Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party

Scaredy Squirrel #5

by Mélanie Watt

In the fifth book, Scaredy Squirrel plans his own birthday and surprise!... things get very crowded. Scaredy Squirrel is planning his own birthday party for one - but despite his detailed plans, things get out of control when the party animals arrive.He's back! Scaredy Squirrel, the loveable worrywart, returns for another nutty adventure. Scaredy never plans big birthday parties. He'd rather celebrate alone quietly in the safety of his nut tree and avoid those pesky party animals (ants, clownfish, ponies and Bigfoot). When all his excessive plans are thrown up in the air like confetti, will Scaredy play dead and cancel? Or will he face the music?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Animals, Fiction, Friendship, Kids

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

It was in a design class taught by Michèle Lemieux at the University of Quebec in Montreal that author and illustrator Mélanie Watt created her first picture book, Leon the Chameleon, which was later published by Kids Can Press. Watt went on to create several more books, including the Learning with Animals collection and Augustine, which was named an ALA Notable Children's Book. Watt has also illustrated Where Does a Tiger-Heron Spend the Night? and Bearcub and Mama, which won the 2006 IRA Teachers' Choices Project.

Mélanie's best known book Scaredy Squirrel, has won many awards including the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award for Children's Picture Book and the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award. The release of Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend, was met with enthusiastic reviews and incredible sales, confirming the arrival of kid lit's newest superstar.

Chester,Chester's Back! and Chester's Masterpiece are about a megalomaniac cat who is every bit the antithesis to Scaredy. Chester has already become a bestseller and shows the breadth and creativity of Mélanie Watt.

Scaredy returns to take a few more tentative steps out of his comfort zone in Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach and Scaredy Squirrel at Night. Mélanie has often noted how the Scaredy Squirrel books helped her work out her own insecurities and fears, as the success of these titles has required her to venture out into the unknown, and like Scaredy she has found the experience truly uplifting.

Mélanie currently resides near Montreal, Quebec.

~From http://www.kidscanpress.com/creators/...

Reviews

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read! My toddler loves naming all of the things that Scaredy Squirrel afraid will show up on his birthday party. Big foot always got her smiling while porcupines and confetti are new terms for her. This book is for anyone who is nervous about your special day. Instead of having fun, you’re worried about all of the things that could go wrong. Scaredy Squirrel plans his birthday down to the minute. He prepares counter attacks for unexpected surprises that he expect might happen. That is sure a lot of planning.


This book started with Scaredy Squirrel. He has never celebrated his birthday in a big way with lots of friends on the ground below his tree. He doesn’t like many surprises especially those that could ruin his party. The ants could eat everything and the porcupines could pop out the balloons. Every year he plans his birthday party for just himself with a party checklist and recipe for his cake. This year however, he receives a birthday card from his friend, Buddy. To reciprocate kindness, he decides to take a risky move and invites one friend, Buddy, to join him at his birthday party. He prepares and plans his party very carefully, but when the day arrives, he was surprised by an event that wasn’t part of the plan.


Scaredy Squirrel has a birthday party is a book full of learning opportunities. Scaredy Squirrel is an organized fella who writes down all of his birthday plannings via check lists and flowcharts. He has tips on how to do small talks. The illustrations for do’s and don’t’s at a party was great! No need for chaperones at Scaredy Squirrel’s birthday party because he’s so responsible! He has only one Do amongst all Don’t’s!! This book also shows that despite all of the careful plannings, there’ll be occurrences that the host can’t totally control. A cute fun read that will keep young readers busy.

xoxo, Jasmine at www.Howusefulitis.com for more details

Many thanks to Kids Can Press for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fifrth Sscaredy Squirrel book and I’ve read them all. They’re all great. This one is particularly funny and sweet. AND, it has dogs. Dogs! And cake! And a birthday party!

Scaredy plans his safe party for one, then changes his plans to include a thoughtful friend. But, all goes more than a bit haywire.

Kids who like birthdays, parties, dogs, squirrels, and funny picture books are likely to enjoy this one, and these books don’t have to be read in order although of course, I recommend it, and I do suggest the first one should be read first. But even kids who are meeting Scaredy for the first time could enjoy this book as a birthday gifts. Kids who are shy, fearful, compulsive, obsessive, and afraid of taking risks will relate to Scaredy, and I think these books have some potential to be therapeutic.

There’s plenty enough going on to entertain everyone, including the adults. The facial expression on the pony got me on the verge of giggling. The first book and the Makes a Friend book are probably my favorites, but this one comes close.

The illustrations are a hoot. They’re part of telling the story as many words are within and a part of them. The special surprise at the end is done fabulously.

Because the pages are so busy with words and pictures, either independent readers or listeners who like a lot of detail are the best audience for this book.

