Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite
The Squeezor is Coming! is a children’s picture book written by Becky Benishek and illustrated by Matt Fiss. Life for the Squeezor was sad and lonely. No one dared go near the monster whose sharp fangs and claws seemed to scare everyone away, and no one ever wanted to be hugged by his wrap-around-you-twice arms. When he went into Ghastly Gigapolis to do his shopping, all the inhabitants would go into hiding. They’d watch, terror-stricken, from behind closed doors and peek out through the slats in cellar doors. Poor Squeezor. He was so lonely and just wanted a friend or two. He spent hours reading self-improvement books, but nothing seemed to work. Then he had a thought as he was looking at his grandmother’s portrait. Maybe it wasn’t about him after all? The next time he went into town, he went into his favorite shop, and something really amazing happened.
Becky Benishek’s The Squeezor is Coming! is suitably creepy and filled with gross and funny things that are guaranteed to make kids and their caregivers giggle with delight. It also sends a wonderful message to those kids, and there are an awful lot of them, who feel different or have trouble making friends. Far too many kids feel as unlovable as The Squeezor, and this story is for them. Benishek’s droll and humorous story will please everyone in the room and maybe especially those adults who are still kids at heart. Matt Fiss’s brilliantly grotesque illustrations make this book one to linger over and read again and again and again. Literally. It’s that good. Heck, if The Squeezor can make friends, why not that kid in the corner? The Squeezor is Coming! is most highly recommended.