The purpose of this reading is to bring together the information in both the text and the illustrations. The discussion and activity options focus on analyzing the main idea, theme, character traits, setting and how all of the story elements fit together.

During this reading your child and you will read the story all the way through. Two ways that you can add fun and improve recall during this reading are:
~You may switch roles and become the listener and the questioner as your child “reads” (retells) the story to you. Assist your child in matching the retelling of the story to the illustration. Help your child pay attention to the details in the illustration to know when to turn the page.
~Your child and you may alternate the pages you “read” to each other.

DISCUSSION OPTIONS:
~Discuss the daily routines of your child and you. Discuss whether or not daily routines are good or bad.
~Do you think that Scaredy still needs his emergency kit?
~How are Scaredy and you alike? How are Scaredy and you different?

ACTIVITY OPTIONS:
~Fill your own emergency kit. Construct a chart similar to Scaredy’s chart on pages 16 and 17. List your fears. For each fear think of something that would protect you should you come face to face with each fear.
~There are great vocabulary words in this book.
Pick five to put up on your Word Wall. Remember to use these words every day.

daily routine drastic inspired glide

incredible regrets dramatization panic
rest assured predictable venture risk familiar advantages disadvantages exit chart
~Search “flying squirrel” on www.youtube.com. There is a two minute video done by National Geographic that goes very well with the illustrations done by Ms. Watt.

The focus of this reading is the text.There will be opportunities in this reading to connect the information in the illustrations to the information in the text. These connections will help add deeper meaning to the text.

*Read the pages before you ask the questions.

*Since the pages containing charts and lists have already been discussed, the following discussion points will be on the pages that contain text only.

Pages 1 – 7:
Read this series of pages before you discuss.
~On page 3, familiar: known.
venture: go forth.
Why is Scaredy perfectly happy not to venture away from his familiar tree?
~risk: take a chance with an unknown. Why might the unknown be scary for a squirrel? Is the unknown scary for you?

Pages 10 – 11:
~predictable: expected, known in advance. Scaredy Squirrel thinks that “All in his life is under control.” Do you agree with him that everything in his life is under his control? Is everything in his life predictable?

Pages 14 – 15:
~Point out and stress the words in bold type.
~Point out the ellipsis (. . .) and pause.
(Authors use these tools to help a reader know how to interpret the page for proper phrasing.)
~rest assured: be certain. Why can you rest assured that Scaredy is prepared?

Pages 18 – 19:
~panic: a sudden outbreak of fear. What could cause Scaredy to go into a panic?
~dramatization: act something out. Where did Scaredy get the equipment to dramatize his emergency plan?
~Why doesn’t Scaredy Squirrel want to exit the tree unless it is absolutely necessary?

Pages 20 -21:
~For what is Scaredy Squirrel watching each day?
~Note the ellipsis (. . .).
~What happens at 9:37 a.m. on Thursday?
~Now that Scaredy sees a killer bee, what’s his plan?

Pages 22 – 23:
~What does Scaredy do that shows he is in a panic?

Pages 24 – 25:
~regrets: sorry. Why does Scaredy regret his decision to catch his emergency kit?
~incredible: so extraordinary as to seem impossible. What incredible event happens?
~glide: to move smoothly through the air without much movement. What word tells us what flying squirrels can do that ordinary squirrels can’t?
~Why is Scaredy so surprised to learn that he is a flying squirrel?

Pages 26 – 27:
~What makes Scaredy forget all of the fears that he has had?
~Which words on the page tell you how Scaredy is feeling?

Page 29:
~inspired: filled with a feeling to take action and do something. What inspired Scaredy to make changes?
~drastic: major, extreme. What are the drastic changes that Scaredy makes to his life?
~What would be a drastic change that you could make to your daily routine?

Pages 30 – 31:
~Compare the chart on pages 12 and 13 to the new-and-improved daily routine. What changes has Scaredy made to his daily routine?
~How will this new daily routine improve Scaredy’s life?
~Do you agree or disagree that the changes Scaredy made to his daily routine are drastic? Discuss.

Page 32:
~Why is Scaredy not in a hurry to get his emergency kit? Come up with as many reasons as you can.

To allow the brain to focus on the information in the illustrations, this reading will look only at the illustrations and the information they provide to the reader. There are no right or wrong answers in this reading. If the pages are not numbered, page 1 is the first page of text.

Your child will be asked to infer what Scaredy might be thinking and feeling in the illustrations. The facial expressions are important information in forming the inferences. If your child answers a question by saying, “I don’t know.” Respond, “We may find the answer when we read the story.”

Ms. Watt uses charts and lists several times during the story. The pages with charts and lists will be covered in this reading. The charts and lists are not considered text.

Page 1:
Meet Scaredy.
~ Point out that Scaredy is in a tree full of nuts. This is the kind of tree most squirrels love. Discuss the prior knowledge your child already has about squirrels.
~Talk about the trees in your neighborhood. Are there any trees that squirrels would love to have as a home?

