That lovable little worrywart is back. And he's as scaredy as ever! In his latest adventure, Scaredy Squirrel sets out to make The Perfect Friend.
And once he's spotted a perfectly safe candidate (with no teeth), Scaredy's ready. Armed with a name tag, mittens, a mirror and a lemon, he's prepared to make The Perfect First Impression. But just when every detail is under control, Scaredy's Action Plan takes a surprising—and "toothy"—turn. Will he survive this ordeal? Will he find his kindred spirit? Will he discover the true meaning of friendship? Read Scaredy's nutty story to find out ...
It was in a design class taught by Michèle Lemieux at the University of Quebec in Montreal that author and illustrator Mélanie Watt created her first picture book, Leon the Chameleon, which was later published by Kids Can Press. Watt went on to create several more books, including the Learning with Animals collection and Augustine, which was named an ALA Notable Children's Book. Watt has also illustrated Where Does a Tiger-Heron Spend the Night? and Bearcub and Mama, which won the 2006 IRA Teachers' Choices Project.
Mélanie's best known book Scaredy Squirrel, has won many awards including the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award for Children's Picture Book and the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award. The release of Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend, was met with enthusiastic reviews and incredible sales, confirming the arrival of kid lit's newest superstar.
Chester,Chester's Back! and Chester's Masterpiece are about a megalomaniac cat who is every bit the antithesis to Scaredy. Chester has already become a bestseller and shows the breadth and creativity of Mélanie Watt.
Scaredy returns to take a few more tentative steps out of his comfort zone in Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach and Scaredy Squirrel at Night. Mélanie has often noted how the Scaredy Squirrel books helped her work out her own insecurities and fears, as the success of these titles has required her to venture out into the unknown, and like Scaredy she has found the experience truly uplifting.
'Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend' is the second in the Scaredy Squirrel series and just as much fun as the first book. I am giving it 5 stars as it teaches a very important lesson with the cute illustrations and characters. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
I was afraid that Scaredy Squirrel might be a one hit wonder book, but I think I liked this one even more than the first book. I was chortling aloud at times. As a dog lover, I loved the dog in this book. Scaredy Squirrel is a wonderful character and Mélanie Watt is very funny, a good writer and illustrator, and I’m looking forward to reading books three and four.
As with the first book, the author biography and author "photo" illustration on the back inside cover of the book are charming and funny.
I cannot begin to express the magnificence of this extraordinary book; it embodies absolutely everything a distinguished published work should demonstrate. "Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend" has been overshadowed by literary debacles such as "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" or "Green Eggs and Ham" that both overcompensate for their lackluster plots and insignificant character development by dazzling readers with unnecessarily colourful pictures.
As an avid reader of fine fiction, I'm able to genuinely convey that this literary masterpiece can compete with classic novelists amongst the ranks of Austen, Dickens, Brontë, and perhaps even our beloved Shakespeare. The simplicity of this book is only reserved on the surface; in reality, the tastefully delightful photos act as a facade for profound and scholarly connotations. Hidden behind Scaredy Squirrel's journey to find companionship, one can stumble upon self-realization and countless epiphanies.
Not only was I able to relate to Scaredy Squirrel with his chronic loneliness, lack of understanding about social conventions, paranoia in respect to his overwhelming anxiety concerning cultural interaction, and fascination with oral fixation, but I additionally found that his voyage in overcoming his fear of dangerous neighbors a euphemism for several psychotic disorders such as Dissociative Personality Disorder and Anti-Social Personality Disorder. The book explores the path in defeating one's psychosis and finding relief in the mind and the body. It was truly a serendipity that I discovered Scaredy Squirrel, and I'm waiting eagerly to read the prequel.
Scaredy Squirrel not only ends with an ironic twist, but astonishes appreciators with impressive diagrams, striking charts, and countless other awe-inspiring embellishments. This is not a literary piece to overlook, and I would suggest it to anyone who wishes to reach intellectual enlightenment. Happy reading my fellow academics.
