25. Squash the Cat: Stuck in the Middle

 

25. Squash the Cat: Stuck in the Middle. Sasha Mayer. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, cats, jealousy, toys, picture book]

First sentence: This is Squash. Squash is a sleeping in-the-sunshine, celebrating-from-the-sidelines, and then a nap-in-the-lap kind of cat. 

Premise/plot: Squash loves Maggie--his human. Maggie loves Squash too. They are the best, best, best of friends....until.....PIRATE LOU appears on the scene. This is a PIRATE stuffed animal. Now Squash is having HIS space invaded. Can Squash make peace with this new.....thing.....on Maggie's lap, Maggie's bed, etc.

My thoughts: If Squash wasn't so absolutely DELIGHTFULLY adorably illustrated would I rate this one so high?????? The world will never know because Squash IS so adorable and irresistible. The story is simple enough--jealousy. But it's also told in a fun and cute way.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers