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My Best Friend Is a Butternut Squash
  • Published: 15 July 2026
  • ISBN: 9781774886632
  • Imprint: Tundra Books
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 40
  • RRP: $50.00

My Best Friend Is a Butternut Squash

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A heartwarming picture book about a young boy whose only friend, a butternut squash, helps him create a rich and imaginative world for himself, ultimately leading him to a new human friend.

Alex’s best friend is a butternut squash. They play pretend all day long. Sometimes his butternut squash is a baby. Alex pushes him in a stroller all around town. Sometimes his butternut squash is a pirate.They have spectacular swordfights! Sometimes Alex thinks that his butternut squash might like to join the other kids in the playground, but he doesn’t want his squash to get his hopes up. What if the other kids don't want to play with him? Then one day, they meet someone new. Could Alex and his butternut squash have found a new friend?
  • Published: 15 July 2026
  • ISBN: 9781774886632
  • Imprint: Tundra Books
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 40
  • RRP: $50.00

About the authors

Heather Smith

HEATHER SMITH is originally from Newfoundland and now lives in Waterloo, Ontario, with her husband and three children. Her east coast roots inspire much of her writing. Her novel, The Agony of Bun O'Keefe, won both the Ontario Library Association's White Pine Award and the Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Award, and was also shortlisted for several others. It also received starred reviews from Kirkus and Quill & Quire, and was named a best book by Kirkus, Bank Street College of Education, Globe and Mail and Quill & Quire (honorable mention), as well as selected as an Outstanding International Book by USBBY. 

Tig was the winner of the 2025 Governor General’s Award, as well as an Ontario Library Association Red Maple Honor, among other honors.
portrait photo of Heather Smith

Kass Reich

KASS REICH works as an artist and educator and has spent the majority of the last decade travelling around the world. She earned a degree in Art Education from Concordia University and was an early childhood educator in Beijing, which inspired her to start making picture books for very young readers. Kass loves illustrating books for all ages, including the Megabat series, Sergeant Billy, Carson Crosses Canada and Hamsters Holding Hands. She now lives and works in Toronto, Ontario.
portrait photo of Kass Reich

Praise for My Best Friend Is a Butternut Squash

PRAISE FOR TIG by Heather Smith:
"A devastatingly honest novel about foster care, neurodivergence, family, and resilience." —Starred Review, School Library Journal

"In the complex, unforgettable Tig, Heather Smith explores the stunning (and sometimes self-sabotaging) resourcefulness children can muster in the face of adversity." —Starred Review, Shelf Awareness