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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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SOPHIE SHARES THE STARS
by Heather Smith ; illustrated by Catherine Petit

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TIG
by Heather Smith

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THE BOY, THE CLOUD AND THE VERY TALL TALE
by Heather Smith

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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)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

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FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)