Squish Rabbit by Katherine Battersby

This is the simple and sweet tale of Squish Rabbit. Squish is just a little rabbit and being little can lead to big problems.

Squish often feels ignored and overlooked. He is lonely and makes a friend, but knows it isn't as good as the real thing. One day, when having a tantrum, Squish meets Squirrel and they become friends.

Although the story is very simple, young children would probably relate to Squish, particularly if they are feeling ignored or misunderstood by the grown ups in their world. Parents could also use Squish's tantrum as a starting point for a great discussion about dealing with big feelings - something that toddlers often struggle with.

The book itself is very well produced - the puffy cover and satin finish give the cover a wonderfully tactile feeling. The illustrations are simple, colourful and effective. The combination of collage and ink drawing is really attractive and the stylised Squish and Squirrel characters are very sweet.

We got Squish Rabbit when Maximilian was around 15 months old and he was just the right age to begin enjoying it straight away. I'd recommend this story for 12 months plus as there isn't enough to engage younger babies effectively, and it isn't available as a board book so younger babies can't engage with the physical book really either.

Katherine Battersby is a local Brisbane author and Squish Rabbit is her first book. Maximilian received Squish Rabbit as a gift from a dear friend and our copy is signed and inscribed by the author. I hope this will just be the first of many autographed books in Maximilian's book collection!