This is Scaredy Squirrel. A loveable little guy who is terrified to leave the safety of his nut tree. Haven't read it yet? Click here!*
This book was both written and illustrated by Melanie Watt. Melanie is a fellow Canadian, which I like. I think if you don't mention that to students they tend to assume the authors are American, due to popular media. So give a shout out to Canada during reading time, it means more then you think!
Why do I like this book?
I can really relate to scaredy squirrel, I think most people can to some extent. We are not all hypochondriac squirrels but we do all have fears, right? I am personally scared of heights, so you wouldn't find me in scaredy squirrels nut tree thats for sure. All your students will have fears. As an activity everyone could share their fears. This simple activity can help your classroom become a safe place for your students, a place where they can feel comfortable expressing themselves.
The illustrations are adorable and have a way of capturing the readers attention. I did some research on the illustrations and discovered Melanie uses charcoal and lead pencils to draw them, which I think is a creative mix of media. The book is written in such a way that would be entertaining to both adults and children, thanks to Melanie's use of humour. I like how the text corresponds with the pictures as well. When he jumps from the tree the words follow him all the way down and the page folds out, mixing up the typical format of picture books. Another interesting thing about this book is that it really brings out the readers fun, energetic side when they read it out loud. It is far from boring.
I found a website, made by the publishing company of the book, which has many fun activities that will no doubt engage the students. They won't even realize they are learning!
There are also three more books to the Scaredy Squirrel series (All of which deal with Scaredy's fears):
I read those too and they are just as excellent as the first! Very witty and silly!
*I am not the narrator of this video. I just found it on youtube. Credit goes to "greatedcorn".
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