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.

Reviews

Bound to win over its readers, parent and child, at the outset with its wry wit.--The National Post

Readers of any age will chuckle with recognition at the squirrel's attempts to control his life.--Quill & Quire

The bold, inviting compositions ... and paint-box colors ... add energy.--Horn Book

Watts conveys a difficult theme ... with an energetic playfulness ... (Scaredy Squirrel is) a masterful balance of charm, comedy and serious realism.--Toronto Star

With his iconic nervous grin and over-the-top punctiliousness, Scaredy Squirrel is an endearing character.--School Library Journal

Youngsters will go nuts over this one.--Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 3-Melanie Watt's picture book (Kids Can Press, 2006) comes to life in this humorous production about taking risks. After a cute introduction encouraging viewers to wash their hands, David de Vries's announcer-style voice brings the book pages to life. Simple animation of Watt's charcoal-outlined cartoon-like illustrations accompanied by text from the book depicts Scaredy Squirrel and his various fears-germs, killer bees, sharks, Martians, and more-as he stays safely hidden in his tree. Amusing music adds to the fun of the story as the drama unfolds and Scaredy Squirrel is finally forced to leave his tree-only to discover something very special about himself in the process. Optional features include a read-along version, subtitles, and an interview with the author, which even young viewers will enjoy thanks to the many cartoons interspersed within the interview. The teacher's guide offers suggestions for utilizing the DVD in the classroom with activities for both pre- and post-viewing. Viewers will be left wanting more episodes of Scaredy Squirrel and his funny antics, so have the other books in the series available for them to read.-Cathie Bashaw Morton, Millbrook Central School District, NY (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Bound to win over its readers, parent and child, at the outset with its wry wit.--The National Post
Readers of any age will chuckle with recognition at the squirrel's attempts to control his life.--Quill & Quire
The bold, inviting compositions ... and paint-box colors ... add energy.--Horn Book
Watts conveys a difficult theme ... with an energetic playfulness ... (Scaredy Squirrel is) a masterful balance of charm, comedy and serious realism.--Toronto Star
With his iconic nervous grin and over-the-top punctiliousness, Scaredy Squirrel is an endearing character.--School Library Journal
Youngsters will go nuts over this one.--Publishers Weekly