PINCH AND DASH AND THE TERRIBLE COUCH

An oversized couch with “daring dashes of red” causes a conundrum for understated Pinch. Will good friend Dash find a way to make it work?

Daley and Yezerski pair up again (Pinch and Dash Make Soup, 2012) for a slice-of-life story told in six brief chapters. They ably move the plot along while watercolor-and-ink illustrations inject humor into this odd-couple approach to dealing with a dilemma. Pinch is put out that Aunt Hasty has sent him her couch for safekeeping after moving to a tiny apartment. This huge piece of furniture is too big and too bright for Pinch’s quiet aesthetic. His home has blue curtains with “pleasing pinches of orange” and a “snug chair.” Gruff movers Push and Shove just want to get the job done. They leave the sofa in the middle of Pinch’s house after pushing and shoving everything else out of the way. In comes Dash to help rearrange. After more futile pushing and shoving, Pinch is still not happy. Dash, however, finds the couch’s cushions “just right” and settles in for a snooze. Hot and frustrated, Pinch opens his windows and notices the breeze blowing Dash’s curtains on the other side of their duplex—and they are “curtains with daring dashes of red!” A whispered call to Push and Shove leads to a satisfying conclusion.

A good choice for newly independent readers not quite ready for longer fiction.