Brave squish rabbit by Katherine Battersby
Brave squish rabbit by Katherine Battersby
UQP, 2012. ISBN 9780702249433.
(Age: 3-5) Picture book. Bravery. With an enticingly tactile soft
cover and piercing blue background to the little picture of brave
rabbit and his soft toy, children will love to pick up this book and
have it read to them. Inside they read of the rabbit, called Squish
and the list of things he is frightened of: storms and lightning,
chickens, and especially the dark. Each page shows Squish as a small
drawing in the bottom corner of the page, cowering with fear. But as
he develops more strength to overcome his fears, his image increases
in size. Looking for his friend Twitch, he is bereft when she has
gone, so he searches in the dark for her, gradually gaining more
confidence.
While this book reprises the cute character of Squish, it may not
win the recognition received by the first book, Squish rabbit, which
won an award from CBCA in 2012. The story will capture the attention
of younger readers, and help them think about some of their fears,
while providing a book both at home and in the classroom for fears
to be discussed. The illustrations are a mixture of found objects,
collage, line drawing and digital collage thus further exciting
interest in the way the book is presented.
Fran Knight