Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | BATTERSBY | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... McMinnville Public Library | Battersby | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Silver Falls Library | JP BATTERSBY | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Stayton Public Library | E BATTERSBY | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Squish is just a little rabbit. But being little can lead to big problems. Sometimes Squish is hard to hear . . . or see. (Which is how he got his name.) And no one notices him. But Squish notices things- especially when someone is about to get into trouble and needs help. Here is little Squish's BIG chance.
Author Notes
Katherine Battersby (www.katherinebattersby.com) grew up in North Queensland, Australia. In 2010, she won the Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarship for writing. She lives in Brisbane, Australia. Squish Rabbit is her first book.
Reviews (6)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-A little rabbit who got his name because he lives in fear of being squished has other problems, too. No one notices him, wonderful things pass him by, and he is lonely. He creates a pretend friend in the form of a toy rabbit, but that doesn't satisfy his longing. Then Squish tries to play with trees, which is equally unfulfilling. In the midst of a tantrum, he is befriended by a squirrel. This new object of his attention happens to be just the right size-his size-and makes him feel both bigger and happier. Children will sympathize with Squish, relate to his struggles, and celebrate the joy he takes in his newfound friend. Minimal, effective text and spare, mixed-media illustrations blend wonderfully to tell this appealing tale. Children will fall in love with this little rabbit.-Diane Antezzo, Ridgefield Library, CT (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
"Squish was just a little rabbit. But being little led to big problems." Deceptively simple illustrations and economical text make this story of a little rabbit who finds a friend feel brand new. Neither art nor text tells the complete story, but interwoven they create a coherent whole. "Wonderful things..." writes debut talent Battersby as Squish Rabbit chases a red balloon; on the opposite page it sails out of reach, as the text continues, "passed him by." The next illustration depicts huge adult rabbits ignoring him, as he tries to share his story in a squared speech bubble with only a red balloon inside. Battersby's characters are created with thick, black outlines, with judicious use of crisp, color collages and watercolors lending texture. Squish actively tries to combat his loneliness, but it's not until he meets a squirrel that he is truly satisfied. The animals' expressive body language both amplifies the plot and lends emotional resonance and humor to this story about what it feels like to be little in a big world. A delightful and promising debut. Ages 2-up. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Little rabbit Squish is lonley. He's rendered in simple black outline, but his surroundings are more intricate and interesting: the illustrations feature what looks like paper-bag earth, fabric-swatch trees, etc. Unfortunately, the art isn't enough to sustain the thin story. One of Squish's remedies, sewing a fabric friend, is an endearing touch, however. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Squish Rabbit spends his little life overlooked, unheard and occasionally stepped on (thus, his name). He needs a friend.The simple narration tells Squish's story (abetted by his rebus-like pictorial speech bubbles), but the pictures do the heavy lifting. Solid black lines carve out the simplest, flattest rabbit figure imaginable, but somehow Squish's deficit of dimensionality describes his huge heart and deep loneliness. His ears look a lot like his arms and legs, rounded-off extremities, while Squish's tiny irregular eyes (one's bigger than the other) miraculously convey a range of nuanced expressions. Children will certainly register his rage during a tantrum; Squish's eyes squint, and his flailing, stumpy legs stomp and kick. Battersby's expert, ample distribution of white space provides room on each page for readers to luxuriate in her impressive, evocative ink, watercolor and collage illustrationsand to absorb a small rabbit's feelings. Rough papers and textured fabrics add depth, creating an almost tactile reading experience. When Squish and a new, real squirrel friend first make eye contact, however, they do it across an entirely white double-page spread that throbs with both suspense and hope. A face-to-face close up, revealing two sets of dissimilar eyes, seals the friendship. Minimal, moving and adorable, little Squish makes a big impression. (Picture book. 2-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Squish is a little rabbit with big problems. He is unnoticed, unattended, and lonely. He finds a pal (made of stuffing and cloth) and befriends a tree, but both are poor companions. Then, an accidental encounter with a squirrel pushes Squish beyond his comfort zone, and friendship happens, all by itself. Spare, straightforward text moves the story along, but it's the pictures that make the most impact at the climactic moment. Squish himself is a round, snow-white form defined in crisp black lines and set in an environment of richly textured painting and collage. Initially, the contrast between the crisp lines and collage echo the story's themes of isolation. But by drawing Squish's new friends in similar black outlines, Battersby ultimately reinforces their connection. The simple story, clear imagery, and powerful message of friendship will win over preschool audiences.--Barthelmess, Thom Copyright 2010 Booklist
New York Review of Books Review
Shy, bookish and beastly creatures find companionship in these picture books. SQUISH RABBIT Written and illustrated by Katherine Battersby. 40 pp. Viking $12.99. (Picture book; ages 3 to 5) POINDEXTER MAKES A FRIEND Written and illustrated by Mike Twohy. 32 pp. A Paula Wiseman Book/Simon & Schuster. $15.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) THE LONELY BEAST Written and illustrated by Chris Judge. 32 pp. Andersen Press. $16.95. (Picture book; ages 4 to 9) FOR young children, making that first friend bears all the weight and tension that wooing a potential sweetheart does for 17-year-olds. And if you're shy, bookish or beastly, the task is all the more awkward, as three delightful picture book debuts make expressively and tenderly clear. For Squish, a vaguely amorphous but hopelessly cute bunny - "just a little rabbit," as Katherine Battersby, his Australian creator, calls him - getting ignored, stepped on or passed by altogether is a lot more likely than finding companionship. But the quietly observant and imaginative little Squish needs a friend just as much as the next, hardier woodland creature. It is only when a squirrel unintentionally interrupts his independent play that Squish demands to be noticed, and he certainly deserves the attention. Seamlessly told in barely-there text and deceptively simple ink and collage pictures, "Squish Rabbit" is bound to win children's hearts. A busier and wordier take is "Poindexter Makes a Friend," written and illustrated with sensitive humor by Mike Twohy. (Has every New Yorker cartoonist done a children's book yet? If not, given the recent wave of charming contributions to the genre, they should get to work.) Here, the hero is a pig who hides when aunts and uncles come to call. He longs for companionship but sputters and blushes when neighborhood animals ask him to play. In the library, however, Poindexter feels quite at home and when the librarian asks him to show Shelby, a bashful turtle, where to find "How to Make a Friend," an alliance among like-minded souls blossoms. "I think they already are friends," my 6-year-old daughter, no stranger to shyness, pointed out to me as Poindexter and Shelby commiserated over the shared book. But what if, instead of a winsome pink farm animal, you are a rare beast like the oversize, nearly featureless black stump in "The Lonely Beast"? No matter how bright and lovely your surroundings (and Chris Judge's illustrations are great fun and completely original), you might one day suddenly come to feel, as the Beast does, very lonely. "He made up his mind there and then that he would go and find some other Beasts." In panel after the panel (the trip does go on, but then 5-year-olds gobble up extended journeys of this kind as long as they're not in the back seat), the Beast travels across land and ocean to wind up in what appears to be Central Park - or at least it seemed so to this New York reviewer. Judge, based in Dublin, tells a familiar tale but illustrates it with uncommon style and verve. Readers will want to know where the Beast ends up next. Friends, after all, like to keep in touch. Pamela Paul is the children's book editor at the Book Review.