A Squash and a Squeeze at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

For those of you not familiar with children’s literature, ‘A Squash and a Squeeze’ was the first book from the now legendary children’s author Julia Donaldson. And now the same title is being used as the name of a fabulous, child friendly exhibition that is taking place at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery this Summer, dedicated to the fantastic body of work of Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler.

Located in the Gas Hall at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, a gorgeous airy and (thanks to air conditioning) a very cool space, ‘A squash and a Squeeze’ cleverly brings the world of Julia Donaldson’s most famous characters and stories to life. From the house in ‘A Squash and a Squeeze’, both with and without the animal guests, to the lair of The Gruffalo, complete with a rather scary footstep trail to follow to meet the Gruffalo himself, this is a wonderfuly interactive exhibition that will appeal to children of all ages.

One of the most exciting things about this exhibition is that it is varied and interactive. All Julia Donaldson’s books are featured, from the widely know ‘Room on a broom’ and ‘Monkey Puzzle’ to the lesser know ‘Superworm’. There is a role play stage and dress up area which will definitely appeal to all the young Gruffalo’s out there, and there are also TV screens showing various narratives of the stories on television over the years.

For adults, you can marvel at original artwork from Axel Scheffler, and look at the framed notes which show how Julia’s work progresses from an idea to a completed story.

I loved this exhibition, as did my four year old, who was just enchanted by all the different displays and characters. ‘A Squash and a Squeeze’ is at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery until 3rd November 2013.

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