Scaredy Squirrel returns for his second adventure in this hilarious and heart-warming little book, this time trying to cope with the frightening idea of finding a friend. Terrified of being bitten, Scaredy refuses to consider: walruses, bunnies, beavers, piranhas, or Godzilla, as possible companions. No, he has selected a nice, safe candidate, and with a well-orchestrated campaign, believes that making a good first impression should be no trouble. Of course, as is so often the case, nothing goes quite as planned...
Getting right to the heart of the matter, Mélanie Watt's narrative begins: "Scaredy Squirrel doesn't have a friend. He'd rather be alone that risk encountering something dangerous," and it is that tension, between the desire for companionship and the need to be safe, that the author negotiates with such sensitivity and humor. This is territory that will be familiar to many young children, even if they aren't quite as phobic as Scaredy, and they will enjoy seeing the hero find a true friend, one who is "83% safe, but LOTS OF FUN!"
Never saw anyone this prepared before making a new friend! This cautious little Scaredy Squirrel actually prepares a whole questionnaire & a list of things before considering someone as his new friend.. He just doesn't want to take any risk! :D
Este libro es uno de una serie como ya escribí en Ardilla Miedosa en la noche.
En este libro casualmente Ardilla Miedosa no tiene miedo de algo. Se trata de qué hace para pasar el tiempo (porque no tiene amigos) y tiene miedo de hacerse amigo de algo que pueda morderla (conejos, morsas, castores, pirañas y godzilla (por obvias razones)). Bueno, entonces si tiene miedo de algo.
Entonces hace un plan para hacerse amiga de alguien que no hace muchas cosas pero que le gustaba porque no tenía dientes y estaba libre de gérmenes. Lanza una distracción para que los mordelones muerdan la distracción y no a ella pero se encuentra con un perro y el perro le devuelve el juguete y se hacen amigos.
El libro me gustó igual que los demás porque al igual que en todos, está un plan, la lista de cosas a las que tiene miedo y a final resulta que se olvida de todas las cosas a las que le tenía miedo.
This part is funny - where he makes a friend with a dog, they play hide and seek and play fetch with a hot dog. He even has a tag that says "Hello, My name is Scaredy!"
This little guy is becoming a fast favorite of my younger set - he needs to be in control, have a plan and everything laid out, engineer-like. In this case, he's got a pre-conceived notion of what is an acceptable friend and what is not. Funny, that is not how it works out, and the author gently reminds us of that - when friends are ready for that role, they just show up "as is." We need to accept them (or not) just that way, and learn what they have to teach us. Mostly, as in the case of Scaredy and his new buddy, it is how better to have fun and play.
A hit with my kiddos. We are looking for more adventures of Scaredy Squirrel!
These are seriously great. I wish they were published when my son was young. Recommended for all ages but especially parents of emerging readers. Fun stuff.
En esta aventura, Ardilla Miedosa cree que en su árbol de bellotas todo esta perfecto pero con los dias se aburre porque no tiene ningún amigo y un día ve en una fuente un pececito y piensa que es el amigo perfecto porque es 100% libre de bacterias, no tiene dientes, tiene una personalidad burbujeante y no hacia muchas cosas pero era 100% seguro. Entonces vuelve a hacer un plan para obtener al amigo pez y prepara limonada, se pone un gafete, se peina medio raro, se pone aromatizante, etc. Y cuando pone su plan en acción se encuentra con un perro y entonces se alarma pues eso no era parte del plan entonces corre, grita y demás, pero luego descubre que el perro no quería hacerle nada, solo buscaba un amigo entonces se pusieron a jugar y cuando acabaron Ardilla Miedosa se fue a su casa e hizo una conclusión de su amigo y fue: Dientes, bacterias, baba, pulgas, olor a perro mojado y despues esto fue lo que ella decidió: 87% seguro pero mucha diversión.
