Little Smudge is lonely. Mummy Smudge asks why Little Smudge is all alone in the corner. Why can't Little Smudge go and find some friends? But when Little Smudge eventually finds the other colourful shapes, like Little Square and Little Triangle, they don't want to play with Little Smudge. That is, until they see all the amazing shapes Little Smudge can form, and just how different a smudge can be...

Smudge is playing in the garden when it starts to rain. Where can he go to keep dry? He has lots of ideas, but each goes wrong. When he finally gets in from the rain, he finds one more problem to solve.

Smudge lives in a new neighborhood, but she starts making friends on her birthday.

Smudge has trouble sharing her new fishing net.

After leaving Farmer Cobb's flock and exploring the outside world, Smudge the lamb has trouble returning home.

Smudge the mouse gets up on the wrong side of the bed but she soon figures out how to deal with a grumpy day and just who can make that happen.

“You respond to the universal pet story before the illustrations show that Cindy is a young woman with Down’s syndrome. [This book] is remarkable in telling it as Cindy sees it. Lightburn’s realistic pictures in soft-tone colored pencil have the same beautiful sense of fragility, steadfastness, and connection.”—Booklist (starred review)