Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween: A Safety Guide for Scaredies, by Mélanie Watt

Scaredy Squirrell Prepares for Halloween:
A Safety Guide for Scaredies
Author: Mélanie Watt
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Publication Date: August 1, 2013
Source: Net Galley
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Everyone's favourite perennially frightened rodent, Scaredy Squirrel, is back in a new holiday guide. This time Scaredy takes on the one day that's specifically designed to be scary: Halloween. But not to worry, Scaredy Squirrel is prepared! This guide will show you how to survive the frights, blights, and--worst of all--germs of the spookiest night of the year.

My daughter Magda and I both adore Scaredy Squirrel. Like many three-year-olds, she is a bit prone to fears (rational or otherwise) and recoils at the thought of spiders, monsters and those strings on bananas. But Scaredy Squirrel's fretting makes her feel positively brave. As she reassured Scaredy that he needn't be afraid of cobwebs, bats or butterflies (!), she realized that she didn't need to either.

Incidentally, this is nearly identical to one of the strategies for overcoming childhood anxiety recommended by Dr. Lawrence Cohen in The Opposite of Worry. Namely, to comically exaggerate your own fears in a way that a nervous child will find funny but not insulting ("Oh you're WALKING?! Do you know how dangerous walking is? I'm so worried!!). That way the child will get in on the game and reassure their "nervous parent" by showing off how adventurous and brave they are ("You're RUNNING now? Oh my heavens!").

So see? Mélanie Watt was doing that all along! You can visit her website to learn more about Scaredy Squirrel and see inside the book!

Magda's Take:

"I like the rock star costume. I'm going to be a rock star for Halloween!"

Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping, by Mélanie Watt

Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping

Author: Mélanie Watt

Publisher: Kids Can Press

Publication Date: April 1, 2013

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Oh Scaredy Squirrel! Is there a more lovable paranoid neurotic in children's literature? I love all the Scaredy Squirrel books, but I especially love the ones in which Scaredy Orville Squirrel (S.O.S.) has to go out into the wide world of germs and dangers (like Scaredy Squirrel Goes to the Beach). In Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping, Scaredy is afraid of--you guessed it--camping. This is particularly hilarious considering he lives in the woods! But he's convinced that campsites will be filled with all kinds of scary things like quicksand, zippers and penguins. He'd rather watch camping shows on TV. The only problem? The electrical outlet for his television is located right in the middle of the campground.

If you haven't read the Scaredy Squirrel books, I highly recommend them. They're okay for preschoolers, but elementary-aged kids will adore them, especially the detailed "safety plans" that Scaredy makes for everything. Awesome!

Hit the jump to see some of the things Scaredy Squirrel is afraid of!