Sophie's Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller (review)

Comfort objects can come in many forms. Just ask Sophie, who bonds with a squash from the farmers' market, draws a face on with markers, and then "wrapped it in a blanket and rocked it to sleep." Bernice the squash and Sophie are soon inseparable ("Well, we did hope she'd love vegetables," Sophie's mother says wryly), and the family tries their best to get Bernice out of Sophie's arms and into the food stream but eventually admits defeat. When Bernice starts getting soft (it happens to the best of squash) Sophie plants her in the ground, hoping for recovery; next spring brings a flourishing green plant and two baby squash ("You look just like your mom!") for Sophie to love. Sophie's contentment at putting Bernice underground is sudden and a little wishful, but this remains a humorously told story with its roots in realism. Miller writes some fine comedic dialogue and offers a subtly droll portrayal of Sophie's supportive, progressive, nonetheless somewhat daunted family. Line and watercolor drawings are energetic without being frenetic, with Sophie's bravely upstanding pigtails a mark of her vivacity. Bernice is never animated beyond the vegetable, but she's got a nice curvy shape and a cheerful presence, with a drawn-on smile that makes Sophie's attachment seem pretty defensible. This is a gentle yet perky, weird yet homey story, and kids who've had their own strange comfort objects will relate to Sophie's attachment.