A Squash and a Squeeze

As a parent, I am always on the lookout for captivating children's books that not only entertain but also impart valuable life lessons. Julia Donaldson's "A Squash and a Squeeze" perfectly fits the bill, delivering a delightful story filled with humor, heart, and a timeless message of appreciation. 📚💖 In this enchanting tale, we are introduced to a little old lady who believes her house is too small. Feeling cramped and dissatisfied, she seeks the advice of a wise old man, who suggests she bring her various farm animals inside to occupy the space. What ensues is a series of hilarious mishaps as the house becomes increasingly chaotic and crowded. 🏠🐮 But as the little old lady soon discovers, having a house full of animals is not the solution to her problems. Instead, she learns a valuable lesson about gratitude and appreciating what she already has. Through clever storytelling and engaging illustrations, Donaldson and Scheffler weave a narrative that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. 🎨✨ One of the standout features of "A Squash and a Squeeze" is its rhythmic rhyming text, which makes it a joy to read aloud. The repetitive nature of the story allows young readers to actively participate and anticipate what will happen next, making it an interactive and engaging experience for children of all ages. 🎶👧👦 As a parent, I appreciate the underlying message of contentment and gratitude that resonates throughout the book. It serves as a gentle reminder to children (and adults alike) that happiness can be found in the simplest of things, and that true fulfillment comes from appreciating what we have rather than constantly seeking more. 🙏💕 Highly recommended! 👍📚

I would highly recommend this book for a family to read aloud to their children or for a gathering of friends. I heard Dean Willis from Canterbury Cathedral read this for one of his Garden Congregation videos and had to have it to give as a gift for my Amish neighbors. Fun book that teaches a valuable lesson to us about appreciating what we already have.

I love Juila Donaldson's rollicking rhythm and Axel Scheffler's illustrative style. My big boy loved all her books from very early and outgrew them by the age of 4. One of my favorite photos is of my big boy holding his sheep and reading Tiddler (The Fish Who Cried Wolf) to her, and one of my favorite memories is standing in line at the Atlanta aquarium reciting Tiddler to him as he sat on my back in the Ergo. My toddler (early 2yo) has not taken as quickly to to stories of this length, and I am keen to move past dreary toddler books as soon as possible. A Squash and a Squeeze is a nice intermediate length and this book has been a great success. He is already familiar with all the animals and he delights in the book. The absurdity of it appeals to him and me, his nearly 7yo brother loves to read it to him and the message in the book is relevant to the older boy. We have been known to hide books that get put on the repeat list with such frequency as to make us cry, but Axel Scheffler's illustration keeps this book on the shelf. The small details in his illustration and the homage to other books that he sneaks in keeps us interested even when we can read the entire story without looking at the words. Or the page.

Purchased this book so my kids can read along with the stories on Audible (also highly recommend). The rhyming story is fun for kids to listen or read on their own and the illustrations are beautiful and engaging.

While I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book which, like pretty much all Julia Donaldson books, is a delight to read aloud, I thought it would be useful to mention that although I ordered a "hardcover" version from Amazon, I received a small board book. After returning, and reordering the "hardcover" with audio CD, I received a paperback with audio CD. If the format matters to you (which it did to me, as I was giving it as a gift to a three year old along with two other hardcovers) you may want to buy elsewhere.

Perfect condition! This book is all about appreciating what you have. It isn’t until things change that you can fully appreciate them. My children love this book

This is a sweet take on an old Romanian folktale. It's cute, rhymy, and illustrated beautifully. My 2-year-old has it memorized after only owning it a couple of months! I definitely recommend it!

Great message about loving the life you have. I cannot believe the reviewer who felt this was a sexist book that showed women are helpless and need a man to figure things out for them. It is a children's book! Please just enjoy the great story, wonderful pictures and stop trying to see a conspiracy everywhere.

It is a timeless classic written in a beautiful understandable yet sophisticated English language. Highly recommended piece in your kids library.

Great book!

Cette histoire est très drôle et grâce à la répétition permet de faire travailler des enfants sur le vocabulaire anglais. J'ai également acheté le livre d'autocollants assorti et il est très bien fait.

We’ve read this dozens of times with our son, and it never gets old. The quality of the Julia Donaldson rhyme and Axel Scheffler’s illustrations is top-tier. It’s a very fun way to teach kids about gratitude—the 'wise old man' has a brilliant, albeit chaotic, plan to show the old lady that her house isn't so small after all! It’s a high-quality paperback that’s sturdy enough for little hands. A relatively cheap addition to any bookshelf that provides endless entertainment.

Educational, and funny book as always