My favorite line in this Scaredy Squirrel adventure is "This was not a part of the plan!" For gifted learners, especially those who struggle with anxiety, this is a common thought. But Scaredy Squirrel once again proves to use that sometimes that best laid plans may go awry. And when they do, things can still turn out alright. In fact, sometimes, the end result is even better than what we originally hoped for.
There are several Scaredy Squirrel books and I love all of them. The illustrations, which include maps and labeled graphics, always make me laugh. Mélanie Watt does a fabulous job of adding humor to the serious topic of anxiety, providing us with great books we can share with our children and students to help them work through their worries and fears.
damn. do i love me some scaredy squirrel. i love his neuroses. i love his planning. i love his map and checklist. i love his new friend.
the drawings are bold and fun. godzilla has never looked so good. the book has enough elements to make it fun for adults and littles. the various lists and maps allow for a quick story or added exploration. although i am unsure if i would want to be friends with scaredy squirrel myself (i count both a walrus and a several beavers as friends), i am nevertheless eagerly awaiting the next installment, scaredy squirrel at the beach, due out sometime in march 2008.
Melanie Watt, Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend (Kids Can, 2007)
Scaredy Squirrel is back, and despite finding many ways to occupy his time, he's decided he needs a friend. One day he spies a goldfish in the birdbath near the tree (how'd it get there? No idea) and decides that a goldfish would make the perfect friend. He devises a cunning plan to get from the tree to the birdbath, but of course things can't go quite right... I actually liked this one better than the first Scaredy Squirrel book; there's more of a flow to it, more of a rhythm to the language, and it just seems to work better. A fun little book. *** ½
WARNING: You must brush your teeth with germ-fighting toothpaste before reading this review! (Ha! Couldn't resist!)
There are so many PERFECT little details in the Scaredy Squirrel stories! While this second book follows pretty much the same pattern as the first, it still feels quite unique and so clever that I didn't feel bored with it at all. I LOVE what happens when Scaredy Squirrel's "perfect" plan for making a friend goes awry. So far, Scaredy Squirrel's ultimate plan of "if all else fails, play dead" has worked out well for him. Will that continue? I'm anxious to find out! 4.5 stars.
In describing this to my wife after reading it to Cosi, my three year old, I realized that it is a moral tale for geeky kids. The way that Watt narrates the story is not so much by illustrations as lists, charts, diagrams, and maps.
Which helps!
After reading it, Cosi looked me in the eyes and said, "Daddy, I want to go in the book!" I think that's about as fine a compliment as one can give a book.
Bought the book on Kobo, but it would not open. After a couple hours of unsuccessfully attempts to sync and a few conversations with support it was established that this book is incompatible with Kobo reader. Kobo, however, will NOT refund me the money, they'd only give me a store credit that I may be able to use for something but not for downloading books on kobo wireless e-reader. Do not download this book on Kobo, you will lose your money and will not get it back!
It’s particularly helpful for children who are struggling to try new things following the endless COVID lockdowns. It is also so, so funny to children and adults. Scaredy Squirrel is so neurotic! Scaredy Squirrel never leaves his nut tree. “He’d rather stay in his safe and familiar tree than risk venturing out into the unknown.” I hear you, Squirrel! No need for explanations, here. After all, as Scaredy Squirrel reminds us, the outside world contains “tarantulas, poison ivy, green Martians, killer bees, germs and sharks.” Ain’t that the truth. Yes, ok, maybe it does get a bit boring always staying in the nut tree because every day is the same, but this way “everything is predictable. All is under control.” Right on! One day, Sacredy Squirrel sees a (potentially killer) bee. Although he rushes for his safety kit, it falls out of the tree, and he leaps out after it. “But something incredible happens….he starts to glide. Scaredy Squirrel is no ordinary squirrel. He’s a flying squirrel!” All this excitement inspires Scaredy Squirrel. He mostly goes back to his old routine, after all, he’s still the same squirrel. But in addition to hanging out in his same old nut treat looking at the view and eating nuts, he now adds “jumping into the unknown” to his repertoire. It reminds me of teaching my kids to ride a bike. When my eldest son finally learned to ride, I jumped up and down and got so excited. “Don’t get so excited!” he told me. “I’m still going to have to ride my bike again.” And isn’t that it, in so many ways? Just because you did something so hard, doesn’t mean that you don’t have to keep doing it every fucking day. And my sons and I agree, somehow that’s funny! There’s just something so lifelike about life.
