Happy Love Sprinkles

Critter the shy fox longs for a friend, but his timidity makes finding one difficult, until one night, when he wishes upon the Moon, the Moon delivers to him a jar full of magical sprinkles. When he uncorks the bottle, the sprinkles rush out and lead him to Sprout, a small plant feeling overshadowed in the midst of towering trees. Critter shares the sprinkles with Sprout, and their magic powers bolster his spirits. Together the two new friends follow the sprinkles to more forest critters, each of whom is helped by Critter’s sharing his sprinkles with them. When at last Critter returns the sprinkles to the Moon, he learns the true power to make friends wasn’t in the magic of the sprinkles but in Critter’s kindness and sharing. The tale is simple and whimsical, with a pleasant repetitive structure and a praiseworthy lesson about serving others to overcome shyness or timidity. DiCostanzo and Messina’s rhyming text is enjoyable but but suffers at times from near rhymes and awkward phrasing to force rhymes. Szmidt’s illustrations sparkle and truly capture the magical nature of the story. Back material includes a poem and recipe for Happy Love Sprinkles, and it’s easy to imagine young readers wanting to repeat the poem to the Moon before doorbell ditching a friend the sprinkles.