Mrs. Poodle is the proud parent of Fi-Fi, Foo-Foo, Ooh-La-La, and Gaston. The first three are spitting images of their mother. And Gaston — well, he clearly comes from different stock. Fi-Fi, Foo-Foo, Ooh-La-La are poofy and puffy and the size of teacups, while Gaston is solid and stocky and as big as a teapot. But if being dainty and delicate and neat like their mother doesn’t come as easily to Gaston, he always “worked the hardest, practiced the longest, and smiled the biggest.” Then the family meets Rocky, Ricky, and Bruno, three stocky, solid bulldog pups, and their poofy, puffy sister, Antoinette. “It seems there’s been a terrible mistake,” says Mrs. Bulldog. And so the two puppies trade places. The problem is, “Antoinette did not like anything proper or precious or pink.” And Gaston didn’t like anything “brutish or brawny or brown.” Kelly DiPuccio’s delightful romp gets even better as the pups return to their original families, and eventually have pups of their own who are encouraged to be whatever they want to be. It’s a tongue-in-cheek look at nature versus nurture, but also an affirmation of being true to oneself. (Ages 4–8)

A New York Magazine Best Book to Gift Little Kids 2024

A bulldog and a poodle learn that family is about love, not appearances in this adorable doggy tale from New York Times bestselling author Kelly DiPucchio and illustrator Christian Robinson.

This is the story of four puppies: Fi-Fi, Foo-Foo, Ooh-La-La, and Gaston. Gaston works the hardest at his lessons on how to be a proper pooch. He sips—never slobbers! He yips—never yaps! And he walks with grace—never races! Gaston fits right in with his poodle sisters.

But a chance encounter with a bulldog family in the park—Rocky, Ricky, Bruno, and Antoinette—reveals there’s been a mix-up, and so Gaston and Antoinette switch places. The new families look right…but they don’t feel right. Can these puppies follow their noses—and their hearts—to find where they belong?