who sees everything in pink colors. The florist is “the prettiest florist in the whole neighborhood”, and the owner of the antique store is “the most fashionable person in the whole wide world”.
Dreamy and feel-good story. I would recommend it to students anywhere from preschool through 3rd grade.
Little Eddie thinks that she is not good at anything. Her father speaks five languages, her sister is an ice skater and her mother is a singer. There isn’t anything special about Eddie. At least that's what she thinks. I love how as the story progresses, we discover something that Eddie is great at. She proves to be extremely resourceful! It’s her mother’s birthday and Eddie realizes that she does not have a gift for her. She overhears part of her sister’s conversations and knows that her mom would want something “fluffy”, “little”, and “squishy” . She is determined to get it before anyone else would. She walks around the neighborhood trying to find something that fits the description. She succeeds and at the end her mom is very happy with her gift.
I appreciate the element of mystery in the story (we don’t really know what the fluffy, little squishy is). Also, I like how the five and a half year old child is free and wanders by herself around the neighborhood, like in the setting of a fairy tale. Finally, I love how the story is written from a perspective of a child who sees everything in pink colors. The florist is “the prettiest florist in the whole neighborhood”, and the owner of the antique store is “the most fashionable person in the whole wide world”.
Dreamy and feel-good story. I would recommend it to students anywhere from preschool through 3rd grade.
June 13, 2018
The book “The Wonderful Fluffy Little Squishy” was written and illustrated by Beatrice Alemagna. This story was originally published in France. The book is about a little girl named Eddie who thinks she is the only one in her family who isn’t good at anything. After hearing her sister got their mom something amazing, something “Fluffy Squishy”. Eddie sets off to find the perfect gift for her mother.
After reading this story, I can relate this to Text-to-Text. This picture book reminds me of another children’s picture book I have read to my daughter, it’s called “Penguins Can’t Fly,” written by Katherine Sully and illustrated by Rebecca Elliot. Both of these stories have a few similarities in that they’re about a little child or animal who believes they’re not good at anything. Something happens and they get put on a path to go on a crazy little adventure and they receive a lot of help from their friends along the way. They accomplish their adventure in a way they had not originally planned to do and they’re able find out what very special thing they are really good at.
After reading this story, I can relate this to Text-to-Text. This picture book reminds me of another children’s picture book I have read to my daughter, it’s called “Penguins Can’t Fly,” written by Katherine Sully and illustrated by Rebecca Elliot. Both of these stories have a few similarities in that they’re about a little child or animal who believes they’re not good at anything. Something happens and they get put on a path to go on a crazy little adventure and they receive a lot of help from their friends along the way. They accomplish their adventure in a way they had not originally planned to do and they’re able find out what very special thing they are really good at.
October 14, 2018
A fun and fanciful book translated from the French. The drawing style is really interesting and I think has some mixed media. We liked that she did indeed find the Marvelous Fluffy Squishy Itty Bitty and was able to make use of the items she'd collected along the way.
Miss 4 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.
Miss 4 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.
September 30, 2019
A really charming book. I was initially drawn to the book by the name 'fluffy squishy itty bitty' as I found it humorous and it's something I can imagine a child saying.
Also, the illustrations in this book were much more interesting than the story-line- they are absolutely beautiful.
Also, the illustrations in this book were much more interesting than the story-line- they are absolutely beautiful.
August 7, 2023
3,5
Sympatyczna opowieść o dziewczynce, która poszukiwała prezentu dla mamy a odnalazła zdecydowanie coś bardziej wartościowego.
Końcówka opowieści nastąpiła tak nagle, że byłam tym rozczarowana. Chciałam czegoś więcej niż to co otrzymałam.
Ilustracje świetne!
Sympatyczna opowieść o dziewczynce, która poszukiwała prezentu dla mamy a odnalazła zdecydowanie coś bardziej wartościowego.
Końcówka opowieści nastąpiła tak nagle, że byłam tym rozczarowana. Chciałam czegoś więcej niż to co otrzymałam.
Ilustracje świetne!
June 13, 2018
This book really hit me with a text to text connection with the lorax and the thnead. In this book a little girl find a fluffy little squishy that has lots of different uses. It could be used as a pillow, a scarf, an amazing hat, a duster, a paintbrush, and many more. She gives the gift to her mother who loves it and its many uses. This connects me to the lorax because in that book the guy makes a thnead which also has many different uses like a hat, a scarf, a duster, a mop, just about anything you could need and everyone loved it. of course the books are different, but the first thing I thought about when reading about the fluffly little squishy was the thnead.
December 30, 2017
I just had to read a book called "Fluffy Little Squishy!" Very fun! The illustrations were great and I really loved the main character, Eddie. I was left with a lot of questions, though. What is a fluffy little squishy??
August 8, 2023
Una favola sulla meraviglia della vita comune e dell’innocenza e dell’entusiasmo dei bambini. Il capolavoro di un’illustratrice così piena di talento.
February 23, 2025
Otro bonito libro infantil que hemos leído en el club de lectura. Las ilustraciones son maravillosas y la historia acompaña. Una niña que busca un mini-peli-coso. Si buscas sin parar lo que quieres, al final lo terminas encontrando.
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