★ “Frost’s bright, colorful cartoon illustrations are simply drawn and often amusingly over the top. Little kid's obsessed with their stuffed animals will be drawn to this lively, read-aloud friendly picture book, which nicely emphasizes the importance of asking for help and the benefits of creative partnership.”—Booklist, starred review
Entrepreneurship leads to friendship in this hilarious tale of stuffed-animal loving Moose, who starts a Stuffie Stand that’s so successful, he’s forced to partner with his annoying customer and competitor, Mabel.
Moose loves stuffies so much, he makes them himself. He’s even turned his sewing shed into a shop, where he sells them to everyone in the neighborhood. They’re cute and tasteful, with just the right amount of SQUISH! Everyone loves them, including Mabel, a neighborhood girl who also makes stuffies. Yet Mabel's stuffies are SO over the top—bedazzled, with hats, shoes, scarves, crowns. Truth be told, Moose is not a fan. But when his orders start to multiply and he can’t keep up with the demand, Moose must do something very hard: ask for help...from Mabel!
This entertaining and astute picture book from up-and-coming funny-girl creator Maddie Frost will have readers laughing while they realize that it’s okay to need help—and that sometimes, the people we think we don’t like can turn out to be our closest friends.
★ “Frost’s bright, colorful cartoon illustrations are simply drawn and often amusingly over the top. Little kids obsessed with their stuffed animals will be drawn to this lively, read-aloud friendly picture book, which nicely emphasizes the importance of asking for help and the benefits of creative partnership.”—Booklist, starred review
“Frost peppers her eye-catching, bright cartoon art with sly details and wry imaginings; she conveys annoyance, for example, in as little as a half-lidded glance. Characters and their orders are fulfilled by the story’s end. Meanwhile, Moose’s emotional turnaround runs the gamut from self-centered individualism to an eventual understanding of the importance of both community and friendship. Capitalism meets altruism, and the results are magic.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Frost stuffs this smartly paced tale of unlikely partnership with charming visuals and gentle comedy. Droll, thinly outlined digital cartooning captures the clash of personalities, the plethora of plushies, and the array of animal customers. Stitched together neatly, it’s a buoyant story of how collaboration, like a beloved stuffie, works best when it has a little give.”—Publishers Weekly
"Frost’s digital illustrations are kitsch and eclectic, using thin sketchy lines and a vibrant array of colors to showcase the excited bunch of animals that comes to buy stuffies. Mabel, the only human in the story, is eccentric and unapologetically herself, singing and dancing alongside an irritated Moose, who is over twice her height and often depicted with a slight crinkle in his eye when Mabel is around. Moose’s discovery of friendship is touching, and this silly story might just entice readers to go craft a stuffie of their own." –Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Combining business savvy, unlikely friendships, and a crateful of cute, The Stuffie Stand is another home run of a picture book from powerhouse creator Maddie Frost! Everyone loves a good stuffie, and this book will have kids thinking about how to dream up and create their very own, while also reminding them that nobody succeeds alone."—Silver Unicorn Bookstore, Acton, MA