Sophie’s Squash is a great read aloud that’s a delight to bring into any classroom from preschool to even middle school or high school. It is a treasure not to be missed by anyone.
I picked up Sophie’s Squash at a local bookstore one day to read to my daughter’s then preschool class. The title with the lovely autumnal illustration on the cover caught my eye and flipping through, I knew it would be a great book to read to three and four year olds.
Sophie’s Squash is a great classroom read aloud
While I read it to a class of preschoolers, I have also used Sophie’s Squash with my fifth grade classes. Depending on how you use it in your reading classroom, Sophie’s Squash is a great book to read aloud for any age.
Sophie’s Squash Summary
While visiting the farmer’s market with her parents, Sophie picks out a squash. Her parents think they will eat the squash for dinner, Sophie has other ideas. The squash, who Sophie has named Bernice, ends up traveling to the library, the farmers’ market and rolling down the hill . . . all things good friends do together.
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Any time Sophie’s parents suggest eating Bernice or donating her to a food pantry, Sophie gets upset. Sophie begins to struggle with the fact that her poor friend Bernice, who is still in fact a squash, starts to decompose. Not understanding the scientific concept of decomposition, Sophie thinks her friend will always be there for her.
Advice from a farmer at the Farmers’ Market and a bit of patience add to a delightful conclusion that nicely entwines a bit of life science into the story.
The book is written by Pat Zietlow Miller and illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf.
Sophie’s Squash Concepts to Cover in Class
This book would be a great addition to any classroom depending on the topic of focus. On its own, Sophie’s Squash is a great fall read aloud to simply enjoy. But it could also be a great piece to kick off or wrap up a unit on:
- Community Helpers or The Community- Sophie visits the Farmer’s Market and the library a few times. This would be a great discussion for all the places in a community where families can go.
- Making Friends– Sophie is a good friend to Bernice. Sophie plays with Bernice at her home, playing outside and takes her out for fun trips. Talk with your classes about what they like to do for fun with their friends. You could also compare and contrast Sophie’s friendship with Bernice and Ace the goldfish.
- Being Kind– Sophie does’t let anyone bully Bernice. She sticks up for Bernice when people make comments about Bernice’s looks. Sophie’s parents are also kind when they know that Sophie is sad about her friend by purchasing a new friend for Sophie- Ace the goldfish.
- Healthy Eating– I love the conversations about the Farmer’s market, making dinner and cooking squash in this book. This would be a gentle way to introduce fall vegetables and healthy eating.
- Life Cycle of a Seed– This story starts with a fully developed squash, Bernice, who starts to decompose. While Sophie is in denial about Bernice’s downfall, Sophie eventually, unknowingly, plants Bernice in the ground, only to find a new set of squash growing in the spring. This passage of time is quite clear in this story, leading to a conversation about seasons as well.
- Gardening– Upon the advice of the farmer at the Farmer’s Market, Sophie thinks she is giving Bernice a good nap for the winter, but she is actually planting Bernice. This story does a great job showing what growing squash in a garden looks like.
- Making Predictions- This book has quite a few twists and turns which makes it a great book to practice making predictions. There are many spots to stop and make predictions from the cover of the book, to Sophie’s refusal to let go of Bernice, as well as Sophie’s new friend Ace and finally Sophie waiting throughout the winter for Bernice to wake up from her nap.
Your Thoughts?
I love this delightful book and it is well loved in my home. Have you ever read this book to your class? How did it go?
