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MY BEST FRIEND IS A BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Name: MY BEST FRIEND IS A BUTTERNUT SQUASH
Author: Heather Smith
ISBN: 9781774886632

by Heather Smith ; illustrated by Kass Reich ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2026

An engaging tribute to the value of best friends no matter what shape they take.

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Alex forms a fierce attachment to a butternut squash that once grew in Grandpa’s garden.

This versatile buddy morphs into an assortment of imaginative playmates. “When my butternut squash is not a baby, he’s my twin.” Reich’s gentle but lively gouache and colored-pencil art depicts Alex interacting with the squash as he transforms into a pirate, a fairy, and a doctor—he’s an all-round companion. Alex’s tolerant parents play along; tucking Alex and the squash in at night, Dad remarks, “Night night, little buddies.” Smith’s perceptive text subtly hints at Alex’s insecurity about joining playground activities, with the squash acting as a shield to protect the child from perceived bullies. Then sympathetic classmate Trudy approaches and immediately accepts the squash as a friend, commenting that her best friend was an alarm clock until it broke. Smith conveys both tender humor and an acceptance that Alex may not need the squash forever as the protagonist exclaims, “Someday my butternut squash will be compost,” to which Trudy cheerfully replies, “At least he’ll go naturally.” But until that day, in a sweet and sensitive conclusion, the squash remains a friend to both, and sometimes they pretend he is an alarm clock. Alex is tan-skinned; Trudy is brown-skinned.

An engaging tribute to the value of best friends no matter what shape they take. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: June 16, 2026

ISBN: 9781774886632

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Tundra Books

Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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by Heather Smith ; illustrated by Catherine Petit

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WHY A DAUGHTER NEEDS A MOM

by Gregory R. Lange ; illustrated by Sydney Hanson ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2019

New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.

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All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.

Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.

New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)

Pub Date: May 1, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)