“The Super Secret Ingredient”: Area Locals Write Bilingual Children’s Book

NEWBERG, Ore. — Tigard residents Eddie and Dani Ouellette have been cooking up an exciting addition to story time for the children of Newberg with their new book, The Super Secret Ingredient.

The children’s book, which Eddie and Dani self-published, is a whimsical story about friendship and baking, ready to charm young children and their families.

The book follows two best friends—a penguin and a polar bear—who share a love for baking and surprises, much like the Ouellette family, who couldn’t resist adding a fun twist to the narrative. The book is rated G for mild peril, making it perfect for young children while offering enough intrigue to keep older kids and adults entertained, Eddie said.

“We have always been inspired by those classic children’s books that are also equally entertaining for adults, too,” Eddie said. “So combine all those ingredients, and boom! You have The Super Secret Ingredient.”

The book includes an actual “secret recipe” at the end, giving readers the chance to bake a fun treat together just like the characters in the story.

The Ouellettes are a bilingual family raising their children to speak both English and Spanish.

“We naturally wanted to make sure the book was written in both languages,” Eddie said. The Super Secret Ingredient serves as an entertaining resource for young readers learning two languages.

The journey to publishing wasn’t without its challenges. With young children and the demands of daily life, finding time to write and illustrate proved difficult.

“We set little goals—like one hour a week at times—to just keep the ball moving,” Eddie said. “Writing and illustrating a book is definitely a marathon, not a sprint. It took two years to complete the book, but it was certainly worth the wait.”

The most rewarding part of the project, Eddie said, is the joy of seeing their own children love the book. The Ouellettes’ children are “the most important audience for us,” Eddie said, adding that hearing from young fans outside of their family has been equally gratifying.

“We have always wanted to write books for our children, so this is just the first of many to come.”

Looking ahead, the Ouellettes are already working on their next project: Nina the Ninja, a story about a young possum learning to be brave and stop playing dead.

The Super Secret Ingredient by Eddie and Dani Ouellette is available at Chapters Books & Coffee as well as online retailers.