4 ½ stars

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

March 21, 2011
I've been in a book reviewing slump lately, and it's just occurred to me that one way to get out of it might be to write just something, anything, about any book without worrying about "writing well" or "saying something interesting". It also occurred to me that there are many keen Scaredy Squirrel fans among my goodreads friends who might like to see a report, however brief and flippant, about the latest book in the series, which I paged through in the children's section of a Border's the other day. First off, I didn't read it closely enough to be entirely sure how many stars to rate it, but let's face it, any Scaredy Squirrel title is a five star book until proven otherwise, so five stars it is. I was interested to see that although this book follows the same format as the others (with lists, timetables and disaster-preparedness plans), it seemed more text heavy than the others -- hence the skimming as opposed to reading. I laughed out loud when I saw that the obligatory list of fears (birthday related, this time) includes clownfish. They wear fake red noses and are scowling.. And I was delighted when I saw that Scaredy Squirrel's doggy friend from the second book Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend makes a long overdue reappearance, and excitingly, she's had puppies!.

I can't wait to share this with my son. Back in October he wrote a letter to Mélanie Watt which opened, "dear Mélanie Watt , I want you to write more Scaredy Squirrel books and send them to me". He then included a long list of possible themes for the books he was requesting, which I am kicking myself for not photocopying before we mailed the letter. It included, Scaredy Squirrel on the Farm, Scaredy Squirrel and the Forest Fire (!), and (my favorite), on the Potter's Wheel. When I told him about this new book he was distressed that Watt had not selected one of his suggestions. I explained that sometimes books get written a long time before they are published, and this one was probably finished before she got his letter. So now we are awaiting book six with bated breath...

October 10, 2012
Now I've read it in more settled circumstances, and find it lacks the elegant simplicity of the earlier Scaredy Squirrel books, so have docked it a star. Too cluttered, too much text. I've also become much more intimately acquainted with Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend in the meantime, it being one of the books my younger son is currently obsessed with, and now am aware that the dog is referred to as a he in that book. How unusual for a dad dog to take his litter of puppies on an outing without their mom. Where is she???

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scaredy Squirrel returns in this fifth picture-book devoted to his (mis)adventures, once again attempting to make his small world safe, and to preclude any sort of frightening experience. Deciding to throw himself a birthday party - the safe kind, with only himself in attendance - he is convinced to include his pal Buddy, whom he met and befriended in Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend , after he receives a thoughtful birthday card in the mail. Unfortunately (or not), his carefully revised plans for a party of two turn out to be less-then-helpful when Buddy shows up with a litter of puppies in two...

Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party is another amusing entry in Mélanie Watt's ongoing picture-book series about the neurotic, list-making squirrel. The usual droll list of fears - clown-fish being one of the terrors of birthday parties, apparently - makes it appearance here, as does the slight widening of its sciurine hero's outlook. Of course, any alteration of the original plan, in a Scaredy Squirrel book, is usually accompanied by further feverish planning to make the new plan safe, and this is no exception. Recommended to timid child readers, who will enjoy reading about a character even more afraid than they are, as well as to fans of Scaredy Squirrel and his hilarious hi-jinks.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party" is one of four books I hand selected for my primary students to take home and read as their birthday treat. This book offers the message that stepping out of your comfort zone might not be so scary. Scaredy Squirrel is worried about amusing dangers that could ruin his birthday party. Ultimately, he finds that things can still be okay even when they don't go according to plan. I finished reading this book pleased that it showed growth in Scaredy Squirrel and hope my students take away this central message while reading this amusing story!

[Christina]

This was a cute book, (not sure which age group to recommend for though... probably elementary school-age kids) It is a fun and funny story about a squirrel who is excited about his birthday and even when the plans change from his initial solo birthday party to a birthday with a friend (or friendS), he is able to adapt and still have an enjoyable birthday.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soundtrack for this one was a DJ Falcon live set in Paris. Festive dance music for an over the top hilarious picture book. What a way to spend a cold, dark Monday night. Neck deep in Mo Willems and Scaredy Squirrel books. I love libraries.

[Seth]

this was a good series. we read the whole thing in one sitting

[Mandy Robek · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad I added this to my Melanie Watt book box!

