Scaredy Squirrel Scared Silly (Scaredy's Nutty Adventures, Book 4)

Written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

Tundra Books

978-1-77488-884-1 (pb)

84 pp.

Ages 4–8 

July 2026

 

I didn't get a chance to review this book of Scaredy's Nutty Adventures when it was released as a hardcover in 2024, so I'm pleased to review it now that a paperback edition was just released this month. When Scaredy Squirrel was first released in 2006, he became a beloved character. Mélanie Watt brought us a little squirrel who was overwhelmed, seeing threats everywhere. Now the star of his own animated series, as well as picture books and this early reader graphic novel series, Scaredy Squirrel is a much beloved character to helps young children see beyond their worries by laughing with him.

From Scaredy Squirrel Scared Silly, written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

In Scaredy Squirrel Scared Silly, Mélanie Watt shares five short graphic stories about Scaredy and his relationship with Halloween. In the first chapter, titled "October 31st," our sciurine friend is actually looking forward to the un-scary aspects of the holiday. He likes the decorations and the lighting, but he's terrified of haunted houses, crows, vampire bats, and more. So, he's happy to stay in his cheerfully decorated tree, along with some unusual preventative measures.

From Scaredy Squirrel Scared Silly, written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

The next stories have Scaredy planning a cute, but not scary pumpkin carving activity with his friends, working on his costume, considering going trick-or-treating—hard candy, gummy worms, and chocolate all have drawbacks—before heading out in search of candy apples.

From Scaredy Squirrel Scared Silly, written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

It may seem a little early to be thinking of Halloween, but I suspect there are many for whom the holiday is a big deal and who are already planning their costumes and parties. Whether you get Scaredy Squirrel now in anticipation of the holiday or keep it to read in October, Scaredy Squirrel Scared Silly will give young children a lot of laughs about his wacky but legitimate worries. Scaredy Squirrel may seem like an excessive bundle of anxiety, but he emulates the many children who have misgivings and fears about the familiar and the unknown. With a lighthearted approach and quirky and colourful illustrations, Mélanie Watt will let children see that many anxieties can be lessened and even alleviated with some friendly intervention and a new perspective.

From Scaredy Squirrel Scared Silly, written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

Mélanie Watt's Scaredy Squirrel will always charm. She has created him as sweetly guileless—check out his toothy grin—and oddly expressive. And with detailed illustrations that give young readers much to enjoy, from costumes to decorated homes, readers will be looking forward to their own nutty Halloween adventure and all that it entails.

 

🎃 🎃 🎃 🎃 🎃 

 

This is Book 4 in Scaredy's Nutty Adventures series. Here are all published titles:

Scaredy Squirrel in a Nutshell (2021)
Scaredy Squirrel Gets a Surprise (2022)
Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive (2023)

Scaredy Squirrel Scared Silly (2024) 

Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive (Scaredy's Nutty Adventures)

Written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

Tundra Books

987-0-7352-6961-3

88 pp.

Ages 6-9

October 2023

 

In six perfect chapters, Scaredy Orville Squirrel (abbreviated appropriately as S.O.S.) prepares for Christmas. Starting in July, he makes a checklist to ensure a perfect holiday. Once December arrives, it's time to start checking things off his list. With a little help from his friends– Ivy, a rabbit, Rash, an armadillo, and Timber (Tim), a beaver–Scaredy gets to work with decorations. A mishap with a toboggan almost has their tree festooned in pickles and clown noses, but with some effort and a lot of paint, they get the perfect decorations.

 

Next Scaredy Squirrel enlists his friends to secure the area from holiday troublemakers like nutcrackers, abominable snowmen, last-minute shoppers, and elves.

 

From Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive, written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

His plan for a gingerbread house that will last forever–though Ivy questions that intent with "Seriously? I doubt gingerbread can last past Easter"–is put into action to construct a sturdy, albeit inedible, masterpiece.

From Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive, written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

While Scaredy has already gotten the perfect gifts for his friends, he gets to wrapping them as they debate what to get for him. Then it's only his Christmas Eve get-together, prepping for Santa's visit, and waking to Christmas morning surprises. Though he couldn't plan for everything, it still is a perfect Christmas for Scaredy Squirrel.

Two things about Scaredy: he's always prepared, and he always does things with safety in mind. Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive is loaded with checklists, plans, files, instructions, and profiles that ensure that things get done and done well and in a timely fashion. From "Scaredy's Christmas TO-DO List" to his instructions on "How to Wrap the Perfect Gift," Scaredy has it covered. (Mélanie Watt even gets the reader primed for Scaredy's predilections with "The Holiday Reader Quiz" before the story even starts, just to make sure the reader is prepared to proceed to the next pages. I got 5 points.)

From Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive, written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

As we learned in the first Scaredy Squirrel book, Scaredy is always scared about his safety, and that's why he insists his friends wear painter's suits when painting, why there's a fire extinguisher handy, why they wear masks while varnishing, and why he's so prepared. Still, with his friends who are all a little bit different, whether calm and wise, or bold and impetus, Scaredy is both given reasons to continue to be cautious and reasons to indulge a bit more.

Mélanie Watt has always taken a tongue-in-cheek approach to Scaredy's overcautious nature. Children reading her stories, whether the original picture books or whether the chapter book graphic novel series Scaredy's Nutty Adventures, will both see the wisdom of Scaredy's caution but will laugh at his extreme reactions, from panicking and playing dead when supposedly exposed to a pointy elf or wearing gloves to prevent paper cuts when wrapping gifts. They'll be familiar with many of activities Scaredy and his friends undertake in Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive and so will understand both the nature of his fears and the silliness of his responses, regardless of whether they are brash like Rash or guarded like Scaredy.

From Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive, written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt

The stories and the humour within have and will always delight young readers, but it's all so much more when Mélanie Watt adds her artwork. Her heavily-outlined characters and objects make them pop off the page but also complement the bold text of Scaredy's lists and instructions. There is nothing subtle about the illustrations or Scaredy so anything less than bold, bright, and lively just wouldn't work. Moreover, Mélanie Watt knows how to add the humour into her drawings, like the helmet Rash undoubtedly needs to wear to keep him safe, the cat mask Rash dons when he can't find a respirator mask when they're varnishing, or Rash's roving toad Chucky who seems to pop up in unexpected places. 

 

It's just the right time now to start your holiday season off, and, with Scaredy and his friends, it'll be easy to get festive. Just watch out for those pointy elves, and Gary the germ, and those last-minute Christmas shoppers, and...

• • • • • • • 

 

Scaredy's Nutty Adventures series

Scaredy Squirrel in a Nutshell

Scaredy Squirrel Gets a Surprise

Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive