Frederick and Sophie had absolutely no idea how to get everything done in time for Mother’s Day. They sat at the big wooden table in Sophie’s kitchen. It was filled with pencils, pen, crayons, paper, scissors, glitter, and glue. Sophie had made her mom a drawing of a Triceratops because it was her mom’s favorite dinosaur. Frederick had made his mom a drawing of an Escargot because his mom was from Paris, and they really liked reading the book Escargot together. But the Frederick and Sophie still had to bake a cake, hang balloons, and most importantly…find the best Mom-present ever. 

 

“Maybe we should ask George if there is a spell for the perfect Mother’s Day present,” Sophie said. 

 

“Did I hear my name?” George’s voice echoed through the kitchen as he walked in with Wally following him closely. George always carried some carrot pup-cakes in his pockets, and they were Wally’s favorite. 

 

“We need a spell to find the perfect Mother’s Day gift,” Frederick said.

 

George thought for a moment and then typed in some words on his i-Wand 340. He pointed it at the fridge. POOF! … A jar of milk came flying out. Frederick and Sophie looked at each other and smiled. They could never get enough of George’s magic. “MUGABOO!” George said. Three big mugs flew out of one of the many kitchen cabinets. And with one loud, “COCOLICIOSO!” the milk poured itself into the mugs. But when Frederick and Sophie looked into theirs, the mugs weren’t filled with milk. They were filled with the most delicious smelling, thick hot chocolate. “We can’t think straight without some coco,” George said. Frederick and Sophie nodded. They absolutely agreed. 

   

“To find the right spell, my Spell App needs some information first,” George explained. “In this case, it’s all about what your moms like to do.”

 

“My mom likes to look for 300% more revenue. She drinks gallons of coffee because her birth stone is a coffee bean,” Sophie said. 

 

“My mom is a thing-finder. She likes to look for things to photograph and write about in her magazine,” Frederick said. 

 

Very well,” George said. “I typed all of it into the i-Wand.” A green light beamed from the i-Wand’s screen. “Ah, yes,’ George continued, “the spell app also needs to know why your moms are the best moms in the whole wide world.”

 

Sophie thought for a moment. “My mom is really, really busy, but she’s never too busy to give me a big hug and listen to me telling her that broccoli is a disgusting word,” she said.

 

Frederick thought for a moment. “My mom travels a lot, but she always calls from wherever she is to read me a bedtime story,” he said. “She also makes sure that she is never gone for more than two nights because I am her most important human.”

   

George typed and typed. He looked up and smiled. “According to my calculations, the spell will make two giant grey flannel carrots appear,” he said, followed by a bow. Frederick and Sophie frowned. 

 

“That’s a terrible gift,” Sophie said. “I think it will be muchly better to give my mom a huge mug filled to the tippy top with espressos for breakfast and my Triceratops drawing on the side. And I’ll surprise her with a one-day-holiday to put her feet up and a super big hug whenever she wants one.” 

   

“Oh, yes, grey carrots is a terrible, terrible gift,” Frederick said. “I think it will be muchly better to give her a new book that’s about someone different and special and from Paris, just like her! I’ll turn my Escargot drawing in a big card. And I’ll also surprise her with a one-day-holiday to put her feet up and lots of super-duper big hugs.”

   

“And I’ll make vanilla cupcakes with a strawberry on top!” Sophie shouted, clapping her hands.

 

“And I’ll make chocolate croissants!” Frederick said, waving his arms.

 

“And we can go to the pastry shop downstairs to get their favorite treats!” Sophie added.

   

“And we can go to the flower shop to get their favorite roses!” Frederick said.

 

“Huh, well, waddayaknow,” George smiled. “Those sound like the best Mother’s Day gifts in the whole wide world. Maybe… you don’t always need my magic. Sometimes, the only magic you need, is found right here in your heart. 

 

Frederick and Sophie looked up. “But you will help up preparing breakfast and cakes, right George?”

   

George winked. “But of course. There’s nothing more fun than making the syrup float around a bit…”

 

It was going to be MOM-umentally magical!

   

Happy Mother’s Day!

 

 
Top Illustration: Maya E Shakur for FREDERICK & SOPHIE / Story & Illustration Styling: Priscilla Obermeier