Squish Squash Squished

by Rebecca Kraft Rector, Dana Wulfekotte (Illustrator)

A pair of kids learn what it is really like to be squished together during one hilarious and eventful car ride!

When Max and Molly can't stop complaining about being squished in the back seat of the car, their clever mom knows exactly what to do--offer rides to their animal friends, who are happy to pile in and come along! As the back seat fills up with a wiggly piglet, two flitting ducklings, and three woofing puppies, soon Max and Molly are not only squished--they're SQUISH SQUASH SQUISHED! So when they notice Mom slowing down to wave at Scooter Mooter and his calves, Max and Molly don't say a word--they hush-mush. Thankfully, Mom keeps driving--and after everyone's dropped off and it's time to hustle-bustle home, Max and Molly are happy to stretch out in the back seat of their suddenly gracious-spacious automobile.

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Childrens, Cars, Juvenile, Family, Animals

40 pages, Hardcover

Published February 16, 2021

Reviews

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars. Full of rhyming words and alliteration, this one was a delight to read. Max and Molly complain that they are being squished and squashed by each other in the back seat of the car. Mom knows just what to do to teach the siblings to enjoy the gracious spacious back seat.
This one would make a fun read-aloud. It has nice illustrations and an easy to follow storyline. Enjoy!

[Kelly Mangan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brother and sister are fighting over space on a road trip, but learn a lesson about appreciating what you have. This is a great read-aloud book, as it’s filled with fun alliteration and onomatopoeia. I read it to my 4 year old & he giggled the whole time at the sounds of the worlds.

[Raj Bowers-Racine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essentially a modern retelling of the classic Yiddish folktale "It Could Always Be Worse." But instead of a shtetl house it's set in the backseat of a car. Clever. Anyone who's shared a car with a sibling should be able to relate.

[Samira · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hilarious tale that will be a tongue-twisting joy to read with kids! Squish Squash Squished is full of bouncy, rhyming, lyrical language that will put your tongue in knots and have little ones rolling on the floor. Rebecca Kraft Rector has brought new life to the universal experience of being squished in the backseat of the car with a huge cast of adorable animal families. Max and Molly learn a valuable lesson as well about "hush-mushing" and appreciating what they have. Dana Wulfekotte's warm, earth-toned illustrations make the story feel instantly welcoming, and her anthropomorphized critters are impossibly charming.

[Deidre · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was kindly provided with an arc from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Squish, Squash, Squished is a great re-aloud and a super fun bedtime story. The entertaining, funny pictures will keep a child’s attention. On a personal note, I don’t know about you, but journeys with my kids often resulted in one of them inevitably yelling, “Mom, she’s looking out MY window!” Which is enough to make any parent lose it. But in this story, we find a mother who doesn’t “lose it.” Instead, she conceives and carries out a wily plan that changes the attitudes of her arguing kids. Completely fun!

[Angie Quantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is so hysterical! I love the mixed cast of people and animals, and all of them are adorable. With the real-life problem of being squished in the back seat (and fighting about it), this mother finds a unique way to teach that lesson "it could always be worse." Mother uses funny word-play and silliness and helping out a few neighbors to get them where they're going to get the attention of her children. Oh the delightful chaos! Wonderful story with fabulous illustrations. Fun read! Very helpful read for parents planning a road trip with small children. (Does not read like a lesson at all, but perhaps the littles will catch on to hush-mush instead of complain and fight.)

[Scott Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get ready for rambunctous ride in this clever cautionary tale of a trip to the market. When Max and Molly struggle to find enough room for two in their "gracious-spacious" back seat, Mom knows just what to do--she stops to pick up some friends. And then some more. And then some more until Max and Molly realize it's better to hush and mush than be squashed and squished. Readers of all ages will love Rector's playful alliteration, rhyme and repetition. They'll also have fun following all of Wulfekotte's animal characters including a jogging giraffe that luckily never ends up in the car.

