Lovers of Squish Rabbit will be pleased to know that he now comes in a board book, the perfect size for a Christmas stocking.  So he’ll also fit in your handbag or backpack to be read anywhere, anytime.

AWARDS

Squish Rabbit was shortlisted for the CBCA Crichton Award for New Illustrators in 2012.

The same year it was also awarded a CBCA Early Childhood Notable Book.

ABOUT SQUISH

Squish Rabbit is a little rabbit with a BIG problem…he doesn’t have a friend.

Simply told, this book is so insightful. It delves right into the heart and mind of a small child, making up a pretend friend because he doesn’t have a real one.

Then he meets a squirrel who invites him to play, but can Squish save his new friend from danger?

Squish has a very large heart but nobody can see it, because they don’t look at him, seem to notice he’s there. As small children, how often do we feel unnoticed and afraid in the big wide world?

Although Squish is a rabbit, his feelings, emotions and fears are very genuinely those of a small child.

Squish thought no one was watching so he threw a tantrum.

This response is so childlike yet even when he is scowling and throwing himself on the ground, just like a small child, Squish manages to look cute.

The authenticity of Squish’s dilemma and the way he handles it makes the story all the more poignant.

Katherine Battersby, creator of Squish Rabbit

Squish Rabbit is written and illustrated by Kath Battersby who has clearly captured her characters feelings of being alone and small in a big world. Even as adults, we still experience these feelings and this is probably one of the reasons this book will appeal to adults as well.

She has an obsession with textures and she has brought this to the story, using all sorts of materials to provide the layered illustrations in the book. Here use of this method is combined with clean lines and bright colours to provide an original and striking look for Squish Rabbit.

The words and pictures work in perfect harmony in this book. So much is left unsaid in the text and told in the pictures.

The illustrations are deceptively simple, yet they convey so much. The text is sparse with not a word out of place, not a word wasted.

Squish Rabbit is written and illustrated by Katherine Battersby and published in Australia by UQP.

The Squish Rabbit Board Book has been released by popular demand.  Teachers’ notes are available:  www.uqp.com.au