[Jennifer Rayment · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jake's Review: It was hilarious. Scaredy always makes me smile and laugh. He is soooooo weird (Mom, what do you mean by isn't that the pot calling the kettle black) but if he was real I would hang out with him. I hope Melanie keeps writing Scaredy books. You guys do know that my Mom has TWO Scaredy puppets right. She has one at home for "us" and one at work -- isn't that kind of weird for an old mom -- than again she is a Librarian. I think this is a book everybody would like and it is my favorite so far.
Jake's Rating: 10/10

Mom's Review: My favorite absolutely delightful neurotic squirrel is back again. As usual the illustrations are adorable. The storyline is wonderfully quirky and beautiful. Trust me if you haven't read Scaredy yet, you are truly missing something. This latest story does not disappoint. This is a book that the WHOLE family likes, even my little anti-book boy Jesse. You know what, I think I am going to have a Scaredy birthday party this year for Jesse
Mom's Rating: 10/10

I bought this at OLA and didn't have to review it -- it's Scaredy I WANTED to get you all addicted to him too

Check out all the Scaredy Extras at: http://www.kidscanpress.com/Canada/Pr...

and http://www.kidscanpress.com/Assets/Bo...

Also you can be a FAN of Scaredy on Facebook

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scaredy Squirrel's birthday is coming up. He has to make sure the party is calm and safe, and the best way to do that is to be prepared...and only invite yourself. But when Squirrel's friend Buddy sends him a birthday card, Scaredy decides it would be polite to invite him to the party too. One guest shouldn't be too bad. But Buddy shows up with a few other friends, and Scaredy's plans are out the window. And though he's sure that should mean a disastrous birthday, it turns out much better than he ever expected and he decides maybe next year it'd be ok to invite more people again.

Another fun installation in the Scaredy Squirrel series. The pictures are bright and lively for the younger crowd, while adults are the ones who will probably fully appreciate all the humor.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Scaredy. I know. It's silly humor. But it's silly humor at its funnest finest. There is a predicatable pattern for each book, but fun to see the applications to the particular fears. And I love seeing how much detail Watt puts in to some things that could easily be passed over. I love how scared he is, what some of his fears are, how he plans to resolve those fears, that he always panics and plays dead, and that he learns a lesson and basically gets over his silly fears. These books are always better for a lap-read because its hard to convey the humor with all of its busyness in a storytime.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE Scaredy Squirrel. This time Scaredy is celebrating his birthday - alone. But then he decides to add one friend. When many friends arrive hilarity ensues.

[Ty O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** Spoilers ****

Its funny that he is scared of ponies, even though ponies are nice usually!!

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

That paranoid rodent is squirrely as ever.

[Ashley Oh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Fantasy
Awards: 2012 - Best Books for Kids & Teens, Starred Selection, Canadian Children's Book Centre, Winner
Audience: 4-8 years
Rating: 5/5
Summary: Scaredy Squirrel worries about everything so he decided to celebrate his birthday alone within the safety of his tree. Even in his precaution to avoid any party animals, the story ends with quite the unexpected.
- This book is an Animal fantasy because Scaredy Squirrel is an animal who is behaving like a human being and experiencing events like birthday parties.
-The part that the author encourages us to suspend disbelief is when he starts planning his own private celebration. Even the beginning of the book shows traits of Scaredy Squirrel, an animal, considering human emotions and experiences.
-The setting takes place in a normal area of grass with a big tree. It relates to the genre because it is just nature and a part of the realistic human world. The setting helps to show the normal characteristics of the human world/nature placing the "human acting squirrel" in this setting.
-The message that this book is giving to readers is that sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone might not be what you may perceive it to be and you can learn something from the experience. You will never know unless you take that leap of faith.

[Sabrina Barrientos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ratings: 4/5
Awards: n/a
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: 4-8years
Summary: This book is about a squirrel who prefers to celebrate his birthday in the comfort of his own home where nobody can bother him. He's scared of a lot of things which is why he never invites people to his parties. Until one birthday people show up unexpectedly to his party.
Specific Genre Prompts:
-This is an animal fantasy because it is about a squirrel celebrating his birthday.
-The plot of the story, scaredy planning himself a party.
-The setting takes place at scaredy squirrel's house which is in a tree. It relates to the genre because the squirrel is planning a party at his house.
-The overall theme the author wishes to convey is that it's okay to step out of your comfort zone every once in a while. If scaredy would've never invited his one friend the other guest wouldn't have showed up and scaredy wouldn't have realized that having a friend is fun and not scary at all.

[Chloe Kessler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantasy
2012 Best Books for Kids & Teens, Starred Selection, Canadian Children's Book Centre, Winner
Grades K-3
Scaredy Squirrel is worried that something bad will happen at his birthday party, so he decides to take some precautions.
1. This book is an animal fantasy because characters are animals who act like humans.
2. The author encourages the reader to suspend disbelief about the characters, since animals don’t talk or plan birthday parties in real life.
3. The book takes place around Scaredy’s tree, which relates to the animal fantasy genre because it has features of a human house like a mailbox.
4. The author is probably trying to say that sometimes fears are irrational, because none of the bad things Scaredy imagines actually happen and he has a nice birthday party.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scaredy Squirrel is all ready for his birthday party! He has everything planned and he's the only guest, so what could go wrong? But then a friend remembers his birthday, so he decides to invite them and the party grows more than he thought it would!