[Alison Marcotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture made me laugh out loud! It reminds me of my Midwestern family's seemingly never-ending road trips to Kentucky/Ohio/Minnesota/etc. We'd always be complaining about something ("Jonathan is hogging the CD player!" "Kathleen stole my pillow!" "Sparky is slobbering!" "I'm hungry!" "I have to pee!" "It's too crowded back here! I want to sit in the front!"). I love how the mom subtly and sneakily teaches her kids a lesson about being patient. So great! Every kid and adult will love this picture book.

[S.K. Wenger · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the cover of the book with its hilariously relatable title, to the opening line of the story which describes the family car as "gracious-spacious," readers will know they are in for quite a ride. Rebecca Kraft Rector and Dana Wulfekotte deliver in sharing a heroine of a mom who knows just how to encourage her children to "hush-mush" for at least part of the journey. This book will stir more than a few knowing smiles, along with an oink, or two.
Much thanks to the publisher and author for a sneak-peek at this adorable book.

[Amy Goldstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

A retelling of the Yiddish folktale, Too Much Noise or sometimes titled, It Could Always be Worse. I really liked the sing-song rhyming of the mom's voice. I liked that the animals joining in the car had an ascending and descending pattern. The pictures are cute and the kids enjoyed it. It wasn't a homerun with the moral, though. It was not obvious that the mom was trying to teach the children a lesson. For the lesson, I prefer the Ann McGovern's version of Too Much Noise. I also love the Julia Donaldson version, A Squash and a Squeeze.

[Deb Adamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rebecca Kraft Rector's playful language throughout this relatable book will have kids reflecting on their their own back-seat gripes. The mom in this adorable story is not a didactic parent but instead an interesting character that will draw kids in and help them to get the underlying message of appreciating what you've got! Dana Wulfekotte's bright and active illustrations are a perfect compliment showing emotions and carrying this light, fun story to a conclusion.

[Tina Athaide · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Rebecca Kraft Rector's hilarious book, two kids learn what it really means to be squashed when their mother adds passengers to their small car during a road trip. Young readers will be entertained as piglets, ducklings, and puppies pile inside giving new meaning to the word squished. Dana Wulfekotte's illustrations bring this story to life and will have readers giggling.

Perfect for grades TK-2.

[Ana Siqueira · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cuuuuuute book. I can hear the kids giggling and asking - Again, again and again. All the onomatopoeia, the alliteration, and the rhythm present in this book make it a very fun read-aloud. And the message of the story - so relatable. Two kids think they are squished in a car and keep arguing with each other until Mom invites a few extra friends over. Hahaha. Cute, clever, and sweet.

[Charlotte Offsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness this book is too funny and one that I am sure every parent can relate to! When two young children climb into the backseat of their car, they quickly begin to argue about feeling squished. Their clever mom knows exactly what to do and quickly the kids find themselves giving rides to all sorts of guests and figuring out that perhaps they weren't so squished after all! A great conversation opener about perspective and a glass half full!

[Susannah Aziz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is so relatable! What a hilarious car ride! Rebecca Kraft Rector BRILLIANTLY managed to take the reader on a silly, entertaining joy-ride, making the reader feel like they were squish squash squished in the car, right along with the characters! I loved the really unique word usage, the tongue twisting sounds, and the way animals are placed in the story! I want to live in this community! Love this!

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those who have read a book aloud to one or more listeners and the response is laughter, there is truly little, if anything, better in life. Once the laughter starts, it is contagious, spreading from person to person, until the entire room is enveloped in merriment. Even after the story is complete, and each participant leaves, the shared happiness remains, tucked away to be remembered when it is needed the most.

The patience of parents is tested more than once on road trips with children. After endless games of I Spy, There's A Flag, 50-State License Plates, Bingo scavenger hunts, and boredom from coloring and puzzles sets in, the bickering begins. Siblings who tolerate each other outside a car tend to become bitter rivals when confined to the back seat inside a car. Squish Squash Squished (Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, February 16, 2021) written by Rebecca Kraft Rector with illustrations by Dana Wulfekotte is hilarity multiplied. Fantastic wordplay paired with whimsical images of animals and humans living together in a small community fashions a textured tale of you never know how good it is until it isn't.

My full recommendation: https://librariansquest.blogspot.com/...

