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.
- Used Book in Good Condition
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
23 of 26 people found the following review helpful.
A Lesson in Comparing Stories
By Lilah R.
My elementary class and I just read this book along with another fall story The Apple Doll by Elisa Kleven. While we thought the newer book was cute, we noticed that it shares many elements with The Apple Doll. In both books, a girl makes a doll by drawing a face on a fruit (yes, a squash is a fruit!) Both children are told that their dolls will get "mushy" and "rotten," and wish they would "last forever." Both are shown being teased about their dolls, a situation each responds to by saying "Her name is Susanna"/"Her name is Bernice". Both books have illustrations of the dolls being planted by their owners. Of course, Sophie actually plants her doll which becomes a squash vine. Still, in my many years of teaching and reading children's books, I've never seen a picture of a child planting her doll! One sharp eyed student also noticed that each girl describes her produce doll as "freckled", and another commented on the before and after pictures of the dolls on the end papers. Not sure what to make of this but it sparked an interesting discussion!
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful.
Super Cute Story
By Valerie A. Baute
Sophie's squash is about Sophie and the squash she picks up at the Farmer's Market. Most people buy squash so they can do something like cook it, which is what Sophie's mom planned on doing. How could she possibly cook it after Sophie starts toting it around like a baby doll and names it Bernice? Well, she can't. As most people (not Sophie) know, a squash won't last forever. What happens once the squash turns squishy is what turns this from a somewhat funny book to a super sweet story of love and patience.I love the way this was written. It is a joy for children, especially those with a great imagination like Sophie or ones that form a special attachment to toys or other items. At the same time, it is entertaining for parents to read as well. The pictures are not as cute as most kids would like, but they go along with the autumn theme of the story. I am not sure if this would go well in a story time setting for younger preschoolers, but I know there are a lot of kids out there that will love this story as much as I do. Once you are done reading the book you will understand why Sophie has just one squash on the first end pages and 2 on the last, just another reason why this one is a charming read.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful.Two Interesting Stories
By Ellen Levine
When I first read Sophie's Squash I found the story to be charming and sweet, but peculiarly familiar. Upon racking my brain to better understand this unknown familiarity, I realized that this story very closely followed the story line of The Apple Doll by Elisa Kleven. I even went through the effort of rereading both stories, noticing how (as someone previously noted) both were about young girls who grew fond of produce "dolls", among many other similarities. It was a little funny to me that Kleven's story was published in 2007 and Miller's not until 2013. I am not suggesting any kind of funny business between the two authors, but I do encourage those who read Sophie's Squash to also read The Apple Doll so that you too can see the similarities, but also enjoy another wonderful children's book.
