Description
About the story
A little old lady thinks her house is far too small, so she asks the wise old man for help. His advice? Take in the hen… then the goat… then the pig… and then the cow! Soon the house is a squash and a squeeze – until the animals go back outside and suddenly it feels enormous. Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s rhyming story is a brilliant, funny way to talk about size, space and being happy with what you have.
What’s inside
- A Squash and a Squeeze – choose the sturdy Board Book, the classic Picture Book or the interactive Push, Pull & Slide Book (optional).
- Classic: Old Lady Hand Puppet plus Hen, Goat, Pig & Cow Finger Puppets – every animal that squeezes into the house.
- Deluxe: everything in Classic plus the Wise Old Man (Farmer Hand Puppet) – the full cast for retelling the whole story.
- Wooden Characters: Old Lady, Wise Old Man, Hen, Goat, Pig & Cow – chunky painted wooden figures for small-world play, story retelling and sequencing.
Ways to play
- Read the story, then act it out – squeeze the animals in one by one.
- Join in with the rhyme: “Wise old man, won’t you help me, please?”
- Build the old lady’s house from a shoebox – how many animals fit inside?
- Sort things by size – big, bigger, biggest – and talk about what makes a room feel small.
Learning through play (Aistear)
- Communicating – rhyme, repetition, retelling and new vocabulary.
- Exploring & Thinking – counting, sequencing and early ideas of size and space.
- Well-being – fine motor skills with hand and finger puppets; feeling content with what we have.
- Identity & Belonging – home, family and playing different roles together.
Good to know
- Best for ages 3–6. Supervise younger children.
- Bag: Fairtrade organic cotton – spot clean or cool gentle wash. Puppets: surface wash only. Wooden characters: wipe clean with a damp cloth.
- The StorySack bag is not a toy. Please supervise play and keep the drawstring bag away from babies and young children.
