Happy Birthday to A Squash and a Squeeze!
A Squash and a Squeeze, the first picture book that Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler worked together on, is 20 years old. Since then they have collaborated on many other stories including The Gruffalo, Zog, Stick Man and Monkey Puzzle.
The Story: A little old lady complains to a wise old man that her house is too small. He advises her to take in a succession of animals who manage to cause all kinds of chaos. It really is a squash and a squeeze once there are five occupants in the house so the wise old man tells the little old lady to take them all out again. Once the little old lady is all alone she realises that her house isn’t so small after all!
My daughter loves the chaos that ensues when the animals come into the house and I love the expression on the old lady’s face which becomes more and more pained until she is alone again! The repetitive, rhyming text flows beautifully and is great for children to join in with. Axel Scheffler’s illustrations make the story easy to follow and help to support beginner readers. As with all Julia Donaldson’s stories it is a brilliant book to use for teaching about rhyme.
Age Range: 2 +
Author: Julia Donaldson / Illustrator: Axel Scheffler
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler did a 20th birthday interview which was published in The Daily Telegraph.
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