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.