Brave squish rabbit by Katherine Battersby

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Brave squish rabbit by Katherine Battersby
UQP, 2012. ISBN 9780702249433.
(Age: 3-5) Picture book. Bravery. With an enticingly tactile soft cover and piercing blue background to the little picture of brave rabbit and his soft toy, children will love to pick up this book and have it read to them. Inside they read of the rabbit, called Squish and the list of things he is frightened of: storms and lightning, chickens, and especially the dark. Each page shows Squish as a small drawing in the bottom corner of the page, cowering with fear. But as he develops more strength to overcome his fears, his image increases in size. Looking for his friend Twitch, he is bereft when she has gone, so he searches in the dark for her, gradually gaining more confidence.
While this book reprises the cute character of Squish, it may not win the recognition received by the first book, Squish rabbit, which won an award from CBCA in 2012. The story will capture the attention of younger readers, and help them think about some of their fears, while providing a book both at home and in the classroom for fears to be discussed. The illustrations are a mixture of found objects, collage, line drawing and digital collage thus further exciting interest in the way the book is presented.
Fran Knight

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