[Darlene Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It could always be worse! When two siblings complain about not having enough room on a car ride, their mother teaches them a lesson by inviting other farm animal passengers to join them until the siblings realize they need to stop complaining and appreciate how much room they really have. Fun rhyming and alliterative pairs and animal sounds make this cumulative story text fun to read and play with. hurry-scurry, okey-dokey, wiggle-piggle

[Jocelyn Rish · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bouncy story about appreciating what you have. In a time-honored tradition, Molly and Max are fighting over space in the back seat of the car. Their clever mom shows them it could be worse by stopping to pick up various loud and wiggly animal neighbors. Rebecca Kraft Rector's silly-dilly word choices make this a fun and funny read-aloud. And Dana Wulfekotte's whimsical illustrations of the anthropomorphic animals are charming.

[Tracy Gold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally adorable look at how a creative mom shows little kids that they are not quite as squished as they think they are by loading up the car with everyone they meet in town. A great book for learning about generosity and gratitude. Also a good book for siblings who like to fight! Absolutely adorable illustrations.

[Corey Finkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Squish Squash Squished is a fabulous modernization of a classic folk tale. Using fun language and compelling characters, it's a fun and silly story about a car trip that doubles as as "serious" fable about not complaining for no reason, lest you find yourself with a reason to complain! I sincerely wish I'd had this book when my kids were younger. :)

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, it's the language that really sets this book apart: It's just plain fun to read. Squish-squash, hurry-scurry, jiggety-jog, hush-mush, wiggle-piggle - the couplets roll around the mouth in the most delightful way, making it impossible to read without a smile. Even without that, kids would love the absurdity of all the animal friends being picked up and dropped off along the way. Fun!

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun read! Max and Molly complain about being squished in the car when there are only the two of them in the backseat, but they find out what it really means to be squished when their mom gives some barnyard animals a ride. The playful language is delightful and begs to be read aloud, and the illustrations of the animals along the way are so funny.

[Moni Ritchie Hadley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't say enough about this book! It brings me right back to my childhood, squish, squash, squished between my sisters and brother in the back seat of the car —elbows knocking, and gotcha lasts. If only my parents had devised such a plan! What fun! Complete with rhyme pairings and onomatopoeias, this book is one every kid will want to read again and again!

[Cynthia Argentine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jam-packed with fun, this book is a great read-aloud that stands up to many re-reads! As their car becomes packed with more and more animals, the kids in the story (Max and Molly) realize they are better off when they don't bicker and complain. The illustrations add extra layers of fun, from the Pawsitive Puppy School to the pig-friendly market.

[Patti Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's all about teaching perspective in this playful car ride. Mom comes up with a great idea to show a brother and sister there's more than enough room for the two of them in the backseat! As she adds friends along the way, the complaining duo at the beginning becomes perfectly pleased with the amount of room they have by the end! Fun language and funny illustrations impart a valuable lesson!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminds me of the folktale TOO MUCH NOISE in the story, Max and Molly are in the backseat of the car complaining about being too close to each other and not having enough room. Smart mom starts picking up animal passengers. By the end of the book, Max and Molly realize that the backseat is actually spacious. Great illustrations; Great Rhymes

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tongue twister text and silly illustrations provide a variation on the old tale It Could Always Be Worse.
Children who sit near siblings in the car will easily make text-to-self connections!
Fun and funny.
Use for a writing prompt: what three alliterative words would you use to describe a certain situation or experience?

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ha ha ha, I love this book! So funny, and the text is fabulous. It starts with “Hurry-scurry kids,” called Mom. “Let’s jiggety-jog into town in our gracious spacious automobile.”

The fun phrasing continues through out the book.

It’s also very relatable for any kid who has ever felt squished in a car ride.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is based on an old folk tale, but this retelling didn't work for me. The text felt forced and gimmicky with the hyphenated words everywhere, and the interaction between the anthropomorphic animals and the humans was weird. It all just tried too hard in my opinion. So glad that many others liked it though.

[Susan Ladd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Squish Squash Squished is a super fun book with a fun tension-filled build up. Max and Molly are surrounded by very happy animals in their car, but this doesn't make Max and Molly happy. The word play makes this book fun to read. And the illustrations are smart and comical. Great read by a great author.