In this Scaredy Squirrel adventure, Scaredy decides to make a friend. He spots the perfect companion - a goldfish - swimming serenely around a fountain nearby his tree. Assembling all the things he'll need to create the perfect impression, Scaredy is prepared for everything. And then, on his way to the fountain, a dog attacks! Scaredy runs and runs and runs and the dog chases and chases and chases. Then, out of options, Scaredy flops to the ground and plays dead. After a couple of hours the dog still hasn't bitten him and Scaredy realizes he wants to be friends! Hooray! Although the dog is only about 83% perfect friend material, Scaredy is willing to compromise because of all the fun they have together. An entertaining installment in this popular series. Fans of Scaredy will love it. (Scaredy Squirrel is definitely growing on me.)
Scaredy es una ardilla solitaria e independiente debido a su miedo a que otro animal lo muerda, hasta que un día intenta hacer una amistad pero algo sucede que no era parte de su plan. Las ilustraciones son coloridas y bastante llamativas, la distribución de estas es dinámica según los eventos de la historia. El texto narra los diálogos del protagonista y lo que le sucede, siendo esto de una forma simple y directa. Algo que podría mejorar es que al momento de introducir nuevas palabras, este libro no las presenta lentamente ni las repite, sin embargo se destaca que añade elementos impredecibles que mantienen el interés en la historia sin esta perder lógica. Ganador el año 2008 del Blue Spruce Award. Se recomienda a niños desde los 4 a los 7 años, los más pequeños con ayuda de un mediador.
maybe it is book 3 i have one hold instead of 2. any who ... i read this one in an ebrowser (so through my local library leaning program. sorry i did wait so long to get to this book series. i am only glad i got on the ball and am checking them out now. please don't delay you little ones will love and enjoy this series and you the parent or guardian will love them as well ...great for a gift or just to share with others) as well but the images (illustrations) are so much more smaller on my laptop? i wonder??! curious. book 2 in this nine book series so far "Scaredy Squirrel". came out August 1, 2011. children's mouse & rodent books. children's books on emotions & feelings. children's friendship books.
"Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend" By, Melanie Watt is a great read aloud. I paired this book with a lesson about text to self connections. Scaredy Squirrel is a very anxious and timid little squirrel. He realizes he really wants a friend. Scaredy Squirrel runs into some challenges when finding the perfect friend since he is afraid of everything. Once scaredy squirrel comes to a conclusion what a perfect, non scary friend would be, he runs into someone he never considered before and realizes they aren’t so scary after all. The book is very silly and prompts conversations about making new friends and the idea of perfectionism. I give this book 5 stars.
Erg blij met deze toffe reeks over eekhoorn Bange Bas die kinderen van 6-7 jaar op een leuke en grappige manier met angst leert om te gaan. De kinderen kunnen zelf lezen over het proces dat de angstige eekhoorn doormaakt van vermijding tot het in de ogen durven kijken van de angst.
Maar nog waardevoller vind ik het om deze mooie boekjes samen te lezen en na te praten over wat jullie beiden herkennen (want zelfs stoere ouders zijn wel eens ergens bang voor!). Over wat zou kunnen helpen en wat niet. Wat je al durft en wat zeker niet. Achterin het boekje vind je tips van mij over hoe je als ouder, leerkracht of hulpverlener dit gesprek aan kunt gaan.