Meet the Smushkins

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Author(s)

Claudia Rueda

Publisher

Candlewick

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

December 02, 2025

ISBN

978-1536236583

Buy This Book

What if you mixed the gentle spirit of Lucy Cousins’s Maisy with the offbeat world of the Moomins? Meet the Smushkins, a family of characters that toddlers will find irresistible.

The Smushkins are looking for a house, but what makes a good house for the Smushkins? They all agree: there must be lots of light, a big table everyone can sit on to look out the window, and an apple tree for making pies. Oh, and a playground, puddles to jump in, an ice cream cart, and so much more! But most of all, a good house for the Smushkins is a house full of Smushkins! Kicking off a delightful concept board book series, this boldly illustrated, giftable picture book introduces a family of characters so adorable, so goofy, and so lovable that readers of all ages can’t help but feel that they’ve known them forever.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

Get Imaginative

January 26, 2026 (Updated: June 22, 2026)

Overall rating

3.8

Plot

3.0

Characters

3.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

Meet the Smushkins is a joyful picture book full of imagination. The Smushkins feel like a franchise in the making, but do not seem tied to any tv or toy product and are solely imaginary creatures doing activities that most young readers would find relatable. The text length and word choices are perfect for toddlers and preschool-age children, and the illustrations are vivid, with a cartoonish feel. This book would lend itself perfectly to a teacher or librarian reading this book aloud and then facilitating an art project to make your own smushkin character and a perfect house for them. This extension activity would be great to activate their own imagination after reading.

Connie Reid, Site Manager and Staff Reviewer Top 10 Reviewer 1021 reviews

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Finding a house for a found family

November 09, 2025 (Updated: June 22, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

The Smushkins, a colorful selection of brightly colored friends who are different kinds of stylized animals, are looking for a house that they can share. It's important that the house have lots of light from windows that look over a tree in the yard that can provide apples for pie. The group also wants to be near a path to a park, so they can ride scooters and play. There should also be a hill for picnics, but nothing that is too far away from ice cream trucks or libraries. The Smushkins also are very artistic, so want walls to paint on, but also cleaning supplies and a bath tub for clean up. Bouncy beds for jumping are important, too, but the most important thing is that the house have plenty of Smushkins in it. This is the first book in a series; upcoming titles include Colors and ABCZoinks.

Good Points

Since I don't hang out with small children, I thought at first that the Smushkins were part of a show or a toy empire, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Instead, they have the feel of a band of animated Squishmallows or other stuffed toys come to life. While some characters are recognizable in the title page line up (Puff seems to be a sleepy bunny, Moe a hippo, and Tippi a moose), others are a bit harder to identify.

It's fun to envision a house when one is young; most of these plans involve fanciful inclusions like giant bedrooms and gamerooms but few practical spaces, so I was glad to see that the Smushkins wanted a kitchen, cleaning supplies, and a bathroom! They have pretty good taste in their choice of location; who doesn't want to live near a park with a playground and hill for picnics AND near a library?

The Smushkins themselves all have details that give some information about their likes, dislikes, and personalities. Tippi has a small worm sticking out of a pocket, Opie is always reading, and Moe is always hanging out with Ki, who may be an African Oxpecker. The bright colors and simple shapes of the animals makes their antics even more fun. I loved when they were all in pajamas, bouncing on the bed!

Like Werner and Williams' 1953 Animal Friends or Wheeler's more recent A Cozy Winter's Day, Meet the Smushkins is a fun look at a group of friends who enjoy making a home where everyone is comfortable and happy.