Sophie's Squash

by Pat Zietlow Miller, Anne Wilsdorf (Illustrator)

Overview

Kids will love this playful story of of a unique fall friendship between a girl . . . and her squash!

On a trip to the farmers' market with her parents, Sophie chooses a squash, but instead of letting her mom cook it, she names it Bernice. From then on, Sophie brings Bernice everywhere, despite her parents' gentle warnings that Bernice will begin to rot. As winter nears, Sophie does start to notice changes.... What's a girl to do when the squash she loves is in trouble?

The recipient of four starred reviews, an Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Honor, and a Charlotte Zolotow Honor, Sophie's Squash will be a fresh addition to any collection of autumn books.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593181690
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	06/08/2021
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	52,544
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

PAT ZIETLOW MILLER received an Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Honor for Sophie's Squash, her picture book debut, which was published to four starred reviews and named a Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book. The book is based on a true story—Pat's own daughter, Sonia, once loved a squash. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin. Visit the author at patzietlowmiller.com.

ANNE WILSDORF is the illustrator of numerous books for children, including Dogs on the Bed by Elizabeth Bluemle, The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli, Alligator Sue by Sharon Arms Doucet, and the Ruby Lu series by Lenore Look. She lives and works in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Editorial Reviews

…Sophie and her parents bring a little too much intensity to everything they do. But that manic energy makes what could be just a sweet story into something far more fun.

The New York Times Book Review - Sarah Harrison Smith

Debut author Miller takes the idea of playing with one’s food to another level in this sensitive but funny story about a girl’s affection for a squash. When Sophie selects a butternut squash at the farmer’s market, her parents assume they will be having it for dinner. Sophie, however, quashes that plan by adopting the vegetable as her new best friend and naming her Bernice (“It was just the right size to hold in her arms.... Just the right size to love”). Despite gentle prodding to relinquish Bernice before she rots, Sophie brings her deteriorating pal to the library and somersaults with her in the yard. Miller’s easygoing storytelling taps into the familiar scenario of children making fierce attachments to favorite objects; Sophie is passionate without being bratty, her parents are pragmatic but not harsh, and Sophie eventually makes new friends, including Bernice’s offspring. Wilsdorf’s (Five Funny Bunnies) winsome ink-and-watercolor scenes adeptly capture both Sophie’s many moods (“Don’t listen, Bernice!” she scowls when her mother suggests baking the squash with marshmallows) and her unruly pigtails. Ages 3–7. Author’s agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"In a perfect blend of story and art, the humorous watercolor-and-ink illustrations are bursting with color and energy on every page... This is a paean to love and friendship, which can come in all species, shapes, and sizes."—Booklist, starred review

"With lessons on life, love, and vegetable gardening, this tale will be cherished by children, and their parents will be happy to read it to them often."—School Library Journal, starred review

"Sensitive but funny... Miller’s easygoing storytelling taps into the familiar scenario of children making fierce attachments to favorite objects."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"This season-spanning turn with high-spirited Sophie offers endearing lessons about nurture and regeneration."—Kirkus Review, starred review

From the Publisher

K-Gr 2—"Good friends are hard to find," says Sophie to her best buddy, Bernice. This must be so, because Bernice is a farmers' market squash. The fruit is supposed to be for supper, but all bets are off when Sophie gives it a face and a name. The two friends are inseparable, visiting the library and other squash at the market, practicing somersaults on the hill…and every night Sophie gives Bernice a baby bottle and tucks her into a cradle. ("Well, we did hope she'd love vegetables," Sophie's mother observes.) Countless stories exist about girls' exploits with their dolls or stuffed animals. Few, if any, feature healthy produce. But the tale of Sophie and Bernice is charming and even suspenseful as the title character reluctantly realizes that her squash will not last forever. Miller's sweet and lively story is perfectly matched by Wilsdorf's expert ink and watercolor illustrations. With lessons on life, love, and vegetable gardening, this tale will be cherished by children, and their parents will be happy to read it to them often.—Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY

School Library Journal

Miller's debut, in which a little girl affectionately adopts a butternut squash, is a winner. After her parents buy that squash for dinner at the farmers market, Sophie commandeers it, giving it a face with markers. It proves just the right size to hold, bounce on her knee and love. "I call her Bernice," Sophie says. "I'll call for a pizza," says her mother. Throughout the fall, Sophie coddles her veggie, attending library storytimes, visiting other squash at the farmers market and practicing somersaults near the garden. Her parents do their gentle best to suggest alternatives for the moldering squash, from a trip to the toy store to a donation to the food pantry. Sophie will have none of it. "Bernice will last forever." When even Sophie notices changes in Bernice, she asks a farmer what keeps a squash healthy. Her unique interpretation of his advice ("Fresh air. Good, clean dirt. A little love") yields, next spring and summer, delightful twin surprises. Wilsdorf's amusing ink-and-watercolor illustrations alternate between full-bleed spreads and spots. From her bouncy braids to her red shoes, Sophie's vibrant, determined nature shines forth charmingly. This season-spanning turn with high-spirited Sophie offers endearing lessons about nurture and regeneration. (Picture book. 3-8)

Kirkus Reviews