About the Holiday

The word “serendipitous” was first coined in 1754 by Horace Walpole in a letter to a friend as he described a Persian fairy tale known in English as The Three Princes of Serendip. In the story, after three young men are banished from the kingdom of Serendip (commonly known as Sri Lanka) they travel the world to prove their worth and continuously enjoy surprisingly good luck—or serendipity—along the way. In 2001 author Madeleine Kay founded Serendipity Day to encourage people to live their lives believing that at any moment something wonderful may happen. Let today’s holiday inspire you to pay closer attention to those moments of serendipitous magic—from enjoying a bit of good luck to making a new friend—that occur each day. They’re all around us as long as we recognize and embrace them!

Thanks to Hippo Park for sending me a copy of this book for review!

The Stuffie Stand

By Maddie Frost

Moose had always love, love, LOVED stuffies. So when he got older, he began making his own, taking care with the stitching and filling to make sure they had “just the right amount of squish and [were] always one hundred percent cute.” It didn’t take long for Moose to open his own Stuffie shop called, appropriately, The Stuffie Stand. Pretty soon, he had lots of customers, the most enthusiastic of which was Mable.

Turned out, Mable made stuffies herself. But she liked to “bedazzle them with accessories.” She could even see herself selling her stuffies at The Stuffie Stand and moved right in, but Moose wasn’t feeling it. “Goodbye, little girl,” he said, as he removed Mable and her embellishments from his shop. It wasn’t as if Moose didn’t have any customers. He was plenty busy making his own designs and filling special orders. In fact, Moose was sew, sew, sew, sew busy that he couldn’t keep up with demand, and the quality of his stuffies began to decline.

Mable noticed that Moose was looking frazzled and offered to help, but Moose was adamant—until he suffered noodle arms—”a crafter’s worst nightmare”—and relented. Mable got right to work, and while the difference in their creating styles left Moose cringing sometimes, he discovered that “it was nice to have someone to share ideas with.” He even came to admire the bedazzled stuffies on the shelves, and when they opened the renamed Moose and Mable’s Stuffie Stand, Moose was happy to have found a partner—and a friend.

Maddie Frost infuses heart and humor into her DIY story of a moose who likes his stuffie creations simple and a girl who’s all about the bling. Moose’s perfectionist tendencies and Mable’s over-the-top enthusiasm clash in hilarious scenes between this unlikely pair while conveying a gentle reminder of the positive effects of varied influences and the unforeseen joys that can come from teamwork.

Moose and Mable’s facial expressions will have readers giggling throughout the story, and their final partnership will have them cheering for this lovable duo. Kids who go goggle-eyed over stuffies or other treasures will excitedly pore over The Stuffie Stand’s stock to pick their favorites and, perhaps, be inspired to make their own.

Pure read-aloud fun, with a squish of friendship here and a squeeze of collaboration there, The Stuffie Stand will leave readers in stitches and become a quick favorite in any library and home collection.

Ages 4 – 8

Hippo Park, 2026 | ISBN 978-1662641152

About the Author

Maddie Frost is an author-illustrator from Massachusetts. She has written and illustrated eleven picture books and graphic novels. Her obsession with 90s Nickelodeon cartoons started her love for characters and storytelling and then a love for picture books. She studied animation at Massachusetts College of Art and Design which further pushed her in the direction of children’s media. Visit her at maddie-frost.com.

National Serendipity Day Activity