Sophie's Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf Ages 3-7 40 pages Schwartz and Wade August 2013 Hardcover     Sophie and Bernice (a squash) are inseparable. Sophie is convinced that they are best friends. She takes Bernice to the library, they go somersaulting down hills, and she rocks her squash to sleep at night in a doll cradle. As Bernice gets spotty (it’s just freckles), Sophie becomes more protective of her friend. She won’t let her mother cook Bernice up with some marshmallows, and she won’t let her father donate the squash to a food pantry. When Bernice doesn’t roll down the hill like she used to, Sophie goes to the farmer’s market to ask the squash seller for some advice. His advice makes sense to Sophie, (and to the parents), so she does what he says and after a few months, Sophie could not be any happier with the results. Readers will chuckle throughout this story. The writing is clever, and the watercolor and ink illustrations are endearing. This story could easily be “brought to life” with a quick visit to a grocery store or farmer’s market.     web reviews   Tanya Boudreau/2013 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)