Reviews

Sophie's Squash Go to School by Pat Zietlow Miller

lsparrow's review

Go to review page

4.0

great book for starting conversations on new spaces and the challenges of making friends.

novelesque_life's review

Go to review page

3.0

SOPHIE'S SQUASH GO TO SCHOOL
Written by Pat Zietlow Miller
Illustrated by Anne Wilsford
2016; 40 Pages
Schwartz & Wade.
Genre: children's, picture book, friendship

3 Stars

Sophie is going to school with her squash. Her squash are her best friends and feels like she doesn't need to make any more friends. Over time she starts to get lonely, especially when the squash go to bed. A good book for kids who have imaginary friends. (Ages 3-5)

pandacat42's review

Go to review page

4.0

A parent recommended that I buy this book for our library, it's a nice little book about friendship.

lsm239's review

Go to review page

4.0

This is a story about adjusting to school and making new friends. Sophie's two best friends are the squash she grew in her garden, named Bonnie and Baxter. They are the only friends she needs, and she definitely doesn't need that boy Steven or his stuffed frog Marvin as friends. As the school year progresses, though, Sophie knows she will have to say goodbye to Bonnie and Baxter soon (we see them turning brown and a little mushy in the illustrations), so she considers branching out her friendships. Finally, after Steven tears her drawing of Bonnie and Baxter and apologizes with a new drawing and a pack of seeds, Sophie has a great idea. She and all her classmates plant the seeds together, and Sophie's new friendships sprout alongside their plants.
The illustrations in this book are funny and sweet. Sophie's angry faces are hilarious, and though the lines of the illustrations are simple, there's enough to look at to make the pictures rich and interesting. They show Bonnie and Baxter's gradual decomposition, and the frog Marvin pops up on the back endpapers, signifying Sophie's character arc and how she made new friends by the end of the book.
This book would be great for kindergarten and first grade, especially around the first week of school. It discusses topics like making new friends, and what makes a good friend, which would be a great discussion in any classroom.

readingthroughtheages's review

Go to review page

4.0

There are so many sides to making a friend, it's a big topic. There are readers who will need to hear and explore this book.

theybedax's review

Go to review page

3.0

Cute illustrations and a strong message about friendship.

chadinguist's review

Go to review page

fast-paced

3.0

reddjena's review

Go to review page

5.0

Adorable book about friendship!

melaniegaum's review

Go to review page

3.0

I understand it is important for kids to make (human) friends and that some have a harder time with it than others, but I was a little on Sophie's side here. Steven was being annoying and could have learned something about how you can't force friendship. I didn't like how Sophie's mom kept calling him adorable when Sophie was clearly uncomfortable. I'm glad everything worked out, but it could have happened differently.

maidmarianlib's review

Go to review page

3.0

Nice follow up to Sophie's Squash, a good message about friendship.