Customer Reviews

Scaredy Squirrel at Night

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Melanie Watt knows a good thing when she creates it and millions of readers agree. We have all fallen for Scaredy Squirrel. I love his name, his overly white rectangular smile and his neuroses. Yes, his *foolproof* plans are destined to fail from the get-go, but it's highly entertaining to watch him plot so carefully, only to tailspin into a wild panic.

We shouldn't be terribly surprised to find out that Scaredy Squirrel is afraid of the dark. Technically, he's not afraid of the actual dark, but rather of the bad dreams he could have if he were to fall asleep at night. There are many terrible things that might appear in his dreams, including, but not limited to dragons, monsters, bats and fairies. Scaredy has found a solution to his problem: NO sleeping. He stays awake by being a busy beaver, er, squirrel.

Our furry friend creates a list of activities to keep him so busy that he won' t have a chance to even flutter his eyelids. Night after night, he avoids sleeping. Unfortunately, there are some side effects to sleep deprivation, not the least of which is exhaustion. In typical fashion, Scaredy puts together an action plan, involving a detailed schematic. This one is particularly entertaining as it employs molasses, cupcakes and traffic cones.

Luckily for the readers, Scaredy's plan is (as usual) an unqualified failure. A horde of hungry raccoons invade the scene, causing him to panic and ... you'll have to read the book to find out. In true Melanie Watt fashion, there is plenty of humor and scads of action. Scaredy Squirrel is his own worst enemy, worrying about the worst case scenarios and desperately trying to avoid them. He's a nut for sure, but we love reading about him and his hare brained adventures!

Scaredy Squirrel tackles issues that mean something to little people. In this particular installment in the series, Scaredy must face up to one of his worst fears--the dark. He is terrified of such things as Polka Dot Monsters and unicorns and does his best to avoid falling asleep by keeping himself busy with such hobbies as playing the cymbals. He has also devised the perfect plan for driving off dread intruders but, as with all of Scaredy's plans, things go awry and he ends up falling back on his fool-proof technique of playing dead.

Once again, Watt has created a book that is adorable and funny but yet addresses a real-world issue for small children. Scaredy's fears aren't that different from those of most children but they seem so silly and his methods for avoiding his fears are so outrageous that they provide plenty of laugh out loud moments. One of the best parts of the book comes about when Scaredy turns his spotlight on and the "monsters" that had been lurking on the previous page are revealed. Watt has found a humorous way of showing why there is no reason to fear the dark and yet she has done so in a way that is anything but condescending. She has real intuition when it comes to the way little ones think and so even though we know Scaredy's fears are silly, he is an object of our sympathy and affection rather than our ridicule.

One of my favorite features of Watt's books are the Easter eggs that can be found on the flaps. The author information always contains something relevant to the plot of each book. The descriptions of the story are also enjoyable. There is a disclaimer in the description of this book that lets the reader know that it isn't suitable for unicorns.

Watt is an immensely talented author and artist and now that we've devoured everything she's written, it's going to prove difficult to wait for something new. I know that we will snap it up as soon as it becomes available.

The newest book (book 4 of 4) from Melanie Watt about her character Scaredy Squirrel. My 1st graders LOVE him! He is too funny! In this book Scaredy is afraid of bad dreams...so he comes up with a plan to not go to sleep! A very detailed and well thought out plan. The kids love his obsessive compulsiveness and his need to plan and list everything out. And of course, if the plan doesn't work--he can always "play dead" (a continual back up plan in all the books)! Highly recommend all the Scaredy Squirrel books...a sure fire hit with kids!

My 3rd grader brought this book home because it looked fun and interesting. The story is fine until the signs of the horoscope are included and said find out what the stars predict for you.

Melanie Watt, Scaredy Squirrel at Night (Kids Can Press, 2009)

Scaredy returns in his fourth installment, which is actually the first that really seems to address a common childhood phobia: fear of the dark. As usual, he comes up with Rube Goldberg-esque plans to allow him to do what he wants to do (in this case, get a good night's sleep) that end up being foiled by something entirely benign. It's formulaic, but it's cute, and Scaredy is a character that kids can identify with; these are a lot of fun. *** ½

We love the original Scaredy Squirrel and are not disappointed by his adventures "at night"! His imagination gets the best of him yet again in this adventure, but he finally faces his "fears" and is able to get some rest. A great book for young kids who have active imaginations to let them know that everything is okay :)

I adore the Scaredy Squirrel series. Scaredy squirrel is scared of almost everything. Each book has a warning prior to reading and going on this adventure. They are the cutest! He must always have a plan. These plans are often comical and laugh out loud funny. I read them to the kids in my class and they ask to read them again and again. I will continue to buy each book as the author publishes them.

Loved this book and love Melanie Watt's sense of humor. This is PERFECT for my 5-yr old who fears the same things Sacredy Squirrel fears at night. Not just a story, but also some good facts about what a good sleep does for your body as well as what NOT sleeping does. I will enjoy reading this one to my son before bed and he'll love it, too.

I loved the book and my children did too! It was very cute. Worth the price.

This is a delightful addition to the other Scaredy Squirrel books. My 1st grader loved all of them, and was eagerly waiting for the publish of this book. It is very funny and cute. Since it is the 3rd book (or maybe 4th) in the series, the plot is somewhat predicable for kids, which they love.