The Squish

Buckets of sandy uplift.

After it is stomped by one of its kid creators, the indignities keep piling up for this picture book's googly-eyed sandcastle protagonist. Initially, the first-person narrator tries to rebuild itself: "I've gotta... pick myself up, dust myself off, and be on the lookout!" Though it fashions itself even bigger each time, it's efforts are to no avail--its tower is quickly lopped off by a Frisbee, and a later rainstorm all but melts it. Even giving up ("Nothing can squish me if I'm already squished, right?") can't restrain the force of two sandcastle-builders and a big wave. But when the sandcastle notices a similarly afflicted sand creation, its perspective changes. "I thought it was just me, but we've all been squished, haven't we? And we didn't deserve what happened to us, did we?" With the help of some engineering-minded sand crabs, the two sandpiles unite into one dual-towered castle that's ready to "weather everything life throws at us... TOGETHER!" Alongside a familiar message of solidarity and resilience, visual storytelling from Carzoo (Greenlight)--single-plane images rendered in subtly dimensional cut-paper collage--has lots of good-hearted, goofy verve. Ages 4-8. Agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary. (May)