Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach

by Mélanie Watt, Mélanie Watt (Illustrator)

Overview

We know by now that Scaredy Squirrel only feels safe when he’s at home in his nut tree, with his defenses, his emergency kit and his back-up plans at the ready. So even though the sun is shining and it’s time for a vacation, Scaredy does not want to go to the beach --- that vast, frightening place where a squirrel could get stranded. (Not to mention other hazards such as sea monsters, falling coconuts, seagulls, pirates and lobsters.)

Instead, Scaredy builds his own safe beach getaway under his nut tree, complete with germ-free inflatable pool, artificial beach scenery, a flashlight and a plastic flamingo.

Still, the lure of the genuine beach is strong --- even a dedicated homebody such as Scaredy can’t resist it forever. Can his back-up plans save him from its perils? Will his No.65 sunscreen protect his delicate complexion?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554534623
Publisher:	Kids Can Press
Publication date:	03/01/2012
Series:	Scaredy Squirrel Series
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	202,174
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	AD580L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Melanie Watt is an acclaimed children's book author and illustrator. Her books include the Scaredy Squirrel, Chester and Learning With Animals series, Augustine, Leon the Chameleon and Have I Got a Book for You! She lives near Montreal.

Melanie Watt is an acclaimed children's book author and illustrator. Her books include the Scaredy Squirrel, Chester and Learning With Animals series, Augustine, Leon the Chameleon and Have I Got a Book for You! She lives near Montreal.

Editorial Reviews

... Scaredy Squirrel returns in another hilarious tale ... Watt's cartoon-style pictures ... add joke after joke ... they deliver a surprise on every page ...—Booklist

This is an excellent book to share one-on-one.—School Library Journal

Kids ... will go nuts for Scaredy ... the world's most lovable worry-wart ... readers can't help but laugh out loud...a fun visual treat for kids, adults and forest animals of all kinds.—Breitbart

... The signature illustrations ... provide plenty of visual jokes for readers to chuckle over ... Scaredy's anxieties and his ridiculous solutions remain fresh enough to delight with this salty offering.—Kirkus Reviews

Her clever asides --- in print as well as illustration --- make these picture books as appealing to older readers as they are for youngsters ...—The Gazette

From the Publisher

K-Gr 3- Scaredy Squirrel is frightened by everything associated with the beach-seagulls, sea monsters, jellyfish, etc. He decides to vacation alone, at home, and creates a beach environment with a bag of kitty litter, a plastic flamingo, a flashlight for sunlight, etc. Something is missing, though-the sound of the ocean. The squirrel then devises an elaborate plan to retrieve a seashell (unoccupied) from the real beach by mailing himself to the shore. He has such a good day there-amid the crowd of people-that he forgets his fears and decides to populate his personal beach with a crowd of garden gnomes. Children with fears of the unknown will relate to this tale. The simple story line explains Scaredy Squirrel's worries, plans, and activities in a humorous way. Digitally rendered illustrations in pastel, Floridian colors add amusing details. This is an excellent book to share one-on-one.-Erlene Bishop Killeen, Stroughton Area School District, WI

School Library Journal

Scaredy Squirrel's come a long way since he plunged out of his nut tree in his 2006 self-titled debut. With the aid of some props (kitty litter, inflatable pool, plastic flamingo), he has created his own private, safe beach at the foot of his nut tree. But when he realizes that he is missing "the soothing sound of the ocean," he decides to make the dangerous journey to the real beach to fetch back a shell. Watt employs many of the same devices that have made Scaredy Squirrel's outsized fears and outrageous defenses both recognizable and hilarious: A plethora of protective equipment-helmet, boots, rubber band-guard against a bevy of beach dangers-tons of falling coconuts, tribes of jellyfish, mobs of lobsters-when Scaredy mails himself to the seaside. The signature illustrations, generated in Photoshop, provide plenty of visual jokes for readers to chuckle over as Scaredy follows a protocol as tortured and formulaic as a passage through airport security. If said formula threatens to become stale with overuse, Scaredy's anxieties and his ridiculous solutions remain fresh enough to delight with this salty offering. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews