Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt, Melanie Watt (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

Scaredy Squirrel never leaves his nut tree. It’s way too dangerous out there. He could encounter tarantulas, green Martians or killer bees. But in his tree, every day is the same and if danger comes along, he’s well-prepared. Scaredy Squirrel’s emergency kit includes antibacterial soap, Band-Aids and a parachute.

Day after day he watches and waits, and waits and watches, until one day … his worst nightmare comes true! Scaredy suddenly finds himself out of his tree, where germs, poison ivy and sharks lurk.

But as Scaredy Squirrel leaps into the unknown, he discovers something really uplifting …

Publishers Weekly

It's an indication of how well Watt (Leon the Chameleon) knows her helicopter-parented audience that she's able to turn the phrase "antibacterial soap" into a bona fide punchline. Fearing attack by Martians, sharks, poison ivy, killer bees, tarantulas and/or germs, Scaredy Squirrel decides "he'd rather stay in his safe and familiar tree than risk venturing out into the unknown." But just in case something goes awry, this most anxious rodent also has an extensive emergency kit that includes sardines (to distract the sharks), the aforementioned antibacterial soap and a parachute. Then one day, Scaredy's unvarying and admittedly boring routine is thrown for a loop (it's the emergency kit's fault), and he discovers he's a flying squirrel-an epiphany so momentous that it garners the book's only gatefold spread. Will Scaredy's life be changed forever now that new vistas have opened up to him? Well, sort of. Watt largely dispenses with conventional visual storytelling; instead, she tells the hero's story through a series of boldly graphic and endearingly goofy charts and diagrams (one outlines the anxious rodent's "top secret," four-option plan for exiting the tree in case of emergency). Funny in their own right, the pages also spoof all the sincerely inane worksheets that are the staple of elementary school homework. Youngsters will go nuts over this one. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Ginjer L. Clarke - Children's Literature

When picture books have the main intention of teaching a lesson with a capital L, they can be overly didactic, but this book on conquering fears and venturing into the unknown does so in a fun, un-preachy manner. The format is a bit unconventional, with charcoal-outlined illustrations that are reminiscent of cartoons and coloring books, as well as lists, plans, schedules, and other nonlinear text elements. Scaredy Squirrel, who is afraid of everything and goes to great pains to avoid contact with the dangerous outside world, eventually encounters a situation he had not prepared for, reacts instinctively, and discovers he can fly—literally. The nice allusion of jumping on faith and learning that you have wings will be over kids' heads, but they will love Squirrel's sense of adventure, curiosity, and excitement upon being freed from his fears. 2006, Kids Can Press, Ages 5 to 9.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3-Scaredy Squirrel has a catalog of creatures and things that frighten him. His life in his nut tree is comfortably predictable, and he has an emergency kit and escape plan to cover every danger. One day one of his fears is realized when he encounters a "killer bee." Panicking, he drops his emergency kit out of the tree and jumps after it without his parachute. To his surprise, he learns that he is actually a flying squirrel, and he adapts his routine to include a daily "jump into the unknown." With his iconic nervous grin and over-the-top punctiliousness, Scaredy Squirrel is an endearing character. Thick-lined cartoons with bold patches of color, quirky charts and graphs, and clever asides provide humor that will appeal to children. Like other successful worrywarts before him, such as Kevin Henkes's Wemberly Worried (HarperCollins, 2000) and Rosemary Wells's Felix and the Worrier (Candlewick, 2003), Scaredy Squirrel needn't fret about finding readers to cheer him on.-Rachel G. Payne, Brooklyn Public Library, NY Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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