Review Detail

Meet the Smushkins

Kids Fiction 300

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.