Pages 2 – 3:
~unknown: strange, not familiar. The area shown in the illustration is “unknown” to Scaredy. What does that mean? (Scaredy has never been in the area shown.)
~Why might Scaredy have never gone to this area?

Pages 4 – 5:
~chart: a special way to organize information. This is the first chart. Use the word chart when explaining how the author is showing you Scaredy’s fears with one fear in each box. Talk about charts as being an easy way to organize information.
~Talk about what Scaredy is afraid of. Are these things that you would expect a squirrel to fear?
~Are you and Scaredy afraid of the same things?

Pages 6 – 7:
~Does Scaredy look afraid? Explain your answer. (winking and thumb up)
~Can you tell where Scaredy is? (At the bottom of the illustration, it looks like he is in his tree.)

Pages 8 – 9:
~list: similar to a chart, an easy way to organize information
Discuss that these two pages are lists. How are lists like charts? (used to organize information in an easy-to-understand way) Can you think of any lists that your child and you use?
~advantages: opportunities that leads to success
~disadvantages: things that put someone in a bad situation
~Can you think of additional advantages or disadvantages for never leaving the nut tree?

Pages 10 – 11:
~This is another list. What information is on this list?
~How does Scaredy seem to be feeling each day?

Pages 12 – 13:
~daily routine: doing the same things each day and doing these things in basically the same order. Discuss what might be in your daily routine.
~What do you think of Scaredy’s daily routine?

Pages 14 – 15:
~Locate the light bulb over Scaredy’s head. Discuss the meaning of this symbol. (It usually means that the character has thought of a great idea.)
~Look at page 15. What do you think Scaredy’s great idea might be?

Pages 16 – 17:
~This is another chart. Discuss the information shown in this chart.
~Discuss why each item is in his emergency kit. (You might need to refer to the chart showing Scaredy’s fears.)
*calamine lotion = helps to heal poison ivy
*sardines = feed the sharks

Pages 18 – 19:
~exit: a way out.
~Page 19 is a chart. Discuss what the chart is showing. Why might Scaredy need four different exit plans?

Pages 20 – 21:
~What might Scaredy be looking for?
~On page 21, what does he see?

Pages 22 – 23:
~Why is Scaredy yelling? Predict what he will do next.

Pages 24 – 25:
~Describe what you think is happening.
~How does the killer bee seem to be feeling?

Pages 26 – 27:
~The expressions on Scaredy’s face change. Why might his feelings be changing?
~What could the score card that Scaredy is holding mean? (Similar to a score given by a judge at an athletic competition. Scaredy thinks he his gliding earned a good score.)

Pages 28 – 29:
~Discuss the information on the chart. Why might Scaredy be playing dead? (Remember page 19 – another chart that mentioned playing dead.)
~What do you think Scaredy is doing on page 29? Infer why he might be doing that.

Pages 30 – END:
~new and improved: (better) How is Scaredy’s new daily routine better than his previous daily routine?
~Page 32, how is Scaredy feeling at the end of the story?
~Why might it be difficult for Scaredy to get his emergency kit? Think of a plan to help him.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: SCAREDY SQUIRREL
by Mélanie Watt

“HERE’S THE STORY, IN A NUTSHELL:
I NEVER leave my nut tree.
It’s way too dangerous out there.
I could encounter germs, poison ivy, or sharks.”
This is on front flap of the dust jacket. Then, as you look at end pages covered with nuts, you see: “WARNING! Scaredy Squirrel insists that everyone wash their hands with antibacterial soap before reading this book.” Thus, this fun begins.

Mélanie Watt is a Canadian writer who has created this wonderful character in a delightful series of books. The books met with such success that “Scaredy Squirrel” was a television series in Canada for a couple of seasons. Scaredy was, also, on Cartoon Network for a bit. However, you will be glad that you are introducing him to your children in book form. This will enable you to enjoy this worrywart squirrel any time you wish.

Ms. Watts won several Canadian awards for best Children’s Picture Book and the Canadian Library Association’s award to outstanding illustrations. In the States, it is an American Library Association Honor Book.

Scaredy Squirrel has great fear of: green Martians, killer bees, tarantulas, poison ivy, germs, and sharks. He is afraid to come out of his nut tree. He has everything he needs to protect him in his trusty emergency kit. However, Scaredy Squirrel is forced to leave the nut tree. Through this unforeseen event, Scaredy starts to handle his fears. Like Harry Potter and Katniss Everdeen, Scaredy learns that he has special skills that help him overcome obstacles and survive. However, Scaredy’s adventure is tremendously funny. Every age group will love this character.

The Reading Comprehension Best Practice to accompany this story is Inferencing.As you study the illustrations and read the sparse text, your child will be asked to form inferences about how Scaredy got his name and why he never wants to leave his tree.