Scaredy's preparations are, as always, a riot! Glad he was willing to adapt to circumstances and that it went well... eventually! (Also loved that his initials are S.O.S., very fitting!) However, I do find it ironic that the animal he's friends with is a dog... you know one of the critters that chases and tries to catch squirrels the most? Still an amusing story, with, again, a good message!

No content issues.

[Emma Zvonar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book isn't necessarily a word for word read aloud but would be a lot of fun for children to look at individually or as a group. The illustrations in the book are a lot of graphs and lists and it is almost like a comic or journal rather than a book with paragraphs of words. The words are placed all over the pages and within graphs, charts, and lists. It is very humorous, even for adults. It can be relatable to many students. I personally have always loved books that are set up to look like the character's personal journal with checklists, graphs and notes.

[Elizabeth Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

normally i read a kindle FIRE copy ...this was allowed through my local library leaning program ...so it was an ebrowser method ... so on my laptop screen. these illustrations are just too too cute!! love it.
this is a nine book series so far "Scaredy Squirrel". came out Feb 1, 2006. children's mice & small animal stories. children's self-esteem & self-respect. this was suggestion on my library website, i am surprised i have never seen one before ...never heard of this author ...now i am in the know. i have several more to read. and book 2 i am waiting on ... it is "on hold" ... cute read.

[Joanne Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Scaredy Squirrel books. This one is a funny addition. It's #5 in the series. I personally think they are better enjoyed in order, though it's not completely necessary. They have a sameness about them, and yet they never fail to make me laugh. Rather like Adrian Monk for kids, these books will appeal to adults as well. The flap copy and bio always add additional opportunities for jokes. I love her graphic style and color palette. The quirky main character manages to be likable as well. Recommended.

[Elizabeth Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book illustrates a squirrel that has a hard time in new environments and how to let loose every once in a while. Scaredy Squirrel is scared of just about everything, but he plans his party anyways. After over planning and having fears of something going wrong, he finally just lets the changes happens and rolls with it. It would be great to read for children that may be anxious most of the time and need to take time to calm down and relax.

[Lyla Muhlenkamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scaredy Squirrel is a unique series book. There is many types of books like these, but this one is where he wants to have a birthday party but he wants to plan everything. When I say everything, I mean everything. He wanted to plan a very detailed and specific outline with exact times when everything was going to happen. To say the least it didn't go as planned but it still worked out. This book would be a very good book to read to your students to get their imaginary minds working.

[Liv Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is relatable for some students that have social anxieties and are nervous around people they don't really know. It shows students and readers that when something doesn't go according to plan, it is important to remain clam and adapt to change because something good could come out of it. It also shows that if you step out of your comfort zone, you can find out a lot about yourself and discover new things.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute, funny, short story about an anxious squirrel. Scaredy has his quirks but he is really just worried about things not going right. This could be the same situations some students could be in, therefore I think it's a great chance for some students to learn that they may have more fun if they have more people to celebrate with. The book gives a great message and has decent illustrations. Overall, I think it's great that the books shows Scaredy making friends.

[Stevie Cupp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute little fictional story. Talks about nerves and anxiety, but in a fun format and with a squirrel being the main character. This is good for younger kids because it shows them that it's ok to be anxious, because things will usually still work out in the end. Even though scaredy squirrel's birthday party didn't go exactly as planned, he still had a great time and wants a similar party for his next one.

[Sarah Alamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

We're so proud of you for reading this wonderful book! You learned something very special from Scaredy Squirrel - that it's okay when things don't go exactly as we plan them. Sometimes the best moments happen when we're brave and try something new, even if we feel a little nervous. Remember, like Scaredy, you can face your worries and still have amazing fun! Next time something feels scary or different, think about how Scaredy was brave. You're becoming such a wonderful reader, sweetheart!

[Alli Smith Hagerty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scaredy Squirrel is a fun, light-hearted book that many kid and even adults can relate to. Scaredy Squirrel seems to have a plan for everything and stresses out when things go off course. He teaches the lesson that just because something isn't the way he thought it would go, doesn't mean it's a bad thing.

[Linda]

Scared Squirrel is back, this time planning a birthday party for himself. But, a birthday greeting from Buddy gets him to change his mind, and he decides to invite Buddy to his party. Well, this involves a change in plans, as he now has to prepare for a party on the ground instead of in his tree. As usual, we get a list of Scaredy Squirrel's fears and his plans for handling those fears in case of emergency. Well, once again, Scaredy Squirrel's carefully laid out plans don't quite